From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tournament Calendar

1992

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1992 Lada Masters England England France France 3–2 Netherlands Netherlands

1993

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1993 Soccer Matchplay England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 Denmark Denmark
1993 Samson Soccer Classic England England France France 1–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1993 Lada Masters France France England England 2–1 Denmark Denmark
1994 World Championship England England Netherlands Netherlands 0–0
{4–2}
Sweden Sweden

1994

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1994 Soccer Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands England England 3–1 Denmark Denmark
1994 Samson Soccer Classic France France England England 2–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1994 World Matchplay England England Spain Spain 3–1 Netherlands Netherlands
1994 Lada Masters England England France France 1–0 Denmark Denmark
1995 World Championship Netherlands Netherlands France France 4–0 England England

1995

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1995 Gem City Open England England Spain Spain 2–1 England England
1995 Soccer Matchplay England England Denmark Denmark 2–1 Italy Italy
1995 National Pro League France France Italy Italy 1–0 England England
1995 World Matchplay Spain Spain Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 France France
1996 World Championship France France Poland Poland 2–1 Germany Germany

1996

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1996 Atlantic City Open England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 France France
1996 Gem City Open Spain Spain England England 0–0
{4–2}
Italy Italy
1996 Soccer Matchplay Denmark Denmark Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 England England
1996 Golden Harvest Italy Italy United States United States 2–1 Netherlands Netherlands
1996 World Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 4–1 France France
1996 Sunparks Masters England England Netherlands Netherlands 1–0 Poland Poland
1997 World Championship Poland Poland Netherlands Netherlands 2–2
{3–2}
England England

1997

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1997 Antwerp Open Netherlands Netherlands Denmark Denmark 3–2 Finland Finland
1997 Golden Harvest United States United States Australia Australia 1–1
{3–1}
Germany Germany
1997 News of the World Netherlands Netherlands Italy Italy 2–1 Spain Spain
1997 Scottish Masters England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–2
{5–4}
Germany Germany
1997 World Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1998 World Championship Netherlands Netherlands United States United States 1–0 England England

1998

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1998 Dutch Open Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 4–1 Italy Italy
1998 German Open Germany Germany England England 2–0 Canada Canada
1998 Antwerp Open Denmark Denmark Spain Spain 2–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1998 Golden Harvest Australia Australia Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 Australia Australia
1998 England Open England England Spain Spain 4–0 Norway Norway
1998 Swiss Open Switzerland Switzerland Poland Poland 2–0 Wales Wales
1998 Calgary Golden Harvest Netherlands Netherlands Spain Spain 4–0 Poland Poland
1998 World Matchplay Czech Republic Czech Republic Italy Italy 1–0 Czech Republic Czech Republic
1998 Denmark Open Denmark Denmark Spain Spain 1–0 France France
1998 Swedish Open Sweden Sweden Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 2–1 Scotland Scotland
1998 World Grand Prix Italy Italy Netherlands Netherlands 3–3
{6–5}
Spain Spain
1999 World Championship United States United States Portugal Portugal 2–0 England England

1999

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1999 German Open England England France France 0–0
{6–5}
Spain Spain
1999 Antwerp Open Spain Spain Netherlands Netherlands 1–0 Canada Canada
1999 Golden Harvest Netherlands Netherlands Portugal Portugal 2–0 Scotland Scotland
1999 England Open Spain Spain Italy Italy 2–1 Germany Germany
1999 Cleveland Soccer Extraveganza Poland Poland Netherlands Netherlands 3–1 Switzerland Switzerland
1999 Scania Open Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland United States United States 2–0 Hungary Hungary
1999 World Matchplay Italy Italy Netherlands Netherlands 3–0 United States United States
1999 World Grand Prix Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 England England
1999 Jersey Festival of Soccer Spain Spain Greece Greece 1–0 Luxembourg Luxembourg
2000 World Championship Portugal Portugal Netherlands Netherlands 3–2 France France

1992 Lada Masters

1992 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£17,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
1993»

The 1992 Lada Masters was the inaugural staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament would be the first ever organised tournament by the organisation and took place in England.

France won the inaugural event, beating Netherlands 3–2 in the final, becoming the first champion in the PSC.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

The PSC invited 4 UK countries and 4 European countries. There was some discussion about the invitation of Republic of Ireland as an European country, as Northern Ireland was invited as an UK country. As a result, this was the only time that Republic of Ireland was invited as an European country.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
England England 4
Wales Wales 0
England England 0
France France 1
France France 3
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
France France 3
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2
Scotland Scotland 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 1
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3

1993 Soccer Matchplay

1993 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1994»

The 1993 Soccer Matchplay was the inaugural staging of the tournament and the first tournament on the 1993 calendar, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

Netherlands won their first title, beating surprise finalist Denmark 2–1 in the final.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The PSC invited 4 UK countries and 3 European countries. As there were some discussions about the inclusion of Republic of Ireland as an European invitation, the PSC decided to leave one spot available in a open qualifier, which was won by Denmark who would make their debut in the event, managing to create a huge upset by making it all the way to the final in only their first PSC appearance.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Netherlands Netherlands 4
Wales Wales 0
Netherlands Netherlands 2
England England 1
France France 0
England England 1
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q Denmark Denmark 1
Q Denmark Denmark 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
Q Denmark Denmark 4
Scotland Scotland 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1
Scotland Scotland 3

1993 Samson Soccer Classic

1993 Samson Soccer Classic
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£16,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
1994»

The 1993 Samson Soccer Classic was the inaugural staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

France became the first country to win their second PSC title, beating Netherlands 1–0 in the final.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £16,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

For the first time, there were no invitations. Instead, the PSC decided to automatically select the top 3 UK countries in the Order of Merit and the top 3 European countries in the Order of Merit. They were joined by 2 Open Qualifier winners, one of which was Norway who made their debut in a PSC event.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 3
England England 1
Denmark Denmark 1
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 4
Netherlands Netherlands 0
France France 1
Scotland Scotland 1
France France 2
France France 3
Q Norway Norway 0
Q Wales Wales 1
Q Norway Norway 2

1993 Lada Masters

1993 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country France France
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£17,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1992 1994»

The 1993 Lada Masters was the 2nd staging of the Lada Masters, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This was the first time, a PSC tournament was staged outside England, as France hosted the tournament.

France were the defending champions after beating Netherlands 3–2 in the 1992 final. However, they were surprisingly defeated by Denmark in a cracking match in the quarter-finals which featured the very first penalty shoot-out in PSC history.

England won their first PSC title, beating Denmark, who made another piece of Danish history by surprisingly reaching another final in a tournament debut, 2–1 in the final. England became the first UK country to win a PSC title, making this tournament the first tournament to have not been won by an European country and the first tournament, were Netherlands didn't reach the final, ending an impressive streak of 3 consecutive final appearances.

Denmark and Norway made their debuts in the Lada Masters as Luxembourg and Republic of Ireland didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

In a change to last year, the PSC decided to pick the top 3 UK and European countries from the Order of Merit. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 0 {5}
France France 0 {3}
Denmark Denmark 3
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1
Q Wales Wales 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 2
England England 2 {4}
Netherlands Netherlands 2 {1}
England England 2
Scotland Scotland 0
Q Norway Norway 1
Scotland Scotland 2

1994 World Championship

1994 World Championship
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£50,000
Winner's share£16,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1995»

The 1994 World Championship was the first ever World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament became the first and biggest major in the history of the PSC.

Netherlands became the first World Champion in the PSC, as well as the first major champion in the PSC, defeating big surprise finalist Sweden, who played in their first PSC event as a qualifier. The final was nerve breaking, as none of the finalists managed to get a point on the board, extending the final all the way to a penalty shoot-out, which was won by Netherlands 4–2.

United States and Sweden made their PSC debuts, with United States becoming the first North American country to compete in the PSC, as well as the first non-UK and non-European country in the PSC.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £50,000)
Winner (1) £16,000
Runner-up (1) £8,000
Semi-finalists (2) £5,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,500
Group-stage losers (4) £1,500

Qualification

This tournament featured the biggest field in PSC history this far, as 12 countries competed for the legendary title, beating the 8 country record, with the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded in the draw. They were joined by the number 9 and 10 in the Order of Merit as well as 2 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 Denmark Denmark 0
4 Denmark Denmark 3
8 Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {4}
Q Sweden Sweden 0 {2}
2 France France 1 {4}
Q Sweden Sweden 1 {5}
Q Sweden Sweden 2
3 England England 0
3 England England 2
7 Wales Wales 1

1994 Soccer Matchplay

1994 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1993 1995»

The 1994 Soccer Matchplay was the 2nd staging of the tournament and the first tournament on the 1994 calendar, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the tournament.

Netherlands were the defending champions, having beaten Denmark 2–1 in the 1993 final, but lost in the semi-finals to England.

England eventually won the tournament, beating back-to-back finalist Denmark 3–1 in the final. This was their 2nd PSC title.

Switzerland made their PSC debut, replacing Luxembourg who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria changed from last year, as there were no more invitations. Instead, the top 3 UK and European countries qualified for the tournament. The remaining 2 spots were filled by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 3
Scotland Scotland 1
Denmark Denmark 3
Q Switzerland Switzerland 1
Q Wales Wales 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 3
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3
Netherlands Netherlands 0
England England 1
England England 2
France France 0

1994 Samson Soccer Classic

1994 Samson Soccer Classic
Tournament information
Country France France
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£18,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1993

The 1994 Samson Soccer Classic was the 2nd staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in France.

The field for this tournament expanded from 8 to 12 countries, adding an extra round with the top 4 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded, receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

France were the defending champions, winning the 1993 final 1–0 against Netherlands. However, Netherlands took revenge for losing that final, defeating France 0–0 {5–3} in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals.

England won the Samson Soccer Classic for the first time, picking up their 3rd PSC title by defeating Netherlands 2–0 in the final, with Netherlands losing the final for the second year in a row.

With the expanded format, Sweden, Luxembourg, United States and Switzerland all made their debut in the event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £18,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,000
First round losers (4) £750

Qualification

The field expanded and the qualification criteria changed. The top 4 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded and received a bye to the quarter-finals. The numbers 5 to 10 in the Order of Merit also qualified, but were not seeded and had to play an extra round. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualfier winners.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
Wales Wales 2 Wales Wales 0
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {5}
4 France France 0 {3}
4 France France 2
Sweden Sweden 4 Sweden Sweden 0
Scotland Scotland 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
2 England England 2
2 England England 2
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3 Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0 2 England England 3
3 Denmark Denmark 0
3 Denmark Denmark 2
Q United States United States 2 Q United States United States 0
Norway Norway 0

1994 World Matchplay

1994 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£35,300
Winner's share£10,000
Champion(s)
Spain Spain
1995»

The 1994 World Matchplay was the inaugural staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament would feature as the 2nd major on the calendar after the World Championship. The tournament took place in England.

