West Ham United will return to Prague as our U19s are set for action in the CEE Cup across July and August.
Nearly two months after the Hammers won the UEFA Europa Conference League final in the Czech Republic, Kevin Keen’s Irons will play in the CEE Cup for the first time in the Club’s history.
An U19s side – consisting of the young Hammers who will play at the U18 level in 2023/24 – will take part in two group fixtures and hope to reach a final should they win their group.
Alongside West Ham, AC Sparta Praha, SK Slavia Praha, SE Palmeiras, CR Flamengo, Al Ain FC are the clubs competing in the tournament’s eleventh edition.
What is the CEE Cup?
The CEE Cup is an U19s competition that showcases some of the best young footballing talent across Europe.
Held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, the competition pits global youth teams against each other and will play its eleventh edition in the summer of 2023.
Players such as Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and our very own Tomáš Souček have featured in previous years. This will be West Ham’s first appearance.
The tournament, for 2023, runs from 28 July to 1 August.
How does the format work?
West Ham will play in Group A – alongside defending champions SE Palmeiras and AC Sparta Praha – with the victors progressing to the final against the winners of Group B.
The second and third-placed teams will also play against their counterparts in Group B to decide the final tournament rankings.
Group stage matches will run for 80 minutes, with the final 90 minutes.
Teams are allowed to make seven substitutions and in the event of a draw in the group-stage, a penalty shoot-out will be held.
When are West Ham’s fixtures?
Our two group-stage fixtures are against SE Palmeiras and AC Sparta Praha, with the final will be held on August 1. All matches will be played at Velký stadion Strahov, home of AC Sparta Praha.
The group-stage fixtures are as followed:
28 July 2023, 2pm, AC Sparta Praha v West Ham United, Group A, Match 1
29 July 2023, 2pm, SE Palmeiras v West Ham United, Group A, Match 3
How to watch?
The CEE Cup will provide a PPV stream of West Ham’s fixtures across the tournament.
For more details click here.
Which players will be representing West Ham?
West Ham will be guided by lead coach Kevin Keen, with a squad that includes FA Youth Cup winners Finlay Herrick, Josh Briggs, Ryan Battrum, Liam Jones, Favour Fawunmi, Billy Bates and Tyron Akpata.