What is the Messi Cup?
- Published
The Messi Cup is an international youth football tournament created by Lionel Messi that will take place for the first time this December in Florida.
The elite under-16s tournament will be held over six days from 9 to 14 December and will consist of 18 matches, with eight teams involved.
Among the teams are involved are English duo Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as Messi's current and former clubs Inter Miami and Barcelona. River Plate, Inter Milan, Newell's Old Boys and Atletico Madrid are the four other sides set to feature.
It will be held at Inter Miami's Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and might become an annual competition.
Messi announced the tournament on Instagram, writing: "Thrilled to finally share this with you - this December, Miami will host a very special youth football tournament featuring some of the top clubs from around the world.
"The future of the game will be on full display, and it's more than just matches - we've got an incredible few days planned with lots of other exciting activities. This is about the next generation. Hope you like it! This is the #MessiCup."
The competition has been set up by Messi's production company 525 Rosario.
Tim Pastore, CEO of 525 Rosario, added that the competition is an "opportunity to celebrate talent, culture, and community, creating legacies and bonds that will endure beyond the field of play".
"The Messi Cup is the meeting point between the football of today and the players of tomorrow," he added.
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How will the competition work?
Lionel Messi confirmed on his Instagram page on Tuesday that the tournament was being formed
The eight teams will be split into two groups of four.
Across the first three days, teams will play all three of the other teams in their group in a round-robin format.
The top teams in each group will then advance to the play-offs, with the winners of those meeting in the final of the tournament.
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