The tournament featured the biggest field this far, as 16 countries competed for the trophy, breaking the record of 12 countries in a single tournament.

The first edition would turn out to be a historic one, as Spain would go on to win their first PSC title and major on their PSC debut. Becoming the first country to do so. Spain defeated number 1 seed and current World Champion Netherlands 3–1 in the final.

Iceland, Finland and eventual winners Spain made their PSC debuts.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £35,300)
Winner (1) £10,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,250
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,500
First round losers (8) £850

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded for this event. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified for the event. The remaining 4 spots were filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
8 Scotland Scotland 2
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
4 France France 2
4 France France 2
Q Finland Finland 0
4 France France 3
Q Iceland Iceland 0
5 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Q Iceland Iceland 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Spain Spain 3
2 England England 0
Norway Norway 1
Norway Norway 0
Q Spain Spain 5
7 Wales Wales 0
Q Spain Spain 1
Q Spain Spain 3
6 Sweden Sweden 1
3 Denmark Denmark 1
United States United States 3
United States United States 1
6 Sweden Sweden 2
6 Sweden Sweden 2
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 1

1994 Lada Masters

1994 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country England England
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£19,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
« 1993

The 1994 Lada Masters was the 3rd staging of the Lada Masters, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

The field expanded from 8 to 12 countries, adding an extra round with the top 4 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded, receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

England were the defending champions, winning the 1993 edition 2–1 against Denmark. England would not succesfully defend their title, as they were beaten 1–0 by eventual winners France, winning their 2nd Lada Masters 1–0 against Denmark, who lost the final for sthe 2nd year in a row.

With the expanded format, Sweden, current World Matchplay champion Spain, Switzerland and United States all made their debut in the event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £19,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250
First round losers (4) £500

Qualification

The field expanded and the qualification criteria changed. The top 4 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded and received a bye to the quarter-finals. The numbers 5 to 10 in the Order of Merit also qualified, but were not seeded and had to play an extra round. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 Q United States United States 0
Q United States United States 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
4 Denmark Denmark 1 {4}
4 Denmark Denmark 2
Scotland Scotland 1 Scotland Scotland 0
Wales Wales 0 4 Denmark Denmark 0
3 France France 1
2 England England 2
Norway Norway 0 Spain Spain 1
Spain Spain 2 2 England England 0
3 France France 1
3 France France 2
Sweden Sweden 2 {3} Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 2 {4}

1995 World Championship

1995 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£40,000
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
France France
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 World Championship was the 2nd World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the presticious event, having won the inaugural World Championship by defeating surprise finalists Sweden in a penalty shootout: 0–0 {4–2}. Netherlands would not win the competition back-to-back, as they were 4–2 defeated in the semi-finals by France.

France would go on to win their first World Championship confidently by destroying England 4–0 in the final, picking up their first major title.

Current World Matchplay champion Spain, Poland and Italy made their World Championship debuts, while Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland and United States failed to qualify. This also included the PSC debuts for Poland and Italy.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,000)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (4) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Sweden Sweden 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 France France 4
4 France France 2
8 Scotland Scotland 0
4 France France 4
2 England England 0
2 England England 3
6 Spain Spain 0
2 England England 2
Q Poland Poland 0
Q Italy Italy 1 {4}
Q Poland Poland 1 {5}

1995 Soccer Matchplay

1995 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Denmark Denmark
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 Soccer Matchplay was the 3rd staging of the Soccer Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The event was held in England for the second time, having hosted the tournament in 1993.

England were the defending champions, having beaten Denmark 3–1 in the 1994 final. However, England would surprisingly lose their first game to Denmark who took revenge, winning their first Soccer Matchplay after losing 2 consecutive finals, beating debutants Italy 2–1 in the final, winning their first PSC title and becoming only the 5th country to do so after France, Netherlands, England and Spain

Spain, Sweden, Italy and United States all made their debuts in the Soccer Matchplay while Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland and Wales didn't manage to qualify.

United States also became the first North American country in the Soccer Matchplay.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria where again changed, as no longer, the top 3 UK and European countries qualified for the tournament. Instead, the top 6 countries in the Order of Merit qualified. The remaining 2 spots were still filled by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Netherlands Netherlands 0 {4}
France France 0 {3}
Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
Denmark Denmark 1 {4}
England England 0
Denmark Denmark 2
Denmark Denmark 2
Q Italy Italy 1
Q United States United States 2
Sweden Sweden 1
Q United States United States 1
Q Italy Italy 3
Q Italy Italy 1 {5}
Spain Spain 1 {4}

1995 National Pro League

1995 National Pro League
Tournament information
Country France France
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£17,150
Winner's share£2,200
Champion(s)
Italy Italy

The 1995 National Pro League was the inaugural staging of the tournament and featured as the 3rd major tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation after the World Championship and World Matchplay. France hosted the event.

The tournament featured a format that looked like the format of the World Championship with a few differences. This tournament featured just 3 groups of 4 countries who where randomly drawn. The winner of each group automatically qualified for the semi-finals. The last country to qualify was the number 2 from the group-stage with the most points, the best goal difference or the most goals.

Italy won their first PSC (major) title by defeating England 1–0 in the final.

This tournament also featured the PSC debut of Canada.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,150)
Winner (1) £2,200
Runner-up (1) £1,950
Semi-finalists (2) £1,700
Group-stage losers (8) £1,200

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit where automatically qualified. The remaining 4 spots where filled by 4 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Semi-finals Final
      
Netherlands Netherlands 1
Italy Italy 2
Italy Italy 1
England England 0
France France 1
England England 2

1995 World Matchplay

1995 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Spain Spain
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£35,300
Winner's share£10,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 World Matchplay was the 2nd staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, Spain would serve as hosts for a PSC tournament.

Spain where the defending champions. However, they were beaten in a huge upset in the first round by PSC debutants Germany in a penalty shoot-out by 2–2 {3–2}.

After losing the final last year, number one seed Netherlands managed to take the title for the first time this year by beating current World Champion France 2–1 in the final.

National Pro League champion Italy, Germany and Hungary made their World Matchplay debuts, as Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland and Finland failed to qualify. For Germany and Hungary, this was their PSC debuts.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £35,300)
Winner (1) £10,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,250
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,500
First round losers (8) £850

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same, as the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified with the remaining 4 spots being filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
United States United States 0
8 Scotland Scotland 1
United States United States 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
Q Germany Germany 2
4 Denmark Denmark 0 {2}
Q Hungary Hungary 0 {4}
Q Hungary Hungary 0
Q Germany Germany 3
5 Spain Spain 2 {2}
Q Germany Germany 2 {3}
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
3 France France 1
2 England England 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
2 England England 1
7 Italy Italy 2
7 Italy Italy 1 {5}
Wales Wales 1 {4}
7 Italy Italy 0
3 France France 1
3 France France 3
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
3 France France 3
Q Iceland Iceland 0
6 Sweden Sweden 1
Q Iceland Iceland 2

1996 World Championship

1996 World Championship
Tournament information
Country France France
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£51,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Poland Poland
« 1995 1997»

The 1996 World Championship was the 3rd edition of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. France had the honour of hosting the biggest event of the year, having won the World Championship last year by confidently beating England 4–0 in the final.

France did not succesfully defend their title, as they were unable to progress to the knock-outs as they shockingly finished in last place of their respective group.

Poland realised the biggest shock in PSC history this far by winning the World Championship by defeating Germany who also surprisingly reached the final as they made their World Championship debut by 2–1. This was the first PSC title for Poland.

As interest from countries in the PSC kept increasing, the PSC decided to increase the field for the World Championship from 12 to 16 countries, adding 1 country to each group.

This was an unique year, as all countries who qualified for last years World Championship also managed to qualify this year. With the expanded field however, United States returned after a one-year absence while Australia, Germany and Bosnia Herzegovina made their World Championship debuts. This was the PSC debut for Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina.

Australia also became the first Oceanic country to ever take part in a PSC event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £51,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,500
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

To accumelate with the expanded field, the qualification criteria had to be slighlty altered. The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were still automatically qualified and seeded. The top 9-12 countries in the Order of Merit where also automatically qualified instead of the top 9-10. 2 extra qualifiers where also added, making a total of 4 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q Australia Australia 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
Q Germany Germany 1 {4}
5 Spain Spain 0
Q Germany Germany 2
Q Germany Germany 1
Q Poland Poland 2
7 Italy Italy 1
United States United States 0
7 Italy Italy 0
Q Poland Poland 1
3 England England 0
Q Poland Poland 3

1996 Soccer Matchplay

1996 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Denmark Denmark
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1995

The 1996 Soccer Matchplay was the 4th staging of the Soccer Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, Denmark hosted a PSC event.

Denmark were the defending champions, having beaten Italy 2–1 in the 1995 final. For the first time however, Denmark would not manage to reach the final of the Soccer Matchplay, losing their first game 2–1 to 1994 champion England.

Netherlands became the first country to win a 2nd Soccer Matchplay title after winning the inaugural 1993 edition, defeating England 2–1 in a final between former champions, winning their 5th PSC title, which was also their 2nd title of 1996.

Netherlands now surpast France, having claimed the most titles in the PSC at that point.

Finland made their debut in the Soccer Matchplay, replacing United States who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Q Sweden Sweden 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3
Netherlands Netherlands 2
France France 1
Q Finland Finland 1
France France 2
Netherlands Netherlands 2
England England 1
Italy Italy 3
Spain Spain 0
Italy Italy 0
England England 2
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 2

1996 World Matchplay

1996 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£40,700
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1995 1997»

The 1996 World Matchplay was the 3rd staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands had the honour of hosting the second-biggest event of the PSC.

Netherlands where the defending champions and for the first time in PSC history, the defending champions managed to succesfully defend their title by defeating France 4–1 in the final to claim their 2nd consecutive World Matchplay title.

This was the 3rd 1996 title for Netherlands. This was also the 2nd time in 1996 that France lost in the final of a 1996 event, still searching for that next title after winning the 1995 World Championship.

