When is the over-35s World Cup? Date, squads and everything we know for EPG Cup featuring Lampard, Henry and Ronaldinho
SOME of football’s greatest ever players are set to feature in a new competition this year in England.
According to the Daily Mail, eight teams are to go to battle in an epic over-35s World Cup which will be staged somewhere in the North of the coutnry.
The sides that enter the tournament will all be previous winners of the Fifa World Cup.
England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Uruguay are the teams set to take part in the new mega competition.
The tournament is being organised by the Elite Players Group (EPG) and will be known as the EPG Cup.
When is the over-35s World Cup?
- The tournament is set to begin on June 4, with the quarter-finals being played on the 4 and 5.
- Both semi-finals will be played on June 8.
- And the final will take place on June 11.
- A venue has yet to be decided but reports claim that talks have taken place with some of the Premier League’s top Northern clubs.
What are the over-35s World Cup rules?
Under the Elite Players Group’s proposals, only players who are aged 35 or over and have been capped by their country or made 100 top-flight appearances can take part in the tournament.
The matches will be 11-a-side and last 70 minutes.
Teams will be allowed to use roll-on substitutes from their 18-man squads.
Who is playing in the over-35s World Cup?
Here are all the names rumoured to be taking part in the huge new tournament this summer:
England – Steve McManaman (C), Michael Owen, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, David James, Frank Lampard and Robbie Fowler.
Argentina – Esteban Cambiasso (C), Hernan Crespo and Pablo Zabaleta.
Brazil – Emerson (C), Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Cafu and Roberto Carlos.
France – Christian Karembeu (C), Thierry Henry and Marcel Desailly.
Germany – Kevin Kuranyi (C), Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira.
Italy – Marco Materazzi (C), Fabio Cannavaro and Francesco Totti.
Spain – Michel Salgado (C), David Villa and Carlos Puyol.
Uruguay – Diego Lugano (C) and Diego Forlan.