What Is Soccer Champions Tour 22? Why Real Madrid And Barcelona Are Coming To USA
Barcelona and Real Madrid announced on Friday that they will be featuring in the Soccer Champions Tour 22 in the USA this summer.
The two Spanish rivals will play each other in Las Vegas on July 23.
Barca and Real will also each face Juventus in July, in Dallas and Los Angeles respectively.
Real Madrid will face Barcelona in Las Vegas on July 23 as part of the Soccer Champions Tour 22
IMAGO/NurPhoto/Jose Breton
The other two games on the Soccer Champions Tour 22 fixture list are Juve vs Chivas in Vegas and Real vs Club America in San Francisco.
Barcelona will play two other friendlies in the States this summer - against Inter Miami on July 19 and New York Red Bulls on July 30 - but these games are not part of the Soccer Champions Tour.
So what is the Soccer Champions Tour?
What Is The Soccer Champions Tour?
It is a new event being organized by AEG.
Despite the games all being played under the Soccer Champions Tour banner, they are effectively one-off exhibition matches.
It is not a tournament so there will not be an overall winner, unlike in previous pre-seasons events such as the International Champions Cup.
All five matches will be played in the United States.
Soccer Champions Tour Fixtures
| Teams | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
Juventus vs Chivas | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas | July 22 |
Real Madrid vs Barcelona | Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas | July 23 |
Real Madrid vs Club America | Oracle Park, San Francisco | July 26 |
Barcelona vs Juventus | Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas | July 26 |
Real Madrid vs Juventus | Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles | July 30 |
Why Is It Called The Soccer Champions Tour?
Mainly because it sounds good.
Out of the five teams involved, only Real Madrid are reigning champions in any major competition - having won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season.
Barcelona and Juventus were both trophyless in the 2021/22 season, while Chivas and Club America have not won a title since 2018 and 2019 respectively.
But while all five participants are not currently champions, they have each been national champions at least 19 times in the past.
Are Tickets On Sale Yet?
Tickets will go on general sale for all matches on June 17.
More info can be found at soccerchampionstour.com.