Finland returned to the World Matchplay after a 1-year absence, while current World Champion Poland, New Zealand, Australia and Canada made their World Matchplay debuts, replacing Wales, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Iceland and Hungary who all failed to qualify. This also marked the PSC debut for New Zealand.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,700)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,750
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,650
First round losers (8) £950

Qualification

The qualification criteria again stayed the same, as the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified with the remaining 4 spots being filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 5
Q Australia Australia 0
8 United States United States 1
Q Australia Australia 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Italy Italy 1
4 Spain Spain 0 {4}
Germany Germany 0 {2}
4 Spain Spain 0
5 Italy Italy 3
5 Italy Italy 3
Q Canada Canada 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
2 France France 1
2 France France 1
Norway Norway 0
2 France France 3
Sweden Sweden 0
7 Denmark Denmark 0
Sweden Sweden 2
2 France France 1
3 England England 0
3 England England 2
Q Finland Finland 0
3 England England 1 {3}
6 Poland Poland 1 {2}
6 Poland Poland 4
Scotland Scotland 1

1997 World Championship

1997 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Poland Poland
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£89,000
Winner's share£45,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1996 1998»

The 1997 World Championship was the 4th annual staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Poland had the honour of hosting a PSC event for the first time, which also was the biggest event of the year.

Poland was the surprise champion last year, but didn't manage to defend the title, as they lost to Netherlands in the quarter-finals by 3–1.

Netherlands were the heavy favorites to become the first country to win their 2nd World Championship and they succesfully realised that prediction by defeating England in a close final as they were decided all the way in a penalty shoot-out, just as with the first World Championship victory for Netherlands by 2–2 {3–2} to win their 3rd tournament in a row, and their 5th tournament from the 1996 calendar. This was already the 4th major title for Netherlands and their 8th PSC title in total. England lost their 2nd World Championship final as they also lost to France in the 1995 World Championship

Republic of Ireland returned after a 2-year absence, appearing at the World Championship for the first time since the inaugural 1994 World Championship, while Hungary and Czech Republic made their World Championship debuts. This was also the PSC debut for Czech Republic. These countries replaced Northern Ireland, Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £89,000)
Winner (1) £45,000
Runner-up (1) £10,000
Semi-finalists (2) £5,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
5 Poland Poland 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Sweden Sweden 0
Sweden Sweden 4
United States United States 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2 {3}
3 England England 2 {2}
2 France France 2
6 Denmark Denmark 0
2 France France 0
3 England England 1
3 England England 1
7 Spain Spain 0

1997 News of the World

1997 News of the World
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£97,000
Winner's share£42,000
Champion(s)
Italy Italy

The 1997 News of the World was the inaugural staging of the News of the World, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This tournament featured as an replacement for the discontinued National Pro League, bringing the total number of majors back to 3. Netherlands hosted the tournament.

This tournament was a big deal, as it featured the largest fied this far, as 32 countries participated. The tournament also featured the largest sum of prize money this far.

Italy won the tournament, beating Spain 2–1 in the final to claim their 2nd major title.

As only 25 countries had a tourcard, the PSC had to complete the field by helding a qualifier for all non-tourcard countries. This meant that Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Jamaica, Barbados, Faroe Islands and Israel all made their PSC debuts.

Jamaica and Barbados also became the first Caribbean and Central American countries to participate in a PSC event, while Israel became the first Asian country to participate in a PSC event.

If one or more of those countries would make it all the way to the quarter-finals, they would receive a tourcard.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £97,000)
Winner (1) £42,000
Runner-up (1) £20,000
Semi-finalists (2) £9,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £4,250

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded, while the remaining countries from the Order of Merit (9-25) and the qualifiers were randomly drawn.

Draw

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
               
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {3}
Canada Canada 0 {5}
Canada Canada 2
New Zealand New Zealand 1
New Zealand New Zealand 3
Q Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 2
Canada Canada 0
Norway Norway 1
8 Australia Australia 3
Q Barbados Barbados 1
8 Australia Australia 1
Norway Norway 2
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 0 {0}
Norway Norway 0 {3}
Norway Norway 2 {5}
4 Italy Italy 2 {6}
4 Italy Italy 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
4 Italy Italy 2
Switzerland Switzerland 0
Switzerland Switzerland 4
Finland Finland 3
4 Italy Italy 3
United States United States 0
5 Poland Poland 2
Hungary Hungary 1
5 Poland Poland 0
United States United States 1
Sweden Sweden 1 {2}
United States United States 1 {4}
4 Italy Italy 2
Spain Spain 1
2 England England 2
Q Austria Austria 0
2 England England 0
Q Croatia Croatia 1
Q Croatia Croatia 2
Wales Wales 0
Q Croatia Croatia 4
7 Germany Germany 2
7 Germany Germany 6
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
7 Germany Germany 2
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 2
Q Jamaica Jamaica 1
Q Croatia Croatia 0
Spain Spain 2
3 France France 0
Spain Spain 1
Spain Spain 3
Q Israel Israel 1
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Israel Israel 4
Spain Spain 1
6 Denmark Denmark 0
6 Denmark Denmark 3
Iceland Iceland 0
6 Denmark Denmark 2
Scotland Scotland 1
Scotland Scotland 2
Q Slovakia Slovakia 1

1997 World Matchplay

1997 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£37,500
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
Czech Republic Czech Republic
« 1996 1998»

The 1997 World Matchplay was the 4th staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the major for the second year in a row after succesfully defending their title last year.

Netherlands did not manage to succesfully defend their title again, as Czech Republic created a huge upset by winning their first major title on their tournament debut, ending an impressive streak of 11 match wins at the World Matchplay by defeating Netherlands 1–0 in the final.

Czech Republic became the second unseeded country and first debutant to win the World Matchplay, after Spain did the same in the inaugural 1994 edition.

Hungary made their return after a 1-year absence, while eventual winners Czech Republic debuted. They replaced New Zealand and Canada who both failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £37,500)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,750
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,700
First round losers (8) £900

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
8 Denmark Denmark 0
8 Denmark Denmark 1
Q Finland Finland 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 Germany Germany 1
4 Germany Germany 4
United States United States 1
4 Germany Germany 3
5 Spain Spain 1
5 Spain Spain 2
Q Scotland Scotland 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
2 Italy Italy 1
Sweden Sweden 0
2 Italy Italy 1
7 Poland Poland 2
7 Poland Poland 2
Q Hungary Hungary 0
7 Poland Poland 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
3 England England 0 {8}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 0 {9}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 3
6 France France 1
6 France France 3
Australia Australia 0

1998 World Championship

1998 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established5
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£58,000
Winner's share£20,000
Champion(s)
United States United States
« 1997 1999»

The 1998 World Championship was the 5th staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands became the first country to host the World Championship for the second time, having also hosted the 1995 edition.

This would turn out to be the last World Championship to feature a group stage.

Netherlands were the defending champions, but didn't manage to win their third World Championship, losing surprisingly in the semi-finals to United States by 3–1.

United States wortie another chapter of PSC history, becoming the first North American country to win the World Championship and a major PSC title by defeating England 1–0 in the final. This was also the first time that a non-European or non-UK country won a major title and only the second time that a unseeded country won the biggest title of them all after Poland won in 1996.

This was the second consecutive year that England lost in the final and their third final loss overall, still searching for their first world title.

Australia returned after a 1-year absence, while Turkey and Switzerland made their World Championship debuts, with Turkey also making their PSC debut.

Two notable absentees were 1994 runners-up Sweden and 1995 quarter-finalists Scotland, having both been present since the inaugural 1994 edition. Republic of Ireland also failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £58,000)
Winner (1) £20,000
Runner-up (1) £10,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
5 Germany Germany 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
United States United States 3
United States United States 2
Q Hungary Hungary 0
United States United States 1
3 England England 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
3 England England 1
3 England England 3
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Czech Republic Czech Republic 2
2 Italy Italy 1

1998 World Matchplay

1998 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Czech Republic Czech Republic
Established5
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£46,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Italy Italy
« 1997 1999»

The 1998 World Matchplay was the 5th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time, Czech Republic hosted a PSC tournament after their surprise win last year.

There was a lot of tension in the Czech Republic, as they had to enter the global qualifier last minute, as they fell out of the top 12 in the world after the last open event before the World Matchplay. They still managed to succesfully qualify and again made it all the way to the final, just losing out to Italy who won their first World Matchplay, winning by 1–0 in the final.

Czech Republic became the first country to reach the final of the World Matchplay twice as an unseeded country, reaching the final in two consecutive years.

Bosnia Herzegovina made their debut in the event, replacing Hungary who failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £46,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 1
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 0
Germany Germany 2
8 Denmark Denmark 2
Germany Germany 4
Germany Germany 1 {5}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1 {6}
4 England England 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 3
Q Scotland Scotland 0
5 United States United States 1
Q Scotland Scotland 2
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
2 Italy Italy 1
2 Italy Italy 1
France France 0
2 Italy Italy 3
Sweden Sweden 0
7 Norway Norway 0
Sweden Sweden 1
2 Italy Italy 3
3 Spain Spain 1
3 Spain Spain 4
Australia Australia 0
3 Spain Spain 3
6 Poland Poland 2
6 Poland Poland 1
Q Finland Finland 0

1998 World Grand Prix

1998 World Grand Prix
Tournament information
Country Italy Italy
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatDouble-match knock-out
Prize fund£38,000
Winner's share£9,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1999»

The 1998 World Grand Prix was the inaugural staging of the World Grand Prix, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Italy hosted the tournament.

The World Grand Prix was a replacement for the News of the World tournament, as the PSC was looking for an unique format that was never used before. Therefore, the PSC created a double-match knock-out format, were each matchup included two matches, where the scores would be aggregated to decide the winner. If these scores would end in a draw, a penalty shoot-out would be used as a decider. This way, losing one match, still gives the possiblity of progressing in the tournament, by winning the second match.

