An under-23 Celtic side will again take part in the prestigious Premier League International Cup throughout the 2023/24 season, with some of the best youth sides in Europe also signing up for the England-based tournament.
Athletic Bilbao, whose first team arrive for a match at Celtic Park on Tuesday, confirmed the Bhoys’ involvement in the latest edition of the group stage format with a news posting on their official website this week.
The full list of teams taking part alongside Celtic, per Youthhawk, is: Blackburn Rovers, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Brighton, Chelsea, Southampton, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Sparta Prague, Hertha Berlin, Nice, PSV, Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, Valencia, Monaco, Athletic Bilbao, Feyenoord and Benfica.
Celtic have been handed a difficult draw and are set to face Chelsea, Brighton, Southampton and West Ham in the group stage of the competition. The young Bhoys will compete against each English team away from home and be ranked in a table that also includes Lyon, Valencia and Dinamo Zagreb.
Eight sides from three groups will progress into the quarter-finals, building up to the May showpiece final.
Darren O’Dea and Stephen McManus took charge of the team in the competition last season and found mixed success. The Bhoys beat Wolves, drew with Leicester but lost against Fulham and Blackburn Rovers, ending their involvement before the knockouts.
Youngsters who are now part of the first-team group including Rocco Vata, Ben Summers and Bosun Lawal all played and gained valuable experience against strong opponents. Anyone on the Celtic books under the age of 23 will be eligible this coming year.
It’s all part of another difficult and busy schedule for the B team. Between now and the end of this term, the young Hoops will compete in the Scottish Lowland Football League, Scottish Challenge Cup and the UEFA Youth League as well as the Glasgow Cup and this tournament. A younger age group will compete for the Scottish Youth Cup.
There’s a solid slate of regular matches of various styles and types, which can only benefit their development towards making a push for a first-team breakthrough. With some of them likely heading out on loan, too, it’ll be another interesting 12 months watching the prospects try and make a name for themselves.
In other news, Euro 2028 heading to Scotland after Friday UEFA update; why Celtic Park won’t be involved.
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