Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, founded by Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, today unveiled the full lineup of clubs set to participate in the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken. The fifth installment of the world’s premier summer soccer tournament brings the strongest line-up to date, with eight of the world’s best soccer clubs facing off in world-class venues across the United States. The highly anticipated summer tournament will run from July 19 – 30, 2017. The general public will have access to tickets for all matches starting Tuesday, April 4. Fans are encouraged to sign up at www.internationalchampionscup.com for more info about tickets.
The 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken will be headlined by the first ever El Clásico to take place in the United States and first outside of Spain since 1982. El Clásico Miami will see longtime rivals Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona match up on Saturday, July 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Hailed as one of sport’s all-time greatest rivalries, the current rosters for each club feature some of the best players in the world, underscored by the fact that these two clubs currently hold the titles for the Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League.
The Manchester Derby will also head stateside with English Premier League powerhouses Manchester City F.C. and Manchester United F.C. meeting on Thursday, July 20 with the venue to be announced at a later date. The Derby features two clubs who boast a combined 24 EPL titles, including seven of the previous ten.
Also participating in the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken will be current Italian Serie A champions Juventus F.C., current French Ligue 1 champions and defending International Champions Cup (ICC) champions Paris Saint-Germain F.C., as well as English Premier League powerhouse Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and famed Serie A club, AS Roma, all of whom qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2016.
“This year’s International Champions Cup will feature two of the most iconic derbies in sports: El Clásico and the Manchester Derby,” said Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevent Sports. “The lineup of teams participating in this year’s tournament is world-class from top to bottom, highlighted by current champions of three top domestic leagues as well as the reigning Champions League titleholder. Hosting this caliber of soccer competition in the U.S. is only feasible through the ICC, where these teams can compete in a highly competitive tournament in preparation for their upcoming domestic campaign.”
“The International Champions Cup continues to bring the biggest clubs of the world to the United States,” said David Tyler, CEO of Relevent Sports. “Our commitment to world class competition and achieving the ultimate fan experience is only matched by the energy that these clubs will bring to ICC stadiums across the country.”
Each participating team will play three matches as part of the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken. Each win in regulation will result in three points and a tie will go straight to a shootout; the winning team in a shootout will receive two points and the losing team will receive one. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament will be crowned champion.
For the second consecutive year, Heineken is the presenting sponsor of the 2017 International Champions Cup.
“Soccer is a part of our global heritage and our sponsorship with the International Champions Cup reinforces our love and commitment to the game,” said Nuno Teles, Chief Marketing Officer, HEINEKEN USA. “For the second year, we’ll be bringing historic matches from top European teams to the U.S. so soccer fans can come together, enjoy a Heineken and experience some of the best teams and players the sport has to offer.”
In addition to Heineken, the 2017 tournament features a leading line-up of sponsors, including Ally, Nike, Orlando, Chevrolet, AON, Groupon, VividSeats, Gatorade and Xyience. Additional partners will be announced in the coming months. All matches for the International Champions Cup will be carried on ESPN networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and streaming network ESPN3, accessible through WatchESPN and the ESPN App. This year’s tournament is expected to be broadcast in over 170 territories.
Host venues for the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken include:
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Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; Los Angeles, CA
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Levi’s Stadium; Santa Clara, CA
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FedExField; Washington, D.C.
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Hard Rock Stadium; Miami, FL
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Camping World Stadium; Orlando, FL
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Gillette Stadium; Boston, MA
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MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, NJ
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Red Bull Arena; Harrison, NJ
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Nissan Stadium; Nashville, TN
The United States tournament schedule for the 2017 International Champions Cup presented by Heineken is as follows:
All times are local and all matches can also be seen on WatchESPN and ESPN Deportes.
