CUPRA Host The Inaugural 'Next Gen Cup' At Barcelona's Camp Nou

In what was a festival of football and a celebration of the progressive nature of the game, CUPRA hosted the inaugural edition of the Next Gen Cup this week, bringing together four of the main football platforms on social networks for the chance to battle it out at Camp Nou. And we at SoccerBible were fortunate enough to be among those four…

For those unfamiliar with what CUPRA is and what they’re about, the Next Gen Cup was the epitome of the brand’s fresh and forward thinking mindset. More than simply a car brand, this is a young, progressive company with its roots firmly established in the vibrant city of Barcelona. CUPRA’s distinct ethos and its contemporary positioning is embodied in their passion for football, matching our own headspace as a brand that can see where football crosses into lifestyle culture. And so, with all of that in mind, there was no better way for them to showcase their stance than by hosting the first edition of the CUPRA Next Gen Cup – a solidarity football tournament like no other before, hosted at Camp Nou.

The sheer grandiose nature of Camp Nou is amplified a thousand-fold when standing on its sacred pitch; a place where some of the best players in the world have performed in front of millions of passionate fans over the years. While we can’t quite count ourselves among that calibre of player, we did get to live out the dream of countless football fans across the globe by playing on that stage as one of the four teams invited to compete by CUPRA.

The competition brought together the four main football platforms across social networks, so opposing us were 433, Bestoffootball and Freekickerz, each carving their own path in modern football culture. Former professionals Ronald De Boer, Demy De Zeeuw and David Bellion all dusted off their boots for the occasion, while Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was in attendance, with his son, Ronald Koeman jr. playing in goal for Bestoffootball.

Calling in the Out of Home boys from our Unmarked podcast to bolster our ranks, which included several lucky competition winners, we arrived with the aim of enjoying every last minute, soaking up the atmosphere and revelling in the occasion. Oh, and being the best dressed team out there, aided by our unique club crest, which was designed by ACID FC, who have – incidentally – also recently collaborated with us for a piece in SoccerBible Volumes – Summer ‘21 ‘Utopia’ edition.

It was inspired by the prominent nature of the GOAT in the modern game and what it represents, while the laser vision is all about being able to see football in the future – the trends, the fashion and the way we can break new ground in the game. The clean nature of our kit was complemented by the CUPRA logo sponsor – rarely do brand logos accentuate a design as much as this one did. Surely it can only be a matter of time before we see a club leap at the chance of having this on the front of their shirts.

The football didn’t disappoint either, with each team pushing for the chance to be crowned the CUPRA Next Gen Cup champions. Alongside some inspiring team talks there was plenty of drama, with a penalty shootout in the first semi final (in which we shook off the stigma surrounding both the England and Holland national teams to triumph!), a David Beckham-esque goal from the halfway line, and plenty of tekkerz and tough tackles in equal measure.

Congrats have to be given to FreeKickerz, who had the quality in the end to take the glory. But you know who the real winner was, right? Football was the real winner. The CUPRA Next Gen Cup was an example of the creative football community coming together, and this tournament can be the start of something revolutionary. More please.