Netherlands won the inaugural World Grand Prix, defeating Spain by an aggregated score of 3–3 {6–5} in the final, making expertly use of the unique format, losing the first match 0–2, to tie up the match by winning the second match 3–1, to edge out Spain 6–5 in a penalty shoot-out.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £38,000)
Winner (1) £9,000
Runner-up (1) £5,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The top 4 in the Order of Merit were seeded for the event. They were joined by the top 5-12 in the Order of Merit and 4 global qualifiers who were randomly drawn in the bracket.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                    
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2 1 3
Q Australia Australia 0 0 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3 1 4
Germany Germany 2 1 3
Germany Germany 0 3 3
Q Wales Wales 0 2 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 6 2 8
Poland Poland 0 1 1
4 United States United States 0 0 0
Sweden Sweden 0 1 1
Sweden Sweden 0 1 1
Poland Poland 1 3 4
Q Austria Austria 0 0 0
Poland Poland 0 3 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 3 3 {6}
3 Spain Spain 2 1 3 {5}
2 Italy Italy 2 1 3
France France 2 2 4
France France 0 0 0
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0 1 1
Norway Norway 1 1 2
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0 4 4
Q New Zealand New Zealand 1 0 1
3 Spain Spain 4 3 7
3 Spain Spain 3 2 5
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0 0 0
3 Spain Spain 1 4 5
England England 1 3 4
England England 0 3 3
Denmark Denmark 0 0 0

1999 World Championship

1999 World Championship
Tournament information
Country United States United States
Established6
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£94,000
Winner's share£30,000
Champion(s)
Portugal Portugal
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Championship was the 6th staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, the World Championship was held outside the UK and Europe as United States had the honour of hosting the presticious event, becoming the first North American country to do so.

United States were the defending champions, but narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to England, who needed a penalty shoot-out to win 1–1 {5–4}.

For the third time in PSC World Championship history, an unseeded country managed to win the biggest title of the year, as Portugal won the tournament, beating England 2–0 in the final. This was the first time, a debutant won the World Championship.

England became the first country to reach the World Championship final in 3 consecutive years, but still didn't manage to win their first world title, having now lost 4 finals in total.

A big change was made in the format of the World Championship, as the group-stages were completely banished, making the tournament a straight knock-out. This allowed the PSC to increase the field of countries from 16 to 24, without drastically increasing the length of the tournament and allowing the possiblities for even more shocking upsets.

Sweden, Scotland and Republic of Ireland all returned after 1-year absences, while Northern Ireland and Bosnia Herzegovina both returned after 2-year absences. Canada, Faroe Islands, Finland, Croatia, Austria and Portugal all made their World Championship debuts, with Portugal also making their PSC debut.

One notable absentee was 1995 quarter-finalist Wales, failing to qualify for the first time in 5 years, having been present since the inaugural 1994 World Championship. 1998 quarter-finalist Hungary and Turkey also failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £94,000)
Winner (1) £30,000
Runner-up (1) £16,000
Semi-finalists (2) £6,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,000
Second round losers (8) £1,750
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria were adapted to the increased field, with the top 8 in the Order of Merit still being seeded, but also automatically qualified for the second round. The top 9-16 in the Order of Merit were also automatically qualified, instead of the top 9-12. The field was completed by 8 global qualifiers instead of 4.

Draw

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 1 Australia Australia 0
Australia Australia 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
8 Denmark Denmark 0
8 Denmark Denmark 4
Sweden Sweden 2 Q Croatia Croatia 0
Q Croatia Croatia 3 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
4 England England 1
4 England England 1
Switzerland Switzerland 0 Q Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Q Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2 4 England England 1 {5}
5 United States United States 1 {4}
5 United States United States 5
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 1 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 4 4 England England 0
Q Portugal Portugal 2
2 Italy Italy 1
Q Scotland Scotland 1 Q Austria Austria 2
Q Austria Austria 2 Q Austria Austria 2
Q Portugal Portugal 3
7 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Portugal Portugal 3 Q Portugal Portugal 2
Poland Poland 2 Q Portugal Portugal 3
France France 1
3 Spain Spain 2
Canada Canada 0 {1} Norway Norway 0
Norway Norway 0 {4} 3 Spain Spain 1
France France 2
6 Germany Germany 0
Q Finland Finland 0 France France 2
France France 5

1999 World Matchplay

1999 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Italy Italy
Established6
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£46,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Matchplay was the 6th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time, Italy hosted the contest after winning the event last year.

Italy did not succesfully defend their title, losing surprisingly in a big upset in the quarter-finals to qualifier Croatia by 0–2.

Netherlands created another piece of history by claiming their 3rd World Matchplay title. They beat United States 3–0 in the final. Netherlands still remains the only country to have won this presticious title more than once.

This was the first event, Netherlands didn't enter as world number one, as 1998 World Matchplay Champion Italy took over that position.

United States became the first North American country to reach the final of the World Matchplay. They were also the first non-European country to do so.

One shocking non-qualifier was 1997 quarter-finalist Denmark, who had been present ever since the inaugural 1994 World Matchplay. Not qualifying for the first time after 5 years.

Finland, Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina also failed to qualify, while new World Champion Portugal, Croatia, Israel and Austria all debuted in this event.

Israel became the first Asian country to qualify for the World Matchplay.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £46,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Italy Italy 2
Norway Norway 1
1 Italy Italy 0
Q Croatia Croatia 2
8 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Croatia Croatia 1
Q Croatia Croatia 1
4 United States United States 2
4 United States United States 2
Q Israel Israel 0
4 United States United States 1
Germany Germany 0
5 England England 0
Germany Germany 2
4 United States United States 0
3 Netherlands Netherlands 3
2 Spain Spain 1
Sweden Sweden 0
2 Spain Spain 1
7 Portugal Portugal 2
7 Portugal Portugal 2
Q Scotland Scotland 1
7 Portugal Portugal 1
3 Netherlands Netherlands 2
3 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Austria Austria 0
3 Netherlands Netherlands 3
Poland Poland 0
6 France France 1 {4}
Poland Poland 1 {5}

1999 World Grand Prix

1999 World Grand Prix
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatDouble-match group-stage & knock-out
Prize fund£40,000
Winner's share£9,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Grand Prix was the 2nd staging of the World Grand Prix, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the event for the first time after winning the inaugural edition last year.

Netherlands succesfully retained the title, already becoming a 2-time World Grand Prix Champion. They defeated England in the final by an aggregated score of 2–1, again forcing a stunning comeback in the final, losing the first match 0–1, but winning the second match 2–0 to retain the title.

England became the first UK and unseeded country to reach the final of the World Grand Prix.

The PSC wanted to experiment with the format, introducing a group-stage, where two countries of each group would progress to the quarter-finals. This group-stage was different than anything we had seen before, as the winners of each of the first two matches of each group, faced each other, where the winner already progressed to the quarter-finals. The losers also faced each other, with the loser being eliminated. The winner would face the loser of the previous game to decide the second country to progress to the quarter-finals.

Each group had one seeded country, two countries in the top 5-12 in the Order of Merit and one qualifier. The seeds were already filled in each group, but the other countries were randomly drawn in the group.

This would turn out to be the only year, a group-stage was used in the World Grand Prix.

This was the first time, Italy entered the tournament as the number 1 seed, having taken over the position from Netherlands.

World Champion Portugal, Canada, Greece and Luxembourg made their debuts, replacing Czech Republic, 1998 semi-finalist New Zealand, Australia and Austria who all failed to qualify, making this the first edition without any Oceanic entries.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,000)
Winner (1) £9,000
Runner-up (1) £5,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same for this edition.

Draw

Group-stage

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
               
1 Italy Italy 4 2 6
Q Luxembourg Luxembourg 0 0 0
1 Italy Italy 1 0 1
England England 1 1 2
England England 2 1 3 {4}
France France 2 1 3 {2}
England England 1 0 1
2 Netherlands Netherlands 0 2 2
Germany Germany 3 4 7
Q Wales Wales 0 1 1
Germany Germany 1 1 2
2 Netherlands Netherlands 1 2 3
Portugal Portugal 2 0 2
2 Netherlands Netherlands 1 2 3

2000 World Championship

2000 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Portugal Portugal
Established7
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£99,400
Winner's share£31,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1999 2001»

The 2000 World Championship was the 7th staging of the World Championship and the first event of the new era, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This became the first PSC event, organised in Portugal after winning the World Championship in their PSC debut last year.

Portugal did not succesfully retain their title, losing in their first game in the second round to qualifier and debutant Ukraine by 2–3, causing a big upset quite early in the tournament and realizing the first loss of Portugal in the World Championship.

Netherlands, inaugural 1994 and 1997 World Champion, won their 3rd World Championship by defeating 1995 World Champion France 3–2 in a final of former World Champions.

This marked the first World Championship final victory for Netherlands without needing a penalty shoot-out.

This was a pretty special edition of the World Championship, as Luxembourg, who haven't participated in the World Championship since the inaugural 1994 edition, returned after a 5-year absence. Wales and Hungary also made their returns after 1-year absences, while Ukraine, Belgium, Serbia and Iceland all made their debuts. These countries replaced Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Finland and Croatia who all failed to qualify this year.

This also marked the PSC debuts of Ukraine, Belgium and Serbia.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £99,400)
Winner (1) £31,000
Runner-up (1) £16,400
Semi-finalists (2) £6,400
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,400
Second round losers (8) £1,850
First round losers (8) £1,350

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same as last year.

Draw

#invoke: Team bracket

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tournament Calendar

1992

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1992 Lada Masters England England France France 3–2 Netherlands Netherlands

1993

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1993 Soccer Matchplay England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 Denmark Denmark
1993 Samson Soccer Classic England England France France 1–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1993 Lada Masters France France England England 2–1 Denmark Denmark
1994 World Championship England England Netherlands Netherlands 0–0
{4–2}
Sweden Sweden

1994

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1994 Soccer Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands England England 3–1 Denmark Denmark
1994 Samson Soccer Classic France France England England 2–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1994 World Matchplay England England Spain Spain 3–1 Netherlands Netherlands
1994 Lada Masters England England France France 1–0 Denmark Denmark
1995 World Championship Netherlands Netherlands France France 4–0 England England

1995

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1995 Gem City Open England England Spain Spain 2–1 England England
1995 Soccer Matchplay England England Denmark Denmark 2–1 Italy Italy
1995 National Pro League France France Italy Italy 1–0 England England
1995 World Matchplay Spain Spain Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 France France
1996 World Championship France France Poland Poland 2–1 Germany Germany

1996

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1996 Atlantic City Open England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 France France
1996 Gem City Open Spain Spain England England 0–0
{4–2}
Italy Italy
1996 Soccer Matchplay Denmark Denmark Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 England England
1996 Golden Harvest Italy Italy United States United States 2–1 Netherlands Netherlands
1996 World Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 4–1 France France
1996 Sunparks Masters England England Netherlands Netherlands 1–0 Poland Poland
1997 World Championship Poland Poland Netherlands Netherlands 2–2
{3–2}
England England

1997

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1997 Antwerp Open Netherlands Netherlands Denmark Denmark 3–2 Finland Finland
1997 Golden Harvest United States United States Australia Australia 1–1
{3–1}
Germany Germany
1997 News of the World Netherlands Netherlands Italy Italy 2–1 Spain Spain
1997 Scottish Masters England England Netherlands Netherlands 2–2
{5–4}
Germany Germany
1997 World Matchplay Netherlands Netherlands Czech Republic Czech Republic 1–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1998 World Championship Netherlands Netherlands United States United States 1–0 England England

1998

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1998 Dutch Open Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 4–1 Italy Italy
1998 German Open Germany Germany England England 2–0 Canada Canada
1998 Antwerp Open Denmark Denmark Spain Spain 2–0 Netherlands Netherlands
1998 Golden Harvest Australia Australia Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 Australia Australia
1998 England Open England England Spain Spain 4–0 Norway Norway
1998 Swiss Open Switzerland Switzerland Poland Poland 2–0 Wales Wales
1998 Calgary Golden Harvest Netherlands Netherlands Spain Spain 4–0 Poland Poland
1998 World Matchplay Czech Republic Czech Republic Italy Italy 1–0 Czech Republic Czech Republic
1998 Denmark Open Denmark Denmark Spain Spain 1–0 France France
1998 Swedish Open Sweden Sweden Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 2–1 Scotland Scotland
1998 World Grand Prix Italy Italy Netherlands Netherlands 3–3
{6–5}
Spain Spain
1999 World Championship United States United States Portugal Portugal 2–0 England England

1999

Tournament Country Champion Score Runner-up
1999 German Open England England France France 0–0
{6–5}
Spain Spain
1999 Antwerp Open Spain Spain Netherlands Netherlands 1–0 Canada Canada
1999 Golden Harvest Netherlands Netherlands Portugal Portugal 2–0 Scotland Scotland
1999 England Open Spain Spain Italy Italy 2–1 Germany Germany
1999 Cleveland Soccer Extraveganza Poland Poland Netherlands Netherlands 3–1 Switzerland Switzerland
1999 Scania Open Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland United States United States 2–0 Hungary Hungary
1999 World Matchplay Italy Italy Netherlands Netherlands 3–0 United States United States
1999 World Grand Prix Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 2–1 England England
1999 Jersey Festival of Soccer Spain Spain Greece Greece 1–0 Luxembourg Luxembourg
2000 World Championship Portugal Portugal Netherlands Netherlands 3–2 France France

1992 Lada Masters

1992 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£17,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
1993»

The 1992 Lada Masters was the inaugural staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament would be the first ever organised tournament by the organisation and took place in England.

France won the inaugural event, beating Netherlands 3–2 in the final, becoming the first champion in the PSC.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

The PSC invited 4 UK countries and 4 European countries. There was some discussion about the invitation of Republic of Ireland as an European country, as Northern Ireland was invited as an UK country. As a result, this was the only time that Republic of Ireland was invited as an European country.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
England England 4
Wales Wales 0
England England 0
France France 1
France France 3
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
France France 3
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2
Scotland Scotland 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 1
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3

1993 Soccer Matchplay

1993 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1994»

The 1993 Soccer Matchplay was the inaugural staging of the tournament and the first tournament on the 1993 calendar, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

Netherlands won their first title, beating surprise finalist Denmark 2–1 in the final.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The PSC invited 4 UK countries and 3 European countries. As there were some discussions about the inclusion of Republic of Ireland as an European invitation, the PSC decided to leave one spot available in a open qualifier, which was won by Denmark who would make their debut in the event, managing to create a huge upset by making it all the way to the final in only their first PSC appearance.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Netherlands Netherlands 4
Wales Wales 0
Netherlands Netherlands 2
England England 1
France France 0
England England 1
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q Denmark Denmark 1
Q Denmark Denmark 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
Q Denmark Denmark 4
Scotland Scotland 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1
Scotland Scotland 3

1993 Samson Soccer Classic

1993 Samson Soccer Classic
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£16,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
1994»

The 1993 Samson Soccer Classic was the inaugural staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

France became the first country to win their second PSC title, beating Netherlands 1–0 in the final.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £16,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

For the first time, there were no invitations. Instead, the PSC decided to automatically select the top 3 UK countries in the Order of Merit and the top 3 European countries in the Order of Merit. They were joined by 2 Open Qualifier winners, one of which was Norway who made their debut in a PSC event.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 3
England England 1
Denmark Denmark 1
Netherlands Netherlands 2
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 4
Netherlands Netherlands 0
France France 1
Scotland Scotland 1
France France 2
France France 3
Q Norway Norway 0
Q Wales Wales 1
Q Norway Norway 2

1993 Lada Masters

1993 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country France France
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£17,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1992 1994»

The 1993 Lada Masters was the 2nd staging of the Lada Masters, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This was the first time, a PSC tournament was staged outside England, as France hosted the tournament.

France were the defending champions after beating Netherlands 3–2 in the 1992 final. However, they were surprisingly defeated by Denmark in a cracking match in the quarter-finals which featured the very first penalty shoot-out in PSC history.

England won their first PSC title, beating Denmark, who made another piece of Danish history by surprisingly reaching another final in a tournament debut, 2–1 in the final. England became the first UK country to win a PSC title, making this tournament the first tournament to have not been won by an European country and the first tournament, were Netherlands didn't reach the final, ending an impressive streak of 3 consecutive final appearances.

Denmark and Norway made their debuts in the Lada Masters as Luxembourg and Republic of Ireland didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250

Qualification

In a change to last year, the PSC decided to pick the top 3 UK and European countries from the Order of Merit. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 0 {5}
France France 0 {3}
Denmark Denmark 3
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1
Q Wales Wales 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 2
England England 2 {4}
Netherlands Netherlands 2 {1}
England England 2
Scotland Scotland 0
Q Norway Norway 1
Scotland Scotland 2

1994 World Championship

1994 World Championship
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£50,000
Winner's share£16,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1995»

The 1994 World Championship was the first ever World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament became the first and biggest major in the history of the PSC.

Netherlands became the first World Champion in the PSC, as well as the first major champion in the PSC, defeating big surprise finalist Sweden, who played in their first PSC event as a qualifier. The final was nerve breaking, as none of the finalists managed to get a point on the board, extending the final all the way to a penalty shoot-out, which was won by Netherlands 4–2.

United States and Sweden made their PSC debuts, with United States becoming the first North American country to compete in the PSC, as well as the first non-UK and non-European country in the PSC.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £50,000)
Winner (1) £16,000
Runner-up (1) £8,000
Semi-finalists (2) £5,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,500
Group-stage losers (4) £1,500

Qualification

This tournament featured the biggest field in PSC history this far, as 12 countries competed for the legendary title, beating the 8 country record, with the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded in the draw. They were joined by the number 9 and 10 in the Order of Merit as well as 2 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 Denmark Denmark 0
4 Denmark Denmark 3
8 Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {4}
Q Sweden Sweden 0 {2}
2 France France 1 {4}
Q Sweden Sweden 1 {5}
Q Sweden Sweden 2
3 England England 0
3 England England 2
7 Wales Wales 1

1994 Soccer Matchplay

1994 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1993 1995»

The 1994 Soccer Matchplay was the 2nd staging of the tournament and the first tournament on the 1994 calendar, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the tournament.

Netherlands were the defending champions, having beaten Denmark 2–1 in the 1993 final, but lost in the semi-finals to England.

England eventually won the tournament, beating back-to-back finalist Denmark 3–1 in the final. This was their 2nd PSC title.

Switzerland made their PSC debut, replacing Luxembourg who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria changed from last year, as there were no more invitations. Instead, the top 3 UK and European countries qualified for the tournament. The remaining 2 spots were filled by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Denmark Denmark 3
Scotland Scotland 1
Denmark Denmark 3
Q Switzerland Switzerland 1
Q Wales Wales 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 3
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3
Netherlands Netherlands 0
England England 1
England England 2
France France 0

1994 Samson Soccer Classic

1994 Samson Soccer Classic
Tournament information
Country France France
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£18,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
England England
« 1993

The 1994 Samson Soccer Classic was the 2nd staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in France.

The field for this tournament expanded from 8 to 12 countries, adding an extra round with the top 4 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded, receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

France were the defending champions, winning the 1993 final 1–0 against Netherlands. However, Netherlands took revenge for losing that final, defeating France 0–0 {5–3} in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals.

England won the Samson Soccer Classic for the first time, picking up their 3rd PSC title by defeating Netherlands 2–0 in the final, with Netherlands losing the final for the second year in a row.

With the expanded format, Sweden, Luxembourg, United States and Switzerland all made their debut in the event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £18,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,000
First round losers (4) £750

Qualification

The field expanded and the qualification criteria changed. The top 4 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded and received a bye to the quarter-finals. The numbers 5 to 10 in the Order of Merit also qualified, but were not seeded and had to play an extra round. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualfier winners.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
Wales Wales 2 Wales Wales 0
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {5}
4 France France 0 {3}
4 France France 2
Sweden Sweden 4 Sweden Sweden 0
Scotland Scotland 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
2 England England 2
2 England England 2
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3 Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0 2 England England 3
3 Denmark Denmark 0
3 Denmark Denmark 2
Q United States United States 2 Q United States United States 0
Norway Norway 0

1994 World Matchplay

1994 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£35,300
Winner's share£10,000
Champion(s)
Spain Spain
1995»

The 1994 World Matchplay was the inaugural staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament would feature as the 2nd major on the calendar after the World Championship. The tournament took place in England.

The tournament featured the biggest field this far, as 16 countries competed for the trophy, breaking the record of 12 countries in a single tournament.

The first edition would turn out to be a historic one, as Spain would go on to win their first PSC title and major on their PSC debut. Becoming the first country to do so. Spain defeated number 1 seed and current World Champion Netherlands 3–1 in the final.

