Premier League International Cup
 | |
| Organising body | Premier League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 24 (group stage) 8 (knockout) |
| Related competitions | Premier League 2 |
| Current champions |  Bayern Munich(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Porto(2 titles) |
| Website | Official website |
The Premier League International Cup is an English football competition for U23 players from across Europe.[1] It was designed to provide players in English Category One academies with the opportunity to match themselves against other elite European footballers from their age group in a competitive environment.[1] The competition was created by the Premier League as part of the organisation's Elite Player Performance Plan and is not sanctioned by UEFA.[2]
Overview[]
The competition features U23 sides from twelve English clubs and twelve other European clubs for the 2017–18 season.[3] Prior the 2016–17 season, eight English and eight other European clubs competed in the competition. English teams qualify via their standing in the Premier League 2 and entry by European clubs is by invitation from the Premier League. For the 2014–15 tournament the 16 teams were split into four groups of four. Upon completion of the group stages the winners and runners-up from each group progressed to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, all played as single-leg ties.[1] UEFA tried to block the creation of the tournament and refused to sanction its creation, to circumvent this all games will be hosted in England with games involving two foreign teams being held in neutral venues.[2] English clubs will play a minimum of two of their fixtures at the main stadium of their senior side.[4] To ensure the focus is on development, the Premier League made no prize money available for the competition.[citation needed]
As in the Professional U21 Development League, teams are allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper per match.
The most successful team is Porto with two titles. Porto won the trophy in two consecutive seasons by beating Sunderland on 17 May 2017 and Arsenal on 8 May 2018.
Finals[]
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Losing semi-finalists | Final stage host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 |  Manchester City
|
1–0 | Porto
|
Leicester City and Fulham
|
Academy Stadium, Manchester |
| 2015–16 |  Villarreal
|
4–2 |  PSV
|
Chelsea and Porto
|
The Den, South Bermondsey |
| 2016–17 | Porto
|
5–0 | Sunderland
|
 Swansea City and Norwich City
|
Stadium of Light, Sunderland |
| 2017–18 | Porto
|
1–0 | Arsenal
|
Villarreal and Newcastle United
|
Emirates Stadium, London |
| 2018–19 | Bayern Munich
|
2–0 |  Dinamo Zagreb
|
Reading and Southampton
|
The Den, South Bermondsey |
| 2019–20 | Aborted after the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | ||||
Performances[]
By club[]
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porto
|
2 | 1 | 2016–17, 2017–18 | 2014–15 |
| Manchester City
|
1 | 0 | 2014–15 | — |
| Villarreal
|
1 | 0 | 2015–16 | — |
| Bayern Munich
|
1 | 0 | 2018–19 | — |
| PSV
|
0 | 1 | — | 2015–16 |
| Sunderland
|
0 | 1 | — | 2016–17 |
| Arsenal
|
0 | 1 | — | 2017–18 |
| Dinamo Zagreb
|
0 | 1 | — | 2018–19 |
By nation[]
| Country | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal
|
2 | 1 | 2016–17, 2017–18 | 2014–15 |
| England
|
1 | 2 | 2014–15 | 2016–17, 2017–18 |
| Spain
|
1 | 0 | 2015–16 | — |
| Germany
|
1 | 0 | 2018–19 | — |
| Netherlands
|
0 | 1 | — | 2015–16 |
| Croatia
|
0 | 1 | — | 2018–19 |
Top scorers by season[]
| Season | Player | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 |  Harry Panayiotou
|
6 | Leicester City
|
| Leandro Silva
|
Porto
| ||
| 2015–16 | Kasey Palmer
|
Chelsea
| |
| 2016–17 | Carlton Morris
|
4 | Norwich City
|
| 2017–18 | Adrián Dalmau
|
5 | Villarreal
|
| James Wilson
|
Manchester United
| ||
| 2018–19 | Danny Loader
|
Reading
| |
| 2019–20 | Liam Cullen
|
7 | Swansea City
|
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Premier League International Cup explained". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Morgan, Tom (June 5, 2019). "Opposition to Champions League reforms given further backing by Premier League" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "'Playing best Premier League teams is amazing'". Premier League. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- ^ "U21S JOIN PREMIER LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL CUP". www.canaries.co.uk.
- Premier League International Cup
- Youth football cup competitions in England
- Premier League
- Under-23 association football
- Recurring sporting events established in 2014
- 2014 establishments in England
- Multi-national association football leagues in Europe