Liverpool
Liverpool is a two-club city where nearly everyone has a side to follow and a Tuesday night game of their own to play. The Liverpool tournament in 2027 puts three 5-a-side grounds on the map: Bootle in the north, Knowsley in the middle and Speke in the south. Teams from across Merseyside can enter, each ground crowns a Pitch Champion, and the winners move on to the United Kingdom championship at the end of May.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Liverpool with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
Bootle/North
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Knowsley/Central
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Speke/South
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
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Merseyside's habit of playing five-a-side
Merseyside has a long habit of football played anywhere with a flat surface and a pair of posts. The grown-up version is the weeknight artificial pitch: teams from Walton, Anfield, Kirkby and Garston, from the docks and the universities, from the Wirral side across the river, booking the same slot week after week.
None of that needs to change for MCC. Squads of up to nine, a named Team President, amateur status and a Team License are the entry conditions, and a team that has never played a formal league is treated the same as one that plays three nights a week.
Bootle, Knowsley and Speke
Bootle/North is the ground for the north end of the city region: Bootle, Crosby, Litherland, Netherton and the Merseyrail Northern line corridor towards Southport. Knowsley/Central covers Knowsley, Kirkby, Huyton, Prescot and the east of Liverpool along the M57 and M62. Speke/South takes in Speke, Garston, Halewood, Woolton and the Hunts Cross line, close to the airport and the river.
Between 64 and 128 teams play on each ground, which runs its own round, so teams choose on travel time and not on postcode. The pitch owner programme confirms a single venue per ground; the cards above show the position, and each name is added here at signing.
April on the Mersey and the road to the country final
April and May on the river are fresh and often windy, with showers that pass quickly. Friday 9 April 2027 starts the first of three group weekends, each played over Friday to Sunday. Knockouts begin on 30 April, and finals are held on 9 May.
Late May 2027 brings the Country Championship, where the three Liverpool Pitch Champions meet winners from Glasgow, Newcastle-Gateshead, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and London. Next come the continental stage and the World Final on 7 July 2027, which keeps a Liverpool team playing into the summer.
Why enter this and not another one-day cup
Merseyside has plenty of charity and company tournaments, mostly decided in a single afternoon. This one has a Pitch Round from 9 April to 9 May, publishes its rules and format, and pays $20,000 to every Pitch Champion. Only amateur teams can enter, and the conduct policy is zero-tolerance from the first group match to the last.
The road out of Liverpool
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Liverpool
How does a team enter MCC in Liverpool?
Register on this site and pick one of Liverpool's three grounds: Bootle/North, Knowsley/Central, Speke/South. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Liverpool?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Liverpool grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Liverpool?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Liverpool team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the United Kingdom title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Do teams from the Wirral or Southport count as Liverpool teams?
Grounds are drawn by area, not by council boundary. Wirral teams usually reach Bootle or Speke through the Mersey tunnels or by Merseyrail, and Southport teams are closest to Bootle/North.
Is Knowsley covered by a ground of its own?
Yes. Knowsley/Central is named for the borough and the middle of the region, so teams from Kirkby, Huyton and Prescot do not need to travel into the centre to play.
Does a Liverpool team need to be a registered club?
No. A team needs a squad of up to nine, a Team President named on the entry, and amateur status. A pub side, a work team or a group of friends is eligible just as a club side is.
How does the Liverpool entry fee work for a three-year licence?
A Team License costs 1,200 USD for one year until 1 March 2027, then 2,500, or 5,000 for three years. The three-year licence covers the same team for three years on a single payment.
Also hosting in United Kingdom
Nearby in Europe
Claim a pitch in Liverpool
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years