Iceland, Finland and eventual winners Spain made their PSC debuts.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £35,300)
Winner (1) £10,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,250
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,500
First round losers (8) £850

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded for this event. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified for the event. The remaining 4 spots were filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
8 Scotland Scotland 2
Q Switzerland Switzerland 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
4 France France 2
4 France France 2
Q Finland Finland 0
4 France France 3
Q Iceland Iceland 0
5 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Q Iceland Iceland 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Spain Spain 3
2 England England 0
Norway Norway 1
Norway Norway 0
Q Spain Spain 5
7 Wales Wales 0
Q Spain Spain 1
Q Spain Spain 3
6 Sweden Sweden 1
3 Denmark Denmark 1
United States United States 3
United States United States 1
6 Sweden Sweden 2
6 Sweden Sweden 2
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 1

1994 Lada Masters

1994 Lada Masters
Tournament information
Country England England
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£19,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
France France
« 1993

The 1994 Lada Masters was the 3rd staging of the Lada Masters, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The tournament took place in England.

The field expanded from 8 to 12 countries, adding an extra round with the top 4 countries in the Order of Merit being seeded, receiving a bye to the quarter-finals.

England were the defending champions, winning the 1993 edition 2–1 against Denmark. England would not succesfully defend their title, as they were beaten 1–0 by eventual winners France, winning their 2nd Lada Masters 1–0 against Denmark, who lost the final for sthe 2nd year in a row.

With the expanded format, Sweden, current World Matchplay champion Spain, Switzerland and United States all made their debut in the event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £19,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,250
First round losers (4) £500

Qualification

The field expanded and the qualification criteria changed. The top 4 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded and received a bye to the quarter-finals. The numbers 5 to 10 in the Order of Merit also qualified, but were not seeded and had to play an extra round. The field was completed by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 Q United States United States 0
Q United States United States 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
4 Denmark Denmark 1 {4}
4 Denmark Denmark 2
Scotland Scotland 1 Scotland Scotland 0
Wales Wales 0 4 Denmark Denmark 0
3 France France 1
2 England England 2
Norway Norway 0 Spain Spain 1
Spain Spain 2 2 England England 0
3 France France 1
3 France France 2
Sweden Sweden 2 {3} Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 2 {4}

1995 World Championship

1995 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£40,000
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
France France
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 World Championship was the 2nd World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the presticious event, having won the inaugural World Championship by defeating surprise finalists Sweden in a penalty shootout: 0–0 {4–2}. Netherlands would not win the competition back-to-back, as they were 4–2 defeated in the semi-finals by France.

France would go on to win their first World Championship confidently by destroying England 4–0 in the final, picking up their first major title.

Current World Matchplay champion Spain, Poland and Italy made their World Championship debuts, while Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland and United States failed to qualify. This also included the PSC debuts for Poland and Italy.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,000)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (4) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Sweden Sweden 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 France France 4
4 France France 2
8 Scotland Scotland 0
4 France France 4
2 England England 0
2 England England 3
6 Spain Spain 0
2 England England 2
Q Poland Poland 0
Q Italy Italy 1 {4}
Q Poland Poland 1 {5}

1995 Soccer Matchplay

1995 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country England England
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Denmark Denmark
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 Soccer Matchplay was the 3rd staging of the Soccer Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. The event was held in England for the second time, having hosted the tournament in 1993.

England were the defending champions, having beaten Denmark 3–1 in the 1994 final. However, England would surprisingly lose their first game to Denmark who took revenge, winning their first Soccer Matchplay after losing 2 consecutive finals, beating debutants Italy 2–1 in the final, winning their first PSC title and becoming only the 5th country to do so after France, Netherlands, England and Spain

Spain, Sweden, Italy and United States all made their debuts in the Soccer Matchplay while Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland and Wales didn't manage to qualify.

United States also became the first North American country in the Soccer Matchplay.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria where again changed, as no longer, the top 3 UK and European countries qualified for the tournament. Instead, the top 6 countries in the Order of Merit qualified. The remaining 2 spots were still filled by 2 Open Qualifier winners.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Netherlands Netherlands 0 {4}
France France 0 {3}
Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
Denmark Denmark 1 {4}
England England 0
Denmark Denmark 2
Denmark Denmark 2
Q Italy Italy 1
Q United States United States 2
Sweden Sweden 1
Q United States United States 1
Q Italy Italy 3
Q Italy Italy 1 {5}
Spain Spain 1 {4}

1995 National Pro League

1995 National Pro League
Tournament information
Country France France
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£17,150
Winner's share£2,200
Champion(s)
Italy Italy

The 1995 National Pro League was the inaugural staging of the tournament and featured as the 3rd major tournament, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation after the World Championship and World Matchplay. France hosted the event.

The tournament featured a format that looked like the format of the World Championship with a few differences. This tournament featured just 3 groups of 4 countries who where randomly drawn. The winner of each group automatically qualified for the semi-finals. The last country to qualify was the number 2 from the group-stage with the most points, the best goal difference or the most goals.

Italy won their first PSC (major) title by defeating England 1–0 in the final.

This tournament also featured the PSC debut of Canada.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £17,150)
Winner (1) £2,200
Runner-up (1) £1,950
Semi-finalists (2) £1,700
Group-stage losers (8) £1,200

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit where automatically qualified. The remaining 4 spots where filled by 4 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Semi-finals Final
      
Netherlands Netherlands 1
Italy Italy 2
Italy Italy 1
England England 0
France France 1
England England 2

1995 World Matchplay

1995 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Spain Spain
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£35,300
Winner's share£10,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1994 1996»

The 1995 World Matchplay was the 2nd staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, Spain would serve as hosts for a PSC tournament.

Spain where the defending champions. However, they were beaten in a huge upset in the first round by PSC debutants Germany in a penalty shoot-out by 2–2 {3–2}.

After losing the final last year, number one seed Netherlands managed to take the title for the first time this year by beating current World Champion France 2–1 in the final.

National Pro League champion Italy, Germany and Hungary made their World Matchplay debuts, as Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland and Finland failed to qualify. For Germany and Hungary, this was their PSC debuts.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £35,300)
Winner (1) £10,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,250
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,500
First round losers (8) £850

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same, as the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified with the remaining 4 spots being filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
United States United States 0
8 Scotland Scotland 1
United States United States 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
Q Germany Germany 2
4 Denmark Denmark 0 {2}
Q Hungary Hungary 0 {4}
Q Hungary Hungary 0
Q Germany Germany 3
5 Spain Spain 2 {2}
Q Germany Germany 2 {3}
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
3 France France 1
2 England England 1
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
2 England England 1
7 Italy Italy 2
7 Italy Italy 1 {5}
Wales Wales 1 {4}
7 Italy Italy 0
3 France France 1
3 France France 3
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
3 France France 3
Q Iceland Iceland 0
6 Sweden Sweden 1
Q Iceland Iceland 2

1996 World Championship

1996 World Championship
Tournament information
Country France France
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£51,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Poland Poland
« 1995 1997»

The 1996 World Championship was the 3rd edition of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. France had the honour of hosting the biggest event of the year, having won the World Championship last year by confidently beating England 4–0 in the final.

France did not succesfully defend their title, as they were unable to progress to the knock-outs as they shockingly finished in last place of their respective group.

Poland realised the biggest shock in PSC history this far by winning the World Championship by defeating Germany who also surprisingly reached the final as they made their World Championship debut by 2–1. This was the first PSC title for Poland.

As interest from countries in the PSC kept increasing, the PSC decided to increase the field for the World Championship from 12 to 16 countries, adding 1 country to each group.

This was an unique year, as all countries who qualified for last years World Championship also managed to qualify this year. With the expanded field however, United States returned after a one-year absence while Australia, Germany and Bosnia Herzegovina made their World Championship debuts. This was the PSC debut for Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina.

Australia also became the first Oceanic country to ever take part in a PSC event.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £51,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,500
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

To accumelate with the expanded field, the qualification criteria had to be slighlty altered. The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were still automatically qualified and seeded. The top 9-12 countries in the Order of Merit where also automatically qualified instead of the top 9-10. 2 extra qualifiers where also added, making a total of 4 Global Qualifier winners.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q Australia Australia 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1 {3}
Q Germany Germany 1 {4}
5 Spain Spain 0
Q Germany Germany 2
Q Germany Germany 1
Q Poland Poland 2
7 Italy Italy 1
United States United States 0
7 Italy Italy 0
Q Poland Poland 1
3 England England 0
Q Poland Poland 3

1996 Soccer Matchplay

1996 Soccer Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Denmark Denmark
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£13,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1995

The 1996 Soccer Matchplay was the 4th staging of the Soccer Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, Denmark hosted a PSC event.

Denmark were the defending champions, having beaten Italy 2–1 in the 1995 final. For the first time however, Denmark would not manage to reach the final of the Soccer Matchplay, losing their first game 2–1 to 1994 champion England.

Netherlands became the first country to win a 2nd Soccer Matchplay title after winning the inaugural 1993 edition, defeating England 2–1 in a final between former champions, winning their 5th PSC title, which was also their 2nd title of 1996.

Netherlands now surpast France, having claimed the most titles in the PSC at that point.

Finland made their debut in the Soccer Matchplay, replacing United States who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £13,000)
Winner (1) £5,000
Runner-up (1) £3,000
Semi-finalists (2) £1,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £750

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
Q Sweden Sweden 0
Netherlands Netherlands 3
Netherlands Netherlands 2
France France 1
Q Finland Finland 1
France France 2
Netherlands Netherlands 2
England England 1
Italy Italy 3
Spain Spain 0
Italy Italy 0
England England 2
Denmark Denmark 1
England England 2

1996 World Matchplay

1996 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established3
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£40,700
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1995 1997»

The 1996 World Matchplay was the 3rd staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands had the honour of hosting the second-biggest event of the PSC.

Netherlands where the defending champions and for the first time in PSC history, the defending champions managed to succesfully defend their title by defeating France 4–1 in the final to claim their 2nd consecutive World Matchplay title.

This was the 3rd 1996 title for Netherlands. This was also the 2nd time in 1996 that France lost in the final of a 1996 event, still searching for that next title after winning the 1995 World Championship.

