The International Champions Cup (ICC) is an annual pre-season competition featuring the world’s biggest clubs.
First staged in 2013, the ICC offers fans across the globe the opportunity to watch football’s greatest stars in action.
The 2019 edition of the ICC starts on July 16 as Serie A side AS Roma take on Mexican outfit Chivas de Guadalajara in Chicago.
Read on as we provide you with an in-depth guide to the 2019 International Champions Cup.
HISTORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP
The competition was the brainchild of Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, a former executive with the New York Jets.
It replaced the World Football Challenge, which had mostly featured an even mix of European and American-based sides.
The ICC has achieved some notable landmarks during its existence, including setting the all-time record for attendance at a soccer game in the United States in 2014.
A match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium attracted 109,318 spectators – a record that still stands today.
In 2017, Barcelona and Madrid played in the second El Clasico ever held outside of Spain, with Barca winning 3-2.
The 2018 edition was the first to run to a worldwide format, with Tottenham Hotspur finishing top of the standings ahead of Borussia Dortmund.
2019 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS HOST CITIES
There will be 16 venues for the 2019 International Champions Cup spread across the United States, Europe and Asia.
The MetLife Stadium in New York has the biggest capacity of the US venues, with the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets able to hold 82,500 people.
Kansas City, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles are amongst the other US locations set to host ICC games this summer.
Cardiff’s Principality Stadium will stage the first ever ICC fixture to take place in Wales when Man Utd go head-to-head with AC Milan on August 3.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Stockholm’s Friends Arena and two venues in Asia complete the line-up.
2019 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP FORMAT
A total of 12 teams will participate in the tournament from England, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Mexico and Spain. The competition is a single table format guaranteeing each team three games.
Teams receive three points for a win, two for a penalty shoot-out win, one point for a shoot-out defeat and zero points for a loss. If a match is tied at the end of normal time, it will be decided by a penalty shoot-out in accordance with FIFA rules.
The match schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, July 16
AS Roma vs Chivas de Guadalajara – Chicago, SeatGeek Stadium
Wednesday, July 17
Arsenal vs FC Bayern – Los Angeles, Dignity Health Sports Park
Saturday, July 20
Manchester United vs Inter – Singapore, National Stadium
Arsenal vs AS Roma – Charlotte, Bank of America Stadium
FC Bayern vs Real Madrid – Houston, NRG Stadium
Benfica vs Chivas de Guadalajara – Bay Area, Levi’s® Stadium
Sunday, July 21
Juventus vs Tottenham Hotspur – Singapore, National Stadium
Tuesday, July 23
Real Madrid vs Arsenal – Washington, D.C, FedEx Field
FC Bayern vs AC Milan – Kansas City, Arrowhead Stadium
Chivas de Guadalajara vs Atletico Madrid – Arlington, Texas, Globe Life Park in Arlington
Wednesday, July 24
Juventus vs Inter – Nanjing, Nanjing Olympic Sports Complex
AS Roma vs Benfica – New York, Red Bull Arena
Thursday, July 25
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United – Shanghai, Hongkou Football Stadium
Friday, July 26
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – New York, MetLife Stadium
Sunday, July 28
AC Milan vs Benfica – Boston, Gillette Stadium
Saturday, August 3
Manchester United vs AC Milan – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
Sunday, August 4
Tottenham Hotspur vs Inter – London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Saturday, August 10
Atletico Madrid vs Juventus – Stockholm, Friends Arena
2019 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP BROADCASTERS
Many broadcasters around the world will offer live online screening of games throughout the International Champions Cup.
In the United Kingdom, Man Utd games will be shown only on MUTV while the rest will be aired by FreeSports TV and Premier Sports.
ESPN holds exclusive multi-platform broadcast rights in the United States, with the networking covering the entire tournament on its portfolio of channels on television, online, radio as well as its app.
2019 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP SPONSORSHIPS
The ICC has historically attracted numerous high-profile sponsors including Coca-Cola, TAG Heuer, Gatorade, Nike, Vivid Seats, Xyience energy drink, Groupon, Thomas Cook Sport and Heineken.
2019 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP PREVIEW
The Madrid derby between Real and Atletico will be played outside of Europe for the first time ever as part of this year’s competition.
The match, scheduled for July 26 at the MetLife Stadium, is just one of many top-class fixtures taking place during the 2019 ICC.
Juventus versus Spurs in Singapore on July 21 will certainly be one to watch, while Arsenal’s clash with Real Madrid in Washington could be a cracker.
Spurs will get the chance to make a statement against one of their Premier League rivals when they meet Man Utd in Shanghai on July 25.
United’s game against AC Milan should draw a massive crowd to Cardiff on August 3, while Spurs’ meeting with Inter on home soil the following day is likely to be an entertaining encounter.
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