The 2017 International Champions Cup gets underway on Tuesday and will see 19 matches played between some of Europe’s finest club teams across the United States, China and Singapore until the end of the month.
The action gets underway tomorrow when AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund face off at the GHEMC Central Stadium, Guangzhou, in China. Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Internazionale and Olympique Lyon will also feature in the Chinese leg of the tournament, while the Singapore matches see Bayern and Inter joined by Premier League champions Chelsea.
However, most attention will be focused on the USA leg of the tournament, which begins on Wednesday with a clash between Roma and Paris Saint-Germain in Detroit, and is followed the next day by a derby between Manchester United and Manchester City in Houston.
Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur and the Spanish duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona make up the other participants in the American list of matches, which highlighted by an ‘El Clasico’ clash between Real and Barca in Miami on July 29.
The matches are all preseason friendlies and do not count toward official competitions and statistics, but still serve as valuable preparation for the 2017/18 campaign in which all of the competing teams will be targeting silverware in some form or another.
It’s also the first chance many fans will have to see their teams’ new signings: think of Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof in Manchester United kit; Alexandre Lacazette showing off his pace and skill for Arsenal; and Bernardo Silva pulling the strings in midfield for Man City.
Ultimately the results mean little in the grand scheme of things, but these matches in the International Champions Cup further whet our appetite for another thrilling season of European football.
2017 International Champions Cup fixtures
USA matches
19 July - Roma v Paris Saint-Germain - Comerica Park, Detroit
20 July - Manchester United v Manchester City - NRG Stadium, Houston
22 July - Juventus v Barcelona - Metlife Stadium, New Jersey
22 July - Paris Saint-Germain v Tottenham Hotspur - Camping World Stadium, Orlando
23 July - Real Madrid v Manchester United - Levis Stadium, Santa Clara
25 July - Tottenham Hotspur v Roma - Red Bull Arena, New Jersey
26 July - Barcelona v Manchester United - FedEx Field, Landover
26 July - Paris Saint-Germain v Juventus - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
26 July - Manchester City v Real Madrid - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
29 July - Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur - Nissan Stadium, Nashville
29 July - Real Madrid v Barcelona - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
30 July - Roma v Juventus - Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
China matches
18 July - AC Milan v Borussia Dortmund - GHEMC Central Stadium, Guangzhou
19 July - Bayern Munich v Arsenal - Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai
22 July - Bayern Munich v AC Milan - Longgan Stadium, Shenzen
24 July - Internazionale v Olympique Lyon - Nanjing Olympic Stadium, Nanjing Singapore matches
25 July - Chelsea v Bayern Munich - National Stadium, Singapore
27 July July - Bayern Munich v Internazionale - National Stadium, Singapore
29 July - Chelsea v Internazionale - National Stadium, Singapore
International Champions Cup past winners
North America and Europe
2013 - Real Madrid
2014 - Manchester United
2015 - Paris Saint-Germain
2016 - Paris Saint-Germain
Australia
2015 - Real Madrid
2016 - Juventus
China
2015 - Real Madrid