Sportsmail can reveal there is no prize-money from FIFA for the U20 World Cup, with the young Lions facing Venezuela in the final in South Korea on Sunday.
England’s Under 20s may be on the verge of making history, but they are not in line for any financial reward if they are crowned world champions.
Sportsmail can reveal there is no prize-money from FIFA for the U20 World Cup, with the young Lions facing Venezuela in the final in South Korea on Sunday.
On top of that, it is understood this age group are not given international appearance fees and there are no bonuses for them to trigger in their club contracts.
It means Paul Simpson’s young Lions are playing purely for pride. The fact that there is no reward from FIFA has surprised the FA, who would likely have reinvested the windfall in youth football.
The 32 teams at the 2014 World Cup shared £452million, with winners Germany taking home £27.5m.
As the England Under 20s prepared for Sunday’s tie at the 44,000-seat Suwon World Cup Stadium, one of England’s heroes of the 1966 World Cup had a message for them.
‘Good luck to the U20s in the World Cup final on Sunday v Venezuela, ‘ said Sir Geoff Hurst on Twitter. ‘Let’s repeat our success of 66.’
Simpson’s side are mainly made up of talent from Premier League academies. It is often the case that players receive a cash bonus from their clubs for achievements on the international stage.
Yet Sportsmail has been told those payments usually start at England senior level, or in some cases Under 21.
To get to the final, England topped their group ahead of Argentina, hosts South Korea and Guinea. They then eliminated Costa Rica, Mexico and Italy.
Liverpool’s new signing Dominic Solanke is the tournament’s second top goalscorer, only one off Italy’s Riccardo Orsolini.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin says England are ready to finish the job against Venezuela.
‘We’re into the World Cup final and we’re all over the moon, ‘ the 20-year-old told the FA’s website.
‘We’ve worked all year for this, coming away on international duty, it’s what we’ve planned to do all season.
‘It will definitely be a tough game but if we can bring our best performance to the party, we will be just fine.’
