The competition, known as the EPG Cup, is being organized by the Elite Players Group (EPG), a consortium of distinguished former footballers and sports businessmen who united last year
Football greats such as Ronaldinho, , Michel Salgado, and Ricardo Kaka are all set to feature in a new World Cup tournament that is scheduled to take place in June 2024.
According to the Daily Mail, a new Over-35s World Cup tournament, which will feature England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay, who are the past winners of the FIFA World Cup, will take place this summer.
The competition, known as the EPG Cup, is being organized by the Elite Players Group (EPG), a consortium of distinguished former footballers and sports businessmen who united last year.
The captains of each country are founders of the EPG. Steve McManaman is set to lead England, while the other skippers are Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Emerson (Brazil), Christian Karembeu (France), Kevin Kuranyi (Germany), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Michel Salgado (Spain), and Diego Lugano (Uruguay).
According to their proposals, participation in the tournament will be limited to players aged 35 or older who have earned caps for their national team or have made at least 100 top-flight appearances.
The Daily Mail also reports that a provisional list reportedly circulated includes Kaka, Cafu, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho (Brazil); Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, David J
James, Frank Lampard, and Robbie Fowler (England); Thierry Henry and Marcel Desailly (France); David Villa and Carles Puyol (Spain); Francesco Totti, Fabio Cannavaro, and Marco Materazzi (Italy).
According to reports, the organisers strategically selected the gap between the Champions League final on June 1 and the commencement of Euro 2024 on June 14 for the EPG Cup, ensuring it doesn’t clash with other major football events.
In the EPG Cup, matches will be played with 11 players on each side, but the duration will be 70 minutes instead of the standard 90. Teams will have the option to use roll-on substitutes from their 18-man squads.
The quarter-finals of the EPG Cup are slated for June 4 and June 5, followed by both semi-finals on June 8, leading up to the final match on June 11.
