| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 September 2019 – 10 March 2020 (Remaining matches cancelled) | 
| Teams | 24 (from 7 associations) | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Not awarded | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 38 | 
| Goals scored | 128 (3.37 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) | Liam Cullen (7 goals) | 
The 2019–20 Premier League International Cup was the sixth season of the Premier League International Cup, a European club football competition organised by the Premier League for under-23 players. Bayern Munich were champions in the previous season, after beating Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 in the final, but they were unable to defend their title as they did not enter this season's tournament.
The tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic after quarter-final matches on 10 March 2020, and was originally to restart on 25 June 2020. However, the season was eventually cancelled on 1 May 2020.[1]
Format
The competition features twenty-four teams: twelve from English league system and twelve invitees from other European countries. The teams are split into six groups of four - with two English league clubs per group. The group winners, and two best runners-up, will progress into the knockout phase of the tournament. The knockout matches will be single leg fixtures.[2]
All matches - including fixtures between non-English teams - will be played in England and Wales.
Teams
| English league system: | Other countries: 
 
 | 
Group stage
| Color key in group tables | 
|---|
| Group winners and the two best runners-up advance to the quarterfinals | 
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Arsenal (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 9 | 
|  Leicester City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 | 
|  Dinamo Zagreb | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 3 | 
|  Villarreal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 
| 25 September 2019 | Dinamo Zagreb   | 2–1 |  Villarreal | Aldershot | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Kulenović  39' (pen) Marin  45' | Report | Collado  52' | Stadium: Recreation Ground | 
| 27 November 2019 | Arsenal   | 3–0 |  Villarreal | Borehamwood | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Tormey  7' Emile Smith-Rowe  54' Coyle  79' | Stadium: Meadow Park | 
| 17 December 2019 | Arsenal   | 3–2 |  Dinamo Zagreb | Borehamwood | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | John-Jules  35', 90' Olayinka  55' | Report | Marin  7' Baturina  79' | Stadium: Meadow Park | 
| 18 December 2019 | Leicester City   | 2–1 |  Villarreal | Leicester | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Hirst  24' Eppiah  25' | Report | Millan  43' | Stadium: Holmes Park Attendance: 138[3] | 
| 17 January 2020 | Arsenal   | 3–0 |  Leicester City | Borehamwood | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Burton  25' (pen) Balogun  59' Olayinka  76' | Report | Stadium: Meadow Park | 
| 27 January 2020 | Leicester City   | 2–1 |  Dinamo Zagreb | Leicester | 
| TBC GMT (UTC±00:00) | Wright  29', 59' | Report | Šipoš  22' | Stadium: Holmes Park Attendance: 256[4] | 
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  VfL Wolfsburg (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 9 | 
|  West Ham United (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | 
|  Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 | 
|  Valencia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 1 | 
| 11 September 2019 | West Ham United   | 1–0 |  Valencia | Dagenham | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Holland  8' | Report | Stadium: Victoria Road Referee: Gary Parsons | 
| 16 October 2019 | Valencia   | 0–4 |  VfL Wolfsburg | Totton | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Report | Beifus  9', 33' Marmoush  35' May  71' (pen) | Stadium: Testwood Stadium Referee: Adam Bavcar | 
| 30 October 2019 | West Ham United   | 2–3 |  VfL Wolfsburg | Rush Green | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Powell  13' Scully  45' | Report | Justvan  19', 87' Herrmann  33' | Stadium: Rush Green Stadium Referee: Paul Howard | 
| 27 November 2019 | Brighton & Hove Albion   | 1–3 |  West Ham United | Crawley | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Radulovic  25' | Holland  32' Lewis  68' Scully  75' | Stadium: Broadfield Stadium | 
| 18 December 2019 | Brighton & Hove Albion   | 0–0 |  Valencia | Lancing | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Stadium: American Express Elite Football Performance Centre | 
