The Premier League International Cup is an English football competition for under-23 teams from across Europe. It was designed to provide players in English Category One academies with the opportunity to match themselves against other elite European footballers from their age group in a competitive environment. The competition was created by the Premier League as part of the organisation's Elite Player Performance Plan and is not sanctioned by UEFA.
Overview The competition featured under-23 sides from twelve English clubs and twelve other European clubs for the 2017–18 season. Prior the 2016–17 season, eight English and eight other European clubs competed in the competition. English teams qualify via their standing in the Premier League 2 and entry by European clubs is by invitation from the Premier League. For the 2014–15 tournament, the 16 teams were split into four groups of four. Upon completion of the group stage, the winners and runners-up from each group progressed to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, all played as single-leg ties. UEFA tried to block the creation of the tournament and refused to sanction its creation. To circumvent this, all games are hosted in England with games involving two foreign teams being held at neutral venues.
As in the Professional U21 Development League, teams are allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper per match.
The most successful team is Porto with two titles. They won the trophy for two consecutive seasons by beating Sunderland on 17 May 2017 and Arsenal on 8 May 2018.
In April 2026, the Premier League applied to have the competition recognised and sanctioned by UEFA.
Finals SeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upLosing semi-finalistsFinal stage host 2014–15 Manchester City 1–0 Porto Fulham and Leicester City Academy Stadium, Manchester 2015–16 Villarreal 4–2 PSV Chelsea and Porto The Den, London 2016–17 Porto 5–0 Sunderland Norwich City and Swansea City Stadium of Light, Sunderland 2017–18 Porto 1–0 Arsenal Newcastle United and Villarreal Emirates Stadium, London 2018–19 Bayern Munich 2–0 Dinamo Zagreb Reading and Southampton The Den, London 2019–20Aborted after the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England 2020–21No competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England 2021–22 2022–23 PSV 3–1 Crystal Palace Fulham and Valencia Selhurst Park, London 2023–24 Crystal Palace 1–0 PSV Everton and West Ham United Selhurst Park, London 2024–25 Nottingham Forest 0–0 (5–4 pen.) Lyon Athletic Bilbao and Fulham City Ground, West Bridgford 2025–26 Borussia Dortmund 1–0 Real Madrid Dinamo Zagreb and Real Sociedad Adams Park, High Wycombe
Performances
By club
+Performances in finals by clubTeamWinnersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up Porto212016–17, 2017–182014–15 PSV122022–232015–16, 2023–24 Crystal Palace112023–242022–23 Manchester City102014–15— Villarreal102015–16— Bayern Munich102018–19— Nottingham Forest102024–25— Borussia Dortmund102025–26— Sunderland01—2016–17 Arsenal01—2017–18 Dinamo Zagreb01—2018–19 Lyon01—2024–25 Real Madrid01—2025–26
By nation +Performances in finals by nationCountryWinnersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up332014–15, 2023–24, 2024–252016–17, 2017–18, 2022–23212016–17, 2017–182014–15202018–19, 2025–26—122022–232015–16, 2023–24112015–162025–2601—2018–1901—2024–25
Top scorers by season
SeasonPlayerClubGoals2014–15 Harry Panayiotou Leicester City6 Leandro Silva Porto2015–16 Kasey Palmer Chelsea62016–17 Carlton Morris Norwich City42017–18 Adrián Dalmau Villarreal5 James Wilson Manchester United2018–19 Danny Loader Reading52019–20 Liam Cullen Swansea City72022–23 Jason van Duiven PSV52023–24 Mohamed Nassoh PSV5 Romain Perret Lyon2024–25 Ensar Aksakal Hertha BSC62025–26 Taycan Etçibaşı Borussia Dortmund5
See also UEFA Youth League NextGen Series
References