Format, fixtures, history… Everything you need to know about the PLIC

The English adventure begins! After making a perfect start to their Challenge Espoirs campaign with two victories (2-2, 6-5 on penalties away to Lens, followed by a 10-0 win over the Hope Team), the Elite Group is entering the fray in a new competition. Dennis Schmitt’s side takes on West Ham this Tuesday evening (kick-off at 8 p.m.) at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Matchday 1 of the Premier League International Cup. Ahead of this clash between the Hammers and the Rouge et Blanc, here is everything you need to know about this tournament dedicated to European youth teams. Overview 🔎

A COMPETITION CELEBRATING ITS 10TH EDITION 🎂

Created in 2014, the PLIC has always aimed to help English clubs - particularly those in the Premier League - develop their academies by going head-to-head with their European counterparts. The competition quickly grew in stature, though the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted its progress during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. As a result, the tournament is celebrating its 10th edition this season, 12 years after its inception, and will see AS Monaco compete for the 4th time in its history.

32 PARTICIPATING TEAMS 🇪🇺

In terms of format, the PLIC now brings together 32 clubs divided into four groups of eight, each made up of four English sides and four European teams. The European representatives only face the four British sides in their group, and vice versa. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, which are played as single-legged ties, just like the rest of the knockout phase. This year, the Principality club has been drawn in Group A alongside Racing Genk, Juventus, and Valencia, and will take on West Ham, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, and Southampton.

A HIGH-LEVEL TOURNAMENT 🏆

The goal for the young Monegasques will therefore be to improve on last year's performance - when they finished 4th in their group and missed out on qualification - and, why not, succeed Borussia Dortmund, winners of the competition in 2026. However, that will be no easy feat, especially given that no French club has managed to lift the trophy so far, and that the PLIC has served as a proving ground for many talents who are now established players, such as Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), and Academy graduate attacker Eliesse Ben Seghir (Bayer Leverkusen). Good luck, lads! 🇲🇨