The Evolution and Impact of the Next Generation Cup
The 2024 Next Generation Cup will kick start from 1st August 2024.
The 2024 edition of the Next Generation Cup will kick off on August 1, 2024, in London, England. Three teams from India in East Bengal, Punjab FC and Muthoot FA have qualified to represent the country in the tournament. The 2024 edition will also feature Premier League sides like Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton and Crystal Palace. South Africa will be represented by Stellenbosch’s reserve team.
The Next Gen Cup has had a short history, having only started in 2020. It has been the fruit of a partnership between the Indian Super League (ISL) organizers and those from the English Premier League, with the English committee keen on helping improve the quality of Indian football and help their youngsters get more exposure in playing top-quality teams.
History and Evolution of Next Gen Cup
The Next Gen Cup was initially kickstarted in 2020, but it had been in the making for quite some time before that. In 2019, the Premier League Youth Games initiative saw youth players from Arsenal and Leicester City visit India to compete with some Indian players.
As a result, a few matches took place between these two Premier League teams and the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RYFC) and Mumbai City youth teams. The successful trials of the matches compelled the ISL and Premier League committee to form the Next Gen Cup which was to be hosted by the Reliance Foundation.
In February 2020, the first-ever Reliance Next Gen Cup took place. This was a match that pitted under-14 teams from India face three under-14 teams that travelled from England. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and certain restrictions, this tournament could not be held in 2021.
It was resumed in 2022 when the organizers decided to change it to an under-21 tournament. That tournament was held in the East Midlands and London, with the matches taking place in the training ground of Leicester City and at the Hotspur Way in London.
The tournament was brought back to Mumbai in 2023 where it was held between eight teams, including four from India.
2020 Next Gen Cup
The first Next Generation Cup was held in February 2020 between the youth teams from India and the Premier League. The under-14 teams of Chelsea, Manchester United and Southampton all travelled to India to face the likes of FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and RFYC’s under-15 sides.
Chelsea’s youth team turned out to be extremely dominant in the tournament. In the edition where every team faced each other, the Blues’ team won all five games, scoring 15 goals and only conceding once. RYFC and FC Goa both won three games, with the former defeating both Manchester United and Southampton.
Manchester United, RYFC and FC Goa finished on same points (9), but the Red Devils finished second based on a better goal difference. Southampton and Bengaluru FC only managed one point each, with the ISL side finishing in bottom place.
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2022 Next Gen Cup
For the 2022 edition, only two Indian Super League teams Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC travelled to take part in the Next Gen Cup. Here, five Premier League teams Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest participated along with Stellenbosch FC from South Africa.
The eight teams were separated into two different groups. In Group A, Bengaluru FC lost to both Leicester City and Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters also faced heavy losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in their two matches.
Stellenbosch FC won Group A after defeating both Forest and Leicester City. In Group B, West Ham United prevailed as the winners.
2023 Next Gen Cup
The Next Gen Cup returned to India and the 2023 edition was held in Mumbai. In this one, the under-21 teams of Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Sudeva Delhi and RYFC all qualified. Three teams from England, Everton, West Ham United, and Wolves travelled in with their under-21 teams to participate in it.
Stellenbosch FC also returned after their heroics in the 2022 edition. In this edition, the eight teams were separated into four teams of two groups. Every team in the group played against each other and to make the competition alive even for the lower-placed teams, three different ‘playoffs’ were created to take place before the final.
The final, of course, happened between the two teams that topped their group – which were Wolves and Stellenbosch. Bengaluru FC finished in seventh place after defeating Sudeva Delhi in the seventh-place playoff. RYFC ousted Mohun Bagan by a 4-0 margin in the fifth-place playoff.
West Ham United defeated Everton 3-0 to claim the third position. The final was a thrilling encounter between Wolves and Stellenbosch. A back-and-forth affair saw both sides unable to oust each other in normal time.
Ultimately, Wolves won the final in a penalty shootout to claim the 2023 Next Gen Cup. The 2024 edition will now also take place between eight teams with similar playoffs in place. The Indian teams will hope to lodge a stronger outing in the 2024 edition and try to ensure that the bottom places are not all occupied by them.
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