Atlético Madrid Targets Fans in Major U.S. City in Unique Way Without Game

Atlético Madrid is coming to Miami, Florida, without a match in sight.

The soccer club will be bringing events to cities without any matches there in a new fan business initiative that could set a new trend for professional soccer teams.

Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann (7) has the team in the Champions League Round of 16. | Daniel Cole-Reuters via Imagn Images

Right now Atleti, as they are known, are in the Round of 16 in the Champions League with the La Liga squad at Tottenham on Wednesday with a 5-2 aggregate lead and a good chance to move on to the final eight.

With the success, the team is looking to gain more fandom by bringing its Red & White On Tour initiative to Miami, Florida, on March 20, which will mark the first stop of what it describes as a new international fan engagement platform — one built entirely outside of competitive or preseason fixtures and designed to connect with fans abroad throughout the season and no longer just the summer window.

The two-day activation that is called Casa Atleti will be held at Wynwood Walls in Miami's Wynwood Arts District and will include a historic club memorabilia exhibition, an official club store, exclusive meet and greets with club legends for Red & White members, and a live watch party for the Madrid Derby on Sunday afternoon vs Real Madrid.

Atleti fans | Courtesy of Atleti/Atletico Madrid

This new initiative is modeled on a Casa Atleti experience the club previously staged in Los Angeles, California, where it partnered with local organizations including Saturday's Football and Venice Beach FC to connect authentically with the local soccer community rather than simply staging a branded event in a new city.

The events will also include live Atleti mural creation, spray paint activations across both days, freestyle football sessions and a Saturday evening party hosted by music collective Perro Negro, open to the public. The club has framed Red & White On Tour as a scalable, sustainable platform deployable on a yearly basis in priority international markets — and for international Red & White members specifically, the tour creates access to experiences, including legend meet and greets, that would otherwise require a trip to Madrid.

Stay tuned for more details on other cities.

Will this be a model other big international soccer teams will follow to grow its fandom?

Atleti Madrid | Courtesy of Casa Atleti / Atletico de Madrid