The University of Michigan has announced that they will host an International Champions Cup match between Chelsea and Real Madrid on July 30 at the Big House.
It is the second International Champions Cup match that will be played at Michigan Stadium. Manchester United and Real Madrid met at the Big House on Aug. 2, 2014, and set the event's attendance record with 109,318 fans. ICC officials called it "the most spectacular game we've ever done."
The game will be the seventh of 15 matches between several of Europe's top soccer clubs this summer that will be held in locations in the United States and Europe. Games in two other groups will be held in Australia and China. The other eight game sites in the U.S. are Eugene, OR; Columbus, OH; Chicago, IL; Pasadena, CA; Charlotte, NC; Santa Clara, CA; East Rutherford, NJ and Minneapolis, MN.
The International Champions Cup was created in 2013 in the U.S. as a series of friendlies between eight of the top teams in Europe, though the event format changes every year. In 2015, the event grew to include matches in Australia and China.
This year, 11 teams (Celtic FC, Bayern Munich, Leicester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan, FB Barcelona, Chelsea, and Paris-Saint Germain) are competing in the North American portion of the event. Though these are exhibition games, a trophy is awarded to the winner of the North American group.
One of the founding partners of the International Champions Cup was prominent Michigan alum and donor Stephen Ross, explaining the connection to Michigan and the Big House. He is also the owner of the Miami Dolphins.
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