Finland returned to the World Matchplay after a 1-year absence, while current World Champion Poland, New Zealand, Australia and Canada made their World Matchplay debuts, replacing Wales, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Iceland and Hungary who all failed to qualify. This also marked the PSC debut for New Zealand.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,700)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,750
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,650
First round losers (8) £950

Qualification

The qualification criteria again stayed the same, as the top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded. The numbers 9-12 in the Order of Merit also qualified with the remaining 4 spots being filled by 4 Global qualifiers.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 5
Q Australia Australia 0
8 United States United States 1
Q Australia Australia 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
5 Italy Italy 1
4 Spain Spain 0 {4}
Germany Germany 0 {2}
4 Spain Spain 0
5 Italy Italy 3
5 Italy Italy 3
Q Canada Canada 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
2 France France 1
2 France France 1
Norway Norway 0
2 France France 3
Sweden Sweden 0
7 Denmark Denmark 0
Sweden Sweden 2
2 France France 1
3 England England 0
3 England England 2
Q Finland Finland 0
3 England England 1 {3}
6 Poland Poland 1 {2}
6 Poland Poland 4
Scotland Scotland 1

1997 World Championship

1997 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Poland Poland
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£89,000
Winner's share£45,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1996 1998»

The 1997 World Championship was the 4th annual staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Poland had the honour of hosting a PSC event for the first time, which also was the biggest event of the year.

Poland was the surprise champion last year, but didn't manage to defend the title, as they lost to Netherlands in the quarter-finals by 3–1.

Netherlands were the heavy favorites to become the first country to win their 2nd World Championship and they succesfully realised that prediction by defeating England in a close final as they were decided all the way in a penalty shoot-out, just as with the first World Championship victory for Netherlands by 2–2 {3–2} to win their 3rd tournament in a row, and their 5th tournament from the 1996 calendar. This was already the 4th major title for Netherlands and their 8th PSC title in total. England lost their 2nd World Championship final as they also lost to France in the 1995 World Championship

Republic of Ireland returned after a 2-year absence, appearing at the World Championship for the first time since the inaugural 1994 World Championship, while Hungary and Czech Republic made their World Championship debuts. This was also the PSC debut for Czech Republic. These countries replaced Northern Ireland, Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina who didn't manage to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £89,000)
Winner (1) £45,000
Runner-up (1) £10,000
Semi-finalists (2) £5,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria stayed the same as last year.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
5 Poland Poland 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Sweden Sweden 0
Sweden Sweden 4
United States United States 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2 {3}
3 England England 2 {2}
2 France France 2
6 Denmark Denmark 0
2 France France 0
3 England England 1
3 England England 1
7 Spain Spain 0

1997 News of the World

1997 News of the World
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£97,000
Winner's share£42,000
Champion(s)
Italy Italy

The 1997 News of the World was the inaugural staging of the News of the World, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This tournament featured as an replacement for the discontinued National Pro League, bringing the total number of majors back to 3. Netherlands hosted the tournament.

This tournament was a big deal, as it featured the largest fied this far, as 32 countries participated. The tournament also featured the largest sum of prize money this far.

Italy won the tournament, beating Spain 2–1 in the final to claim their 2nd major title.

As only 25 countries had a tourcard, the PSC had to complete the field by helding a qualifier for all non-tourcard countries. This meant that Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Jamaica, Barbados, Faroe Islands and Israel all made their PSC debuts.

Jamaica and Barbados also became the first Caribbean and Central American countries to participate in a PSC event, while Israel became the first Asian country to participate in a PSC event.

If one or more of those countries would make it all the way to the quarter-finals, they would receive a tourcard.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £97,000)
Winner (1) £42,000
Runner-up (1) £20,000
Semi-finalists (2) £9,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £4,250

Qualification

The top 8 countries in the Order of Merit were seeded, while the remaining countries from the Order of Merit (9-25) and the qualifiers were randomly drawn.

Draw

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
               
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 {3}
Canada Canada 0 {5}
Canada Canada 2
New Zealand New Zealand 1
New Zealand New Zealand 3
Q Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 2
Canada Canada 0
Norway Norway 1
8 Australia Australia 3
Q Barbados Barbados 1
8 Australia Australia 1
Norway Norway 2
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 0 {0}
Norway Norway 0 {3}
Norway Norway 2 {5}
4 Italy Italy 2 {6}
4 Italy Italy 2
Luxembourg Luxembourg 0
4 Italy Italy 2
Switzerland Switzerland 0
Switzerland Switzerland 4
Finland Finland 3
4 Italy Italy 3
United States United States 0
5 Poland Poland 2
Hungary Hungary 1
5 Poland Poland 0
United States United States 1
Sweden Sweden 1 {2}
United States United States 1 {4}
4 Italy Italy 2
Spain Spain 1
2 England England 2
Q Austria Austria 0
2 England England 0
Q Croatia Croatia 1
Q Croatia Croatia 2
Wales Wales 0
Q Croatia Croatia 4
7 Germany Germany 2
7 Germany Germany 6
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
7 Germany Germany 2
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 2
Q Jamaica Jamaica 1
Q Croatia Croatia 0
Spain Spain 2
3 France France 0
Spain Spain 1
Spain Spain 3
Q Israel Israel 1
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Israel Israel 4
Spain Spain 1
6 Denmark Denmark 0
6 Denmark Denmark 3
Iceland Iceland 0
6 Denmark Denmark 2
Scotland Scotland 1
Scotland Scotland 2
Q Slovakia Slovakia 1

1997 World Matchplay

1997 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established4
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£37,500
Winner's share£12,000
Champion(s)
Czech Republic Czech Republic
« 1996 1998»

The 1997 World Matchplay was the 4th staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the major for the second year in a row after succesfully defending their title last year.

Netherlands did not manage to succesfully defend their title again, as Czech Republic created a huge upset by winning their first major title on their tournament debut, ending an impressive streak of 11 match wins at the World Matchplay by defeating Netherlands 1–0 in the final.

Czech Republic became the second unseeded country and first debutant to win the World Matchplay, after Spain did the same in the inaugural 1994 edition.

Hungary made their return after a 1-year absence, while eventual winners Czech Republic debuted. They replaced New Zealand and Canada who both failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £37,500)
Winner (1) £12,000
Runner-up (1) £6,000
Semi-finalists (2) £2,750
Quarter-finalists (4) £1,700
First round losers (8) £900

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
Norway Norway 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
8 Denmark Denmark 0
8 Denmark Denmark 1
Q Finland Finland 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2
4 Germany Germany 1
4 Germany Germany 4
United States United States 1
4 Germany Germany 3
5 Spain Spain 1
5 Spain Spain 2
Q Scotland Scotland 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
2 Italy Italy 1
Sweden Sweden 0
2 Italy Italy 1
7 Poland Poland 2
7 Poland Poland 2
Q Hungary Hungary 0
7 Poland Poland 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
3 England England 0 {8}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 0 {9}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 3
6 France France 1
6 France France 3
Australia Australia 0

1998 World Championship

1998 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established5
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatGroup stage & Knock-out
Prize fund£58,000
Winner's share£20,000
Champion(s)
United States United States
« 1997 1999»

The 1998 World Championship was the 5th staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands became the first country to host the World Championship for the second time, having also hosted the 1995 edition.

This would turn out to be the last World Championship to feature a group stage.

Netherlands were the defending champions, but didn't manage to win their third World Championship, losing surprisingly in the semi-finals to United States by 3–1.

United States wortie another chapter of PSC history, becoming the first North American country to win the World Championship and a major PSC title by defeating England 1–0 in the final. This was also the first time that a non-European or non-UK country won a major title and only the second time that a unseeded country won the biggest title of them all after Poland won in 1996.

This was the second consecutive year that England lost in the final and their third final loss overall, still searching for their first world title.

Australia returned after a 1-year absence, while Turkey and Switzerland made their World Championship debuts, with Turkey also making their PSC debut.

Two notable absentees were 1994 runners-up Sweden and 1995 quarter-finalists Scotland, having both been present since the inaugural 1994 edition. Republic of Ireland also failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £58,000)
Winner (1) £20,000
Runner-up (1) £10,000
Semi-finalists (2) £4,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

Group stage NB: P = Played; W = Won; D = Draw L = Lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to goals; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to the knock-outs.

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3
5 Germany Germany 1
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
United States United States 3
United States United States 2
Q Hungary Hungary 0
United States United States 1
3 England England 0
Q Switzerland Switzerland 0
3 England England 1
3 England England 3
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Czech Republic Czech Republic 2
2 Italy Italy 1

1998 World Matchplay

1998 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Czech Republic Czech Republic
Established5
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£46,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Italy Italy
« 1997 1999»

The 1998 World Matchplay was the 5th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time, Czech Republic hosted a PSC tournament after their surprise win last year.

There was a lot of tension in the Czech Republic, as they had to enter the global qualifier last minute, as they fell out of the top 12 in the world after the last open event before the World Matchplay. They still managed to succesfully qualify and again made it all the way to the final, just losing out to Italy who won their first World Matchplay, winning by 1–0 in the final.

Czech Republic became the first country to reach the final of the World Matchplay twice as an unseeded country, reaching the final in two consecutive years.

Bosnia Herzegovina made their debut in the event, replacing Hungary who failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £46,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 1
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 0
Germany Germany 2
8 Denmark Denmark 2
Germany Germany 4
Germany Germany 1 {5}
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1 {6}
4 England England 0
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 1
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 3
Q Scotland Scotland 0
5 United States United States 1
Q Scotland Scotland 2
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
2 Italy Italy 1
2 Italy Italy 1
France France 0
2 Italy Italy 3
Sweden Sweden 0
7 Norway Norway 0
Sweden Sweden 1
2 Italy Italy 3
3 Spain Spain 1
3 Spain Spain 4
Australia Australia 0
3 Spain Spain 3
6 Poland Poland 2
6 Poland Poland 1
Q Finland Finland 0

1998 World Grand Prix

1998 World Grand Prix
Tournament information
Country Italy Italy
Established1
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatDouble-match knock-out
Prize fund£38,000
Winner's share£9,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
1999»

The 1998 World Grand Prix was the inaugural staging of the World Grand Prix, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Italy hosted the tournament.

The World Grand Prix was a replacement for the News of the World tournament, as the PSC was looking for an unique format that was never used before. Therefore, the PSC created a double-match knock-out format, were each matchup included two matches, where the scores would be aggregated to decide the winner. If these scores would end in a draw, a penalty shoot-out would be used as a decider. This way, losing one match, still gives the possiblity of progressing in the tournament, by winning the second match.

