What is the EPG Cup? Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and David Villa to line up in World Cup tournament for legends

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The EPG Cup will see some of the best players from years gone by lace up their boots once again - but what is it?

Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho and David Villa ahead of the potential EPG Cup in the summer in England
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Football legends are set to compete in a brand new tournament in England this summer, which has been dubbed "the over-35s World Cup".

Players such as Ronaldinho, Kaka, Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti and David Villa will compete in the tournament, alongside plenty of other legendary figures from the eight nations to have won the men's World Cup - England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Uruguay. 

Organised by the Elite Players Group (EPG), formed of elite former footballers and sports businessmen, the over-35s World Cup will officially be named the EPG Cup, with founders set to captain each country. 

What is the EPG Cup? Steve McManaman of the Liverpool Legends during a training session at AXA Training Centre on March 25, 2022 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by LFC Foundation/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

McManaman is expected to captain England (Image credit: Getty Images)

That will see Steve McManaman lead the likes of Michael Owen, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, David James, Frank Lampard and Robbie Fowler, who are all reportedly set to play in the event. 

Captains from the other seven nations include Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Emerson (Brazil), Christian Karembeu (France), Kevin Kuranyi (Germany), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Michel Salgado (Spain) and Diego Lugano (Uruguay).

In addition, Cafu, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos are set to join Ronaldinho and Kaka on the pitch for Brazil, while Thierry Henry will have Marcel Desailly alongside him for France. Spain's team will feature David Villa and Carlos Puyol, with Hernan Crespo and Pablo Zabaleta to step onto the pitch for Argentina.

Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira will represent Germany, Italy will have Totti, and Diego Forlan will be playing for Uruguay, too. 

In order to qualify for the tournament, players must be aged 35 or over and have played for their country, or made at least 100 top-flight appearances. 

What is the EPG Cup? Brazil's team captain and defender Cafu kisses the World Cup trophy, celebrating Brazil's 2-0 victory over Germany in match 64 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan final 30 June, 2002 at the International Stadium Yokohama, Japan. Brazil has now won a record five World Cup titles.Brazil previously was a FIFA World Cup winner in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994. AFP PHOTO PEDRO UGARTE (Photo credit should read PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)

Cafu celebrates with the 2002 World Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)

What is the EPG Cup?

Consisting of seven matches, the EPG Cup will be played at just one stadium over the course of a week in early June. According to the Daily Mail, a number of northern Premier League clubs are in the running to host the tournament, though no official decision has been made yet. 

EPG Cup games will last 70 minutes with rolling substitutes allowed, though it is still 11-aside. 

The quarter-finals are scheduled to be played on June 4 and June 5, with both semi-finals on June 8 before the final on June 11.

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Ryan Dabbs
Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.