Real Madrid, Barcelona to Play Summer Clasico in Las Vegas in New ‘Soccer Champions Tour’

Barcelona and Real Madrid will renew the stateside portion of their rivalry this summer in Las Vegas, where the Spanish giants will play a July 23 friendly at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. 

The pair met five years ago in Miami. It was a 3–2 Barcelona win attended by more than 66,000 that was part of the International Champions Cup, an ambitious offseason tour designed, in part, to pave the way for a La Liga game on American soil. That match never materialized and the ICC shut down during the pandemic.

This year’s American El Clásico is part of a five-game, five-team slate called the “Soccer Champions Tour.” It’s being organized by LA Galaxy owner AEG and will also feature Juventus, Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara playing games in Vegas, Dallas and California.

Barcelona and Madrid last toured the U.S. in 2019, although they didn’t face each other. Madrid took part in the final ICC while Barça played Napoli in a couple friendlies. Their respective fortunes have diverged since then. Madrid won La Liga in 2020 and just completed the La Liga and UEFA Champions League double this season. 

Barcelona and Real Madrid will bring their rivalry back to the United States this summer.

Mutsu Kawamori/AFLOSPORT/Imago Images

Barcelona, meanwhile, has struggