“Old are the rags”, says the proverb. And it can be applied to football if you talk about “World Cup EPG”an innovative project presented this Tuesday in Barcelona and which aims at the first Football World Cup for former footballers over the age of 35which will take place in December of this year and with the participation of Argentina national team.
Senior professional football is trying to earn its place in the environment and the EPG World Cup is the first step for what promises to be a competition that captures the attention of the planet.
In this tournament will participate eight countries who ever won world Cup at the traditional level, and among them is the Argentine team, which won the competition in 1978, 1986 and 2022.
The other seven teams ranked to play the World +35 I am Brazil, Germany, Italy, Uruguay, France, England and Spain.
“The EPG World Cup will be filled with excitement and excitement for fans, as elite footballers will demonstrate talent and passion know no bounds.
Without a doubt, viewers will witness how technical excellence stands the test of time and how the experience accumulated throughout their careers transforms these players into true masters of the game,” enthused the president of the federation and EPG. World Cup, Matias Sarasola.
World Cup +35: who can play it
The tournament, which will be held at December 2023 without a confirmed venue, it is designed to be played by former footballers who meet the following conditions: must have over 35 years old and I have been international or they disputed 100 matches in the highest national category.
“The teams in the tournament will be made up of athletes who have left an indelible mark on world football and who have the potential to continue to put on a great show,” said the Elite group of playersorganization responsible for the competition.
It would be something like this a World Cup for former footballers, where great stars of world football will be present. In principle, despite the lack of confirmation of the players who will make up each team, the team captains are known.
On the Argentine side, whoever wears the ribbon will be Esteban Cambiasobetter known as cuchuwho plays 52 games with the Albiceleste shirt and played the Germany 2006 World Cupas well as playing for Real Madrid, River and Independiente, among other teams.
The competition will be ensured thanks to the presence of other big stars such as Míchel Salgado (Spain), Steve McManaman (England), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Emerson (Brazil), Diego Lugano (Uruguay), Kevin Kuranyi (Germany) and Christian Karembeu ( France).
EPG World Cup: What’s the format like?
This competition will be played in its entirety during the month of December, with a format that will be based on the matches of direct elimination from what would be an example of the quarterfinals. In the event of a tie in regular time, it will be settled by spot kicks.
Adapted to the ages of the footballers, the times will be 35 minutesten fewer than in a professional match, with 15 minutes rest at half-time.
The first “senior” World Cup in 1987 and with Argentina as champions
36 years ago the so-called senior world cup, also known as “Pele Cup”name given after the signing of a millionaire contract with the historic Brazilian star Edson Arantes Do Nascimento.
That tournament, novel for the time, had its first edition in 1987 in Brazila year after achieving the second World Cup in the history of Argentina national team. At that time, Pele agreed to name the tournament after him and played the opening match, in which the Canarinha crushed by 3-0 in Italy in São Paulo.
Argentina, on the other hand, started the game with doubts after the draw 1-1 in view of West Germany but they managed to reach the final, where they had to face the hosts, whom they had already defeated during the competition, beating them 3-1.
On January 18, in São Paulo, Argentina became champions of the first senior world championship in history, beating them by 1-0 to the Brazilians. Roberto Mouzo, Miguel Brindisi, Oscar Más and Carlos Babington are some of the remembered figures who made up that team.
After the success of the summons of that first edition, the tournament was held at five more editions, renamed World Masters. And there Brazil yes, he could take revenge by taking four titles (1989, 1990, 1991 and 1995, winning two finals against Argentina), while Italy stayed with the competition in 1993closing the adventure of the veterans until this return in 2023.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.