By Samindra Kunti
October 6 – The World Sport Company in partnership with Global W Mexico has announced that the first edition of the World Legends Cup will be hosted by Mexico in January 2017.
World Sport Company CEO Jawid Bunyadi made the announcement at the Aspire Academy Global Summit on Football Performance and Science in Berlin alongside ambassadors Juan Sebastian Veron, Gaizka Mendieta and Jorge Campos.
Mexico, which hosted the 1968 Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup in 1970 and 1986 respectively, has been chosen to stage the inaugural World Legends Cup with the aim of bringing together the world’s best players in a competitive tournament.
“We have been speaking to multiple countries, it’s been difficult to get all endorsements in place,” said Bunyadi. “There are 120 million people in Mexico, all mad and crazy about football. It’s not only just about the infrastructure, but also the love of the game.
“We needed FIFA’s and the Mexican FA’s endorsements,” added Bunyadi.
The two-week tournament will be staged in January 2017, mainly because it’s targeted as a relatively lean sports period for TV broadcasters. Twelve teams will play matches of 60 minutes in four different cities with a group stage preceding the knockout phase. Germany, Spain, Italy, England, The Netherlands and France will represent Europe. Brazil, Argentina, USA and hosts Mexico will play for the Americas with South Africa and Japan completing the lineup.
Bunyadi indicated that talks with potential hosts for a second edition of the tournament are under way, but cautioned against overly optimistic projections, highlighting the need for the tournament to mature.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1735215136labto1735215136ofdlr1735215136owedi1735215136sni@i1735215136tnuk.1735215136ardni1735215136mas1735215136