Netherlands won the inaugural World Grand Prix, defeating Spain by an aggregated score of 3–3 {6–5} in the final, making expertly use of the unique format, losing the first match 0–2, to tie up the match by winning the second match 3–1, to edge out Spain 6–5 in a penalty shoot-out.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £38,000)
Winner (1) £9,000
Runner-up (1) £5,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The top 4 in the Order of Merit were seeded for the event. They were joined by the top 5-12 in the Order of Merit and 4 global qualifiers who were randomly drawn in the bracket.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                    
1 Netherlands Netherlands 2 1 3
Q Australia Australia 0 0 0
1 Netherlands Netherlands 3 1 4
Germany Germany 2 1 3
Germany Germany 0 3 3
Q Wales Wales 0 2 2
1 Netherlands Netherlands 6 2 8
Poland Poland 0 1 1
4 United States United States 0 0 0
Sweden Sweden 0 1 1
Sweden Sweden 0 1 1
Poland Poland 1 3 4
Q Austria Austria 0 0 0
Poland Poland 0 3 3
1 Netherlands Netherlands 0 3 3 {6}
3 Spain Spain 2 1 3 {5}
2 Italy Italy 2 1 3
France France 2 2 4
France France 0 0 0
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0 1 1
Norway Norway 1 1 2
Q New Zealand New Zealand 0 4 4
Q New Zealand New Zealand 1 0 1
3 Spain Spain 4 3 7
3 Spain Spain 3 2 5
Czech Republic Czech Republic 0 0 0
3 Spain Spain 1 4 5
England England 1 3 4
England England 0 3 3
Denmark Denmark 0 0 0

1999 World Championship

1999 World Championship
Tournament information
Country United States United States
Established6
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£94,000
Winner's share£30,000
Champion(s)
Portugal Portugal
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Championship was the 6th staging of the World Championship, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time in PSC history, the World Championship was held outside the UK and Europe as United States had the honour of hosting the presticious event, becoming the first North American country to do so.

United States were the defending champions, but narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to England, who needed a penalty shoot-out to win 1–1 {5–4}.

For the third time in PSC World Championship history, an unseeded country managed to win the biggest title of the year, as Portugal won the tournament, beating England 2–0 in the final. This was the first time, a debutant won the World Championship.

England became the first country to reach the World Championship final in 3 consecutive years, but still didn't manage to win their first world title, having now lost 4 finals in total.

A big change was made in the format of the World Championship, as the group-stages were completely banished, making the tournament a straight knock-out. This allowed the PSC to increase the field of countries from 16 to 24, without drastically increasing the length of the tournament and allowing the possiblities for even more shocking upsets.

Sweden, Scotland and Republic of Ireland all returned after 1-year absences, while Northern Ireland and Bosnia Herzegovina both returned after 2-year absences. Canada, Faroe Islands, Finland, Croatia, Austria and Portugal all made their World Championship debuts, with Portugal also making their PSC debut.

One notable absentee was 1995 quarter-finalist Wales, failing to qualify for the first time in 5 years, having been present since the inaugural 1994 World Championship. 1998 quarter-finalist Hungary and Turkey also failed to qualify.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £94,000)
Winner (1) £30,000
Runner-up (1) £16,000
Semi-finalists (2) £6,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,000
Second round losers (8) £1,750
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria were adapted to the increased field, with the top 8 in the Order of Merit still being seeded, but also automatically qualified for the second round. The top 9-16 in the Order of Merit were also automatically qualified, instead of the top 9-12. The field was completed by 8 global qualifiers instead of 4.

Draw

First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 1 Australia Australia 0
Australia Australia 2 1 Netherlands Netherlands 4
8 Denmark Denmark 0
8 Denmark Denmark 4
Sweden Sweden 2 Q Croatia Croatia 0
Q Croatia Croatia 3 1 Netherlands Netherlands 0
4 England England 1
4 England England 1
Switzerland Switzerland 0 Q Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 0
Q Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2 4 England England 1 {5}
5 United States United States 1 {4}
5 United States United States 5
Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia Herzegovina 1 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 0
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 4 4 England England 0
Q Portugal Portugal 2
2 Italy Italy 1
Q Scotland Scotland 1 Q Austria Austria 2
Q Austria Austria 2 Q Austria Austria 2
Q Portugal Portugal 3
7 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Portugal Portugal 3 Q Portugal Portugal 2
Poland Poland 2 Q Portugal Portugal 3
France France 1
3 Spain Spain 2
Canada Canada 0 {1} Norway Norway 0
Norway Norway 0 {4} 3 Spain Spain 1
France France 2
6 Germany Germany 0
Q Finland Finland 0 France France 2
France France 5

1999 World Matchplay

1999 World Matchplay
Tournament information
Country Italy Italy
Established6
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£46,000
Winner's share£14,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Matchplay was the 6th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. For the first time, Italy hosted the contest after winning the event last year.

Italy did not succesfully defend their title, losing surprisingly in a big upset in the quarter-finals to qualifier Croatia by 0–2.

Netherlands created another piece of history by claiming their 3rd World Matchplay title. They beat United States 3–0 in the final. Netherlands still remains the only country to have won this presticious title more than once.

This was the first event, Netherlands didn't enter as world number one, as 1998 World Matchplay Champion Italy took over that position.

United States became the first North American country to reach the final of the World Matchplay. They were also the first non-European country to do so.

One shocking non-qualifier was 1997 quarter-finalist Denmark, who had been present ever since the inaugural 1994 World Matchplay. Not qualifying for the first time after 5 years.

Finland, Australia and Bosnia Herzegovina also failed to qualify, while new World Champion Portugal, Croatia, Israel and Austria all debuted in this event.

Israel became the first Asian country to qualify for the World Matchplay.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £46,000)
Winner (1) £14,000
Runner-up (1) £7,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,500
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
First round losers (8) £1,250

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained unchanged.

Draw

First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 Italy Italy 2
Norway Norway 1
1 Italy Italy 0
Q Croatia Croatia 2
8 Czech Republic Czech Republic 0
Q Croatia Croatia 1
Q Croatia Croatia 1
4 United States United States 2
4 United States United States 2
Q Israel Israel 0
4 United States United States 1
Germany Germany 0
5 England England 0
Germany Germany 2
4 United States United States 0
3 Netherlands Netherlands 3
2 Spain Spain 1
Sweden Sweden 0
2 Spain Spain 1
7 Portugal Portugal 2
7 Portugal Portugal 2
Q Scotland Scotland 1
7 Portugal Portugal 1
3 Netherlands Netherlands 2
3 Netherlands Netherlands 1
Q Austria Austria 0
3 Netherlands Netherlands 3
Poland Poland 0
6 France France 1 {4}
Poland Poland 1 {5}

1999 World Grand Prix

1999 World Grand Prix
Tournament information
Country Netherlands Netherlands
Established2
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatDouble-match group-stage & knock-out
Prize fund£40,000
Winner's share£9,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1998 2000»

The 1999 World Grand Prix was the 2nd staging of the World Grand Prix, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. Netherlands hosted the event for the first time after winning the inaugural edition last year.

Netherlands succesfully retained the title, already becoming a 2-time World Grand Prix Champion. They defeated England in the final by an aggregated score of 2–1, again forcing a stunning comeback in the final, losing the first match 0–1, but winning the second match 2–0 to retain the title.

England became the first UK and unseeded country to reach the final of the World Grand Prix.

The PSC wanted to experiment with the format, introducing a group-stage, where two countries of each group would progress to the quarter-finals. This group-stage was different than anything we had seen before, as the winners of each of the first two matches of each group, faced each other, where the winner already progressed to the quarter-finals. The losers also faced each other, with the loser being eliminated. The winner would face the loser of the previous game to decide the second country to progress to the quarter-finals.

Each group had one seeded country, two countries in the top 5-12 in the Order of Merit and one qualifier. The seeds were already filled in each group, but the other countries were randomly drawn in the group.

This would turn out to be the only year, a group-stage was used in the World Grand Prix.

This was the first time, Italy entered the tournament as the number 1 seed, having taken over the position from Netherlands.

World Champion Portugal, Canada, Greece and Luxembourg made their debuts, replacing Czech Republic, 1998 semi-finalist New Zealand, Australia and Austria who all failed to qualify, making this the first edition without any Oceanic entries.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £40,000)
Winner (1) £9,000
Runner-up (1) £5,000
Semi-finalists (2) £3,000
Quarter-finalists (4) £2,000
Group-stage losers (8) £1,500

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same for this edition.

Draw

Group-stage

Knock-outs

Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
               
1 Italy Italy 4 2 6
Q Luxembourg Luxembourg 0 0 0
1 Italy Italy 1 0 1
England England 1 1 2
England England 2 1 3 {4}
France France 2 1 3 {2}
England England 1 0 1
2 Netherlands Netherlands 0 2 2
Germany Germany 3 4 7
Q Wales Wales 0 1 1
Germany Germany 1 1 2
2 Netherlands Netherlands 1 2 3
Portugal Portugal 2 0 2
2 Netherlands Netherlands 1 2 3

2000 World Championship

2000 World Championship
Tournament information
Country Portugal Portugal
Established7
Organisation(s)Professional Soccer Corporation (PSC)
FormatKnock-out
Prize fund£99,400
Winner's share£31,000
Champion(s)
Netherlands Netherlands
« 1999 2001»

The 2000 World Championship was the 7th staging of the World Championship and the first event of the new era, organised by the Professional Soccer Corporation. This became the first PSC event, organised in Portugal after winning the World Championship in their PSC debut last year.

Portugal did not succesfully retain their title, losing in their first game in the second round to qualifier and debutant Ukraine by 2–3, causing a big upset quite early in the tournament and realizing the first loss of Portugal in the World Championship.

Netherlands, inaugural 1994 and 1997 World Champion, won their 3rd World Championship by defeating 1995 World Champion France 3–2 in a final of former World Champions.

This marked the first World Championship final victory for Netherlands without needing a penalty shoot-out.

This was a pretty special edition of the World Championship, as Luxembourg, who haven't participated in the World Championship since the inaugural 1994 edition, returned after a 5-year absence. Wales and Hungary also made their returns after 1-year absences, while Ukraine, Belgium, Serbia and Iceland all made their debuts. These countries replaced Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Finland and Croatia who all failed to qualify this year.

This also marked the PSC debuts of Ukraine, Belgium and Serbia.

Prize money

Position (no. of countries) Prize money
(Total: £99,400)
Winner (1) £31,000
Runner-up (1) £16,400
Semi-finalists (2) £6,400
Quarter-finalists (4) £3,400
Second round losers (8) £1,850
First round losers (8) £1,350

Qualification

The qualification criteria remained the same as last year.

Draw

#invoke: Team bracket


Videos

Youtube | Vimeo | Bing

Websites

Google | Yahoo | Bing

Encyclopedia

Google | Yahoo | Bing

Facebook