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Wednesday, July 19
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AS Roma vs. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. – Venue & Time TBA – ESPN2
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Thursday, July 20
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Manchester United F.C. vs. Manchester City F.C. – Venue & Time TBA – ESPN
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Saturday, July 22
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Juventus F.C. vs. FC Barcelona – MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, New Jersey. 6:00PM ET – ESPN
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Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – Camping World Stadium; Orlando, Florida. 8:00PM ET – ESPN2
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Sunday, July 23
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Real Madrid C.F. vs. Manchester United F.C. – Levi’s Stadium; Santa Clara, California. 2:00PM PT – ESPN
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Tuesday, July 25
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Tottenham Hotspur F.C. vs. AS Roma – Red Bull Arena; Harrison, New Jersey. 8:00PM ET – ESPN
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Wednesday, July 26
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FC Barcelona vs. Manchester United F.C. – FedExField; Landover, Maryland. 7:30PM ET – ESPN2
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Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs. Juventus F.C. – Hard Rock Stadium; Miami, Florida. 8:30PM ET – ESPN2 and ESPNews
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Manchester City F.C. vs. Real Madrid C.F. – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; Los Angeles, California. 8:00PM PT – ESPN
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Saturday, July 29
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Manchester City F.C. vs. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – Nissan Stadium; Nashville, Tennessee. 5:00PM CT – ESPN2
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Real Madrid C.F. vs. FC Barcelona – Hard Rock Stadium; Miami, Florida. 7:30PM ET – ESPN
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Sunday, July 30
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AS Roma vs. Juventus F.C. – Gillette Stadium; Boston, Massachusetts. 4:00PM ET – ESPN
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Fans can visit www.internationalchampionscup.com for all venue-specific and ticket information.
The International Champions Cup will host a standalone tournament in Singapore in 2017. The International Champions Cup Singapore will run from July 25 – 29, 2017. Participating clubs for the tournament are FC Bayern Munich, Chelsea F.C. and F.C. Internazionale. Matches will be played in a round robin format and held at Singapore’s National Stadium.
For the third consecutive year, the International Champions Cup will also host a tournament in China. The 2017 International Champions Cup China will feature five of the world’s top professional soccer clubs participating in four matches from July 18 – 24, 2017. Participating clubs include Arsenal F.C., FC Bayern Munich, A.C. Milan, F.C. Internazionale, and Borussia Dortmund F.C. The tournament schedule concludes with another world-class rivalry when A.C. Milan and Inter Milan meet for the 291st Milan derby on Monday, July 24 in Nanjing.
In its five-year history, the International Champions Cup has established itself as the world’s premier summer soccer tournament, hosting top-tier matches in iconic venues across the world. Clubs including Manchester United F.C., FC Barcelona, Real Madrid C.F., Manchester City F.C., Chelsea F.C., Juventus F.C., Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Club América and LA Galaxy, among a host of others, have played matches at venues including Michigan Stadium, The Rose Bowl, Wembley Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Stamford Bridge, Melbourne Cricket Ground and MetLife Stadium.
Throughout the tournament’s history, sold out venues and fan engagement have ushered the ICC into the forefront of soccer’s growth in the United States. In 2014, Manchester United F.C. and Real Madrid C.F. met at the “Big House” at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where 109,318 fans packed the stadium, marking the largest attended soccer match in United States history. In 2015, FC Barcelona and the LA Galaxy met at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena where 93,226 passionate fans watched an impressive battle between the two best clubs in their respective leagues. Last year’s tournament included the two most attended soccer matches in the United States for 2016 with crowds of 105,826 (Real Madrid C.F. vs. Chelsea F.C. at Michigan Stadium) and 86,641 (Real Madrid C.F. vs. Paris Saint-Germain F.C. at Ohio Stadium).
Fans can follow the ICC on social media at @intchampionscup for exclusive content and announcements, and join the conversation using #2017ICC. Fans can sign up for up news, updates and ticket information at www.internationalchampionscup.com.
The International Champions Cup is partnering with Thuzi, a leader in digital and social activations for live events. As part of the partnership, ICC has created a first of it’s kind social experience for all those attending the ICC tournament and it’s pre-game festivities this summer. By downloading the ICC app and registering for ICC rewards, fans can earns points that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes including tickets and other ICC memorabilia. Fans can start earning ICC rewards beginning July 1.
