German giants FC Bayern will return to the U.S. in July for the Audi Summer Tour where they will prepare for 2019/20 soccer season. The defending Bundesliga champions will meet three high-profile opponents in the International Champions Cup (ICC).
The tour will kick-off with two Audi Football Summit fixtures, starting in Los Angeles with a game against Arsenal on Wednesday July 17 at Dignity Health Sports Park followed by a game on Saturday July 20 against Real Madrid at NRG Stadium in Houston. The tour will close in Kansas City with the T-Mobile Showdown at Arrowhead Stadium where the team will meet AC Milan on Tuesday July 23.
“The Audi Summer Tour is an important component of our international strategy and supports our global brand expansion,” said Jörg Wacker, FC Bayern Executive Board Member for Internationalization and Strategy. “We’ve seen great progress in the U.S. since opening our New York office in 2014. We now have roughly 32 million followers and more than 147 registered fan clubs in this region. The Audi Summer Tour will give our fans in the U.S. the chance to see our team in the flesh in their own backyard,” he added.
“Audi is a long-term partner of FC Bayern. We are once again pleased to present the Audi Summer Tour in 2019,” said AUDI AG Vice President Global Marketing and Sales Martin Sander. “The program with high-class matches in one of our most important markets underlines the aim of our commitment to entertain and excite our customers and FC Bayern fans over the long term and provide them with premium experiences at the highest level.”
The games were officially announced today at the ICC press conference in New York City, attended by FC Bayern legend and World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus. The former FC Bayern captain will also join the German record champions on the summer tour.
“We’re delighted to see the team come back to the U.S. this summer,” commented FC Bayern Munich’s President of the Americas, Rudolf Vidal. “The club has presence in the Americas all year round and the summer tour is the pinnacle of our activation. We’re looking forward to connecting with fans, partners and local communities in our tour cities before, during and after the games,” he added.
FC Bayern’s first team were last in the U.S. in 2018 when they played fixtures in Philadelphia and Miami. Previously the team has played in Chicago, Charlotte and New York in 2016 as well as competing in the MLS All-Star Game in Portland in 2014.
The club opened its first international office in New York in 2014. Since then FC Bayern’s following has grown from 13M to 32M, the number of official fan clubs have increased from 8 to 147 across 41 states and the U.S. social media followers have more than doubled. The club is dedicated to growing soccer both on and off the field through grassroots, institutional commercial and media partnerships resulting in year-round activation.