| 27 January 2020 | Brighton & Hove Albion   | 2–3 |  VfL Wolfsburg | Crawley | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Radulovic  32' Jenks  89' | Report | Justvan  26' Stach  39' Karamoko  71' (pen) | Stadium: Broadfield Stadium | 
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Benfica (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | 
|  Newcastle United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | 
|  Hertha BSC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | 
|  Blackburn Rovers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | 
| 25 September 2019 | Hertha BSC   | 1–2 |  Benfica | Wesham | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Redan  57' (pen) | Report | Pedro Henrique  75' (pen) Csoboth  90+2' | Stadium: Mill Farm Referee: Aaron Jackson | 
| 15 November 2019 | Blackburn Rovers   | 0–2 |  Hertha BSC | Blackburn | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Report | Ernesto  78' Gayret  90+2' | Stadium: Ewood Park Referee: Ben Speedie | 
| 22 November 2019 | Newcastle United   | 1–1 |  Benfica | Newcastle upon Tyne | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Francillette  13' | Report | dos Anjos  34' (pen) | Stadium: Whitley Park Attendance: 298[5] | 
| 25 November 2019 | Blackburn Rovers   | 1–2 |  Benfica | Leyland | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Davenport  59' | dos Anjos  84', 90' | Stadium: County Ground | 
| 11 December 2019 | Newcastle United   | 3–1 |  Hertha BSC | Newcastle upon Tyne | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Fernandez  5' Allan  23' (pen), 90' | Ngankam  82' | Stadium: Whitley Park Attendance: 163 | 
| 20 December 2019 | Newcastle United   | 2–3 |  Blackburn Rovers | Newcastle upon Tyne | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Allan  30' (pen), 55' | Report | Buckley  13', 75' Chapman  16' | Stadium: Whitley Park Attendance: 189 | 
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Swansea City (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | 
|  Porto | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | 
|  PSV Eindhoven | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 
|  Everton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | 
| 19 September 2019 | Swansea City   | 1–1 |  PSV Eindhoven | Landore | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Cullen  77' | Report | Ngonge  33' | Stadium: Landore Training Centre Referee: James Durkin | 
| 25 September 2019 | Swansea City   | 5–1 |  Porto | Landore | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Cullen  6', 23' Cooper  16', 45', 57' | Report | Diego  11' | Stadium: Landore Training Centre Referee: Tom Reeves | 
| 30 October 2019 | Everton   | 1–1 |  PSV Eindhoven | Southport | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Gordon  12' | Report | Soulas  90+2' | Stadium: Haig Avenue Referee: Declan Bourne | 
| 17 December 2019 | Porto   | 1–1 |  PSV Eindhoven | Wesham | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Ferreira  48' | Ledezma  81' | Stadium: Mill Farm | 
Group E
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Liverpool (Q) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Paris Saint-Germain | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Athletic Bilbao | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 
| 30 October 2019 | Athletic Bilbao   | 0–1 |  Paris Saint-Germain | Aldershot | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Report | Fressange  37' | Stadium: Recreation Ground Referee: Richard Hulme | 
| 20 November 2019 | Wolverhampton Wanderers   | 1–1 |  Paris Saint-Germain | Wolverhampton | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Csoka  57' | Fressange  1' | Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 5,448[7] | 
| 27 November 2019 | Wolverhampton Wanderers   | 1–1 |  Athletic Bilbao | Burton-upon-Trent | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Ashley-Seal  4' | Guruzeta  59' | Stadium: St George's Park | 
| 20 December 2019 | Liverpool   | 3–2 |  Paris Saint-Germain | Kirkby | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Bearne  7' Dixon-Bonner  90' Larouci  90' | Fressange  39' Mbe Soh  59' | Stadium: Liverpool Academy | 
| 8 January 2020 | Liverpool   | 1–2 |  Athletic Bilbao | Kirkby | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Bearne  82' | Report | Baqué  20', 35' | Stadium: Liverpool Academy | 
| 29 January 2020 | Wolverhampton Wanderers   | 2–2 |  Liverpool | Wolverhampton | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Jordão  13' Dadashov  47' | Hardy  52' Elliott  54' | Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 4,394 | 
Group F
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  Derby County (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | 
|  AS Monaco (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | 
|  Feyenoord | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | 
|  Southampton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | 
| 26 September 2019 | Derby County   | 2–0 |  AS Monaco | Loughborough | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Minkley  66' Hector-Ingram  77' (pen) | Report | Stadium: Loughborough University Stadium Referee: Samuel Barrott | 
| 15 October 2019 | AS Monaco   | 3–1 |  Feyenoord | Dagenham | 
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Ibouroi  32' Alioui  62' Faivre  75' (pen) | Report | Lake  86' | Stadium: Victoria Road Referee: Tim Danaskos | 
| 29 October 2019 | Southampton   | 1–2 |  Feyenoord | Marchwood | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | El Bouchataoui  41', o.g' | Report | Naujoks  61' Burger  83' | Stadium: Staplewood Campus | 
| 7 November 2019 | Derby County   | 2–1 |  Feyenoord | Loughborough | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Hector-Ingram  63' (pen) Bennett  87' (pen) | De Mooij  46' | Stadium: Loughborough University Stadium | 
| 27 November 2019 | Southampton   | 0–3 |  AS Monaco | Marchwood | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Report | Alioui  62', 73' Naes  74' | Stadium: Staplewood Campus Attendance: 200[8] | 
| 10 December 2019 | Derby County   | 3–1 |  Southampton | Loughborough | 
| 19:00 GMT (UTC±00:00) | Minkley  32' Shonibare  49' Hector-Ingram  69' (pen) | Report | Brennan  78' | Stadium: Loughborough University Stadium Attendance: 105[9] | 
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  AS Monaco (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | 
|  West Ham United (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | 
|  Leicester City (E) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 | 
|  Newcastle United (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | 
|  Athletic Bilbao (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 
|  Porto (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | 
Knockout stages
Quarter-finals
| 3 March 2020 | Arsenal   | 4–3 |  AS Monaco | Borehamwood | 
| Medley  17', 24' Balogun  68' (pen.), 90' | Report | Sylla  20' Millot  29' Maes  50' | Stadium: Meadow Park | 
| 10 March 2020 | Derby County  | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (5–6 p) |  West Ham United | Derby | 
| Hector-Ingram  34' (pen.), 83' J. Brown  51' | Report | Afolayan  4', 8' Rosa  73' | Stadium: Pride Park | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Babos  A. Brown  Cresswell  Stretton  Hector-Ingram  J. Brown  Ebosele  Wilson  |  Rosa  Ashby  Djú  Odubeko  Silva  Sánchez  Akinola  Okotcha | |||
| 25 June 2020 | Liverpool   | Cancelled |  VfL Wolfsburg | Kirkby | 
| --:-- | Stadium: Liverpool Academy | |||
| Note: This fixture, originally scheduled for 10 March 2020, was postponed after VfL Wolfsburg decided not to travel to the UK due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.[10] | ||||
| 26 June 2020 | Swansea City   | Cancelled |  Benfica | Landore | 
| --:-- | Stadium: Landore Training Centre | |||
| Note: This fixture, originally scheduled for 11 March 2020, was postponed after Benfica decided not to travel to the UK due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.[11] | ||||
References
- ↑ "Statement on 2019/20 Academy Games Programme". Premier League. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ↑ "Premier League International Cup explained". Premier League. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ↑ "City's Youngsters Seal Villarreal Success In Whetstone". Leicester City FC.
- ↑ "Results Development Squad". Leicester City FC.
- ↑ "Newcastle United U23s 1-1 Benfica B: Steve Bruce and Steve Harper watch on as Ludwig Francillette scores bullet header". ChronicleLive. 22 November 2019.
- ↑ @Everton (January 27, 2020). "Head to our live blog for #EFCU23 updates from tonight's behind-closed-doors #PLInternationalCup game against @SwansOfficial at USM Finch Farm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ @WolvesAcademy (November 20, 2019). "There's 5,448 in attendance at Molineux tonight, thank you for your fantastic support!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Southampton U23s vs AS Monaco U23s 2019-11-27".
- ↑ "Derby County U23s vs Southampton U23s 2019-12-10".
- ↑ "Liverpool U23s v Wolfsburg postponed". 9 March 2020.
- ↑ "Swansea City Under-23s' Benfica clash postponed | Swansea".