Share

England's top 6 set for Champions Cup

Miami - Champions League semi-finalists Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Roma and Liverpool plus English powers Manchester City and Manchester United will be among the European giants competing in this year's International Champions Cup, it was announced on Tuesday.

The 18-team, 27-match pre-season competition kicks off less than a week after the conclusion of the World Cup in Russia. Most matches will be played in the United States but others will be staged in Singapore, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Italy and Spain.

England's top six sides - Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and the Manchester clubs - will take part.

A highlight will be a Champions League quarter-final rematch between Pep Guardiola's City and Liverpool on July 25 at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

"Manchester City has a great following in the United States with a growing and passionate fan base," Manchester City chief operating officer Omar Berrada said.

"The team is looking forward to meeting and playing in front of thousands of our US fans for what promises to be a fantastic tour."

City, who secured the Premier League title at the weekend, will also face Borussia Dortmund on July 20 in Chicago and Bayern Munich on July 28 in Miami.

On the same day, Manchester United will face Liverpool at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where a US-record 109,318 fans watched United play Real Madrid in 2014.

"Once again, we look forward to taking part in the ICC, facing top opposition from different leagues in games which will no doubt be popular with United fans everywhere," said Manchester United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward of the team's sixth consecutive US pre-season tour.

"The facilities, venues and fixtures will give the manager and team the ideal preparation for the 2018-19 campaign, whilst also giving our fans in the US the chance to watch their team live."

United's fixtures also include non-ICC meetings with Mexico's Club America in Glendale, Arizona, on July 19 and three days later against the MLS San Jose Earthquakes at Santa Clara, California.

United then meet AC Milan at the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles on July 25 ahead of the Liverpool clash and a July 31 meeting with Real Madrid in Miami.

Barcelona, who won the pre-season competition in the United States last year, have a July 28 date at the Rose Bowl against Tottenham.

They will also face Roma - who last week dumped them out of the Champions League quarter-finals - in suburban Dallas on July 31 before playing AC Milan on August 4 at Santa Clara.

Tottenham conclude their US tour against AC Milan on July 31 in Minneapolis.

"We are excited to be going back to the US this summer," Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said.

"These fixtures are against top quality sides and will form an important part of our preparations as we look to arrive in the best possible condition for the start of the 2018-19 season."

Fixtures for the sixth International Champions Cup tournament of pre-season football matches:

July 20: Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund (Chicago), Sevilla vs. Benfica (Zurich)

July 22: Liverpool vs. Borussia Dortmund (Charlotte)

July 25: Manchester City vs. Liverpool (East Rutherford, New Jersey), AC Milan vs. Manchester United (Pasadena, California), Roma vs. Tottenham Hotspur (San Diego), Borussia Dortmund vs. Benfica (Pittsburgh), Juventus vs. Bayern Munich (Philadelphia)

July 26: Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid (Singapore)

July 28: Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City (Miami), Manchester United vs. Liverpool (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Barcelona vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Pasadena, California), Benfica vs. Juventus (Harrison, New Jersey), Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Singapore)

July 30: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid (Singapore)

July 31: Manchester United vs. Real Madrid (Miami), AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Barcelona vs. Roma (Arlington, Texas)

August 1: Inter Milan vs. Chelsea (Gothenburg, Sweden)

August 4: Real Madrid vs. Juventus (Landover, Maryland), AC Milan vs. Barcelona (Santa Clara, California), Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Stockholm, Sweden)

August 7: Real Madrid vs. Roma (East Rutherford, New Jersey), Sevilla vs. Inter Milan (Lecce, Italy)

August 12: Inter Milan vs. Atletico Madrid (Madrid, Spain)

To Be Determined: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich (Klagenfurt, Austria), Sevilla vs. Chelsea (Warsaw, Poland)

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
32% - 1843 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1810 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1100 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 470 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 193 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 261 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE