It’s a rite of summer in North America and a big business: A collection of the best soccer clubs from across Europe relocate their preseason training camp to the USA, scheduling several high-profile tuneup matches in the process.
The 2024 calendar will see the likes of
Manchester United
,
Real Madrid
, Barcelona,
Manchester City
, and
AC Milan
play stateside ahead of the new European campaign. Given the world-class talent scattered throughout these squads, even their summer friendly showdowns are must-watch.
Below is the updated schedule for the summer of 2024 with some club friendlies part of the Soccer Champions Tour, others part of the FC Series, and still others showing up as standalone events.
Fans expecting to see specific players in action will need to scan the traveling squad list of each club given that many high-profile players have been given extended breaks and a reduced travel load after representing their respective national teams at the Euros or
Copa América
.
Summer Club Friendlies 2024
Complete list of preseason exhibition matches in the USA
From July 20 to August 6, fans in the USA will get to witness 28 international club exhibitions featuring teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Spain, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Date | Match | Time (EDT) | Stadium | TV & Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sat, July 20 | D.C. United 0-4 Celtic | 7:30 p.m. | Audi Field (Washington, D.C.) | |
Sat, July 20 | Bournemouth 1-1 Wrexham | 7 p.m. | Harder Stadium (Santa Barbara, Calif.) | |
Tue, July 23 | Manchester City 3-4 Celtic | 7 p.m. | Kenan Field (Chapel Hill, N.C.) | |
Wed, July 24 | Chelsea 2-2 Wrexham | 10 p.m. | Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.) | |
Wed, July 24 | Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth (Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties) | 10 p.m. | Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, Calif.) | |
Fri, July 26 | Liverpool 1-0 Real Betis | 7:30 p.m. | Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh, Pa.) | |
Sat, July 27 | Manchester City 2-3 AC Milan | 6 p.m. | Yankee Stadium (Bronx, N.Y.) | |
Sat, July 27 | Columbus Crew 4-1 Aston Villa | 8 p.m. | Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio) | |
Sat, July 27 | Vancouver 1-4 Wrexham | 7:30 p.m. | BC Place (Vancouver, Canada) | |
Sat, July 27 | Chelsea 1-4 Celtic | 4 p.m. | Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.) | |
Sat, July 27 | West Ham 1-3 Wolves | 7 p.m. | Everbank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.) | |
Sat, July 27 | Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United | 8 p.m. | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.) | |
Tue, July 30 | Louisville City 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt | 8 p.m. | Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville, Ky.) | |
Tue, July 30 | Manchester City 2-2 Barcelona | 7 p.m. | Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) | |
Wed, July 31 | AC Milan 1-0 Real Madrid | 8:30 p.m. | Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Chelsea 3-0 Club America | 7:30 p.m. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Manchester United 3-2 Real Betis | 10 p.m. | Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, Calif.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal | 7:30 p.m. | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pa.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Crystal Palace 3-1 Wolves | 8 p.m. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Md.) | |
Wed, July 31 | RB Leipzig 2-0 Aston Villa | 8 p.m. | Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.) | |
Sat. Aug. 3 | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona | 7 p.m. | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | RB Leipzig 0-3 Wolves | 7:30 p.m. | Chase Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Club America 1-0 Aston Villa | 5:30 p.m. | Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Manchester City 4-2 Chelsea | 5:30 p.m. | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool | 7:30 p.m. | Williams Brice Stadium (Columbia, S.C.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Crystal Palace 3-1 West Ham | 7 p.m. | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.) | |
Tue, Aug. 6 | Real Madrid vs. Chelsea | 7 p.m. | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.) | ESPN / ESPN+ / ESPN Deportes |
Tue, Aug. 6 | Barcelona vs. AC Milan | 7:30 p.m. | M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Md.) | ESPN+ |
Soccer Champions Tour 2024
El Clasico highlights six-match slate
The Soccer Champions Tour will see five European powerhouses in action across six matches, mostly taking place on the east coast of the USA.
The highlight of the schedule is an August 3 showdown between Real Madrid and Barcelona at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. These two La Liga rivals have made it a summer tradition to meet stateside in recent years.
Date | Match | Time | Stadium | TV & Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sat, July 27 | Manchester City 2-3 AC Milan | 6 p.m. EDT | Yankee Stadium (Bronx, N.Y.) | |
Tue, July 30 | Manchester City 2-2 Barcelona | 7 p.m. EDT | Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) | |
Wed, July 31 | AC Milan 1-0 Real Madrid | 8:30 p.m. EDT | Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona | 7 p.m. EDT | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) | |
Tue, Aug. 6 | Real Madrid vs. Chelsea | 7 p.m. EDT | Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.) | ESPN2 |
Tue, Aug. 6 | Barcelona vs. AC Milan | 7:30 p.m. EDT | M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Md.) | ESPN+ |
FC Series 2024
Separate series, but familiar club giants
The FC Series is typically a separate collection of matches, but two of them are being organized in collaboration with the Soccer Champions Tour promoters: Man City vs. AC Milan (July 27) and Barcelona vs. Man City (July 30).
Date | Match | Time | Stadium | TV & Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tue, July 23 | Manchester City 3-4 Celtic | 7 p.m. EDT | Kenan Stadium (Chapel Hill, N.C.) | |
Sat, July 27 | Chelsea 1-4 Celtic | 4 p.m. EDT | Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Ind.) | |
Sat, July 27 | Manchester City 2-3 AC Milan | 6 p.m. EDT | Yankee Stadium (Bronx, N.Y.) | |
Tue, July 30 | Manchester City 2-2 Barcelona | 7 p.m. EDT | Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Chelsea 3-0 Club America | 7:30 p.m. EDT | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Manchester City 4-2 Chelsea | 5:30 p.m. EDT | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
The Stateside Cup 2024
New summer competition features three Premier League sides
Wolves, West Ham and Crystal Palace will meet in three matches held in the states of Maryland and Florida. It remains to be seen whether there will be actual silverware handed to the team with the best record in the series.
Date | Match | Time | Stadium | TV & Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sat, July 27 | West Ham 1-3 Wolves | 7 p.m. | Everbank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.) | |
Wed, July 31 | Crystal Palace 3-1 Wolves | 8 p.m. | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Md.) | |
Sat, Aug. 3 | Crystal Palace 3-1 West Ham | 7 p.m. | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.) |
Standalone Club Tours
Some clubs organized their own friendlies
A handful of clubs eager to do some brand-building in the USA made their own arrangements.
La Liga side Real Betis tested themselves against English powers Liverpool (1-0 loss) and Manchester United (3-2 loss), while Bundesliga side RB Leipzig will also meet two Premier League sides. One of those opponents is Aston Villa, who added a second game to their own calendar against MLS champions Columbus Crew, who handed the Villans a heavy 4-1 defeat.
Another Bundesliga team, Eintracht Frankfurt stopped in Kentucky to take on U.S. second-tier leaders Louisville City FC (4-0 win). Prior to that, they made a brief stop in Mexico to take on FC Juarez on July 25 (Eintracht won 2-1).
Third-tier side Wrexham continued to build their fanbase across the pond with another North American tour, including matches against Bournemouth (1-1 draw), Chelsea (2-2 draw), and owner Ryan Reynolds’ hometown Vancouver Whitecaps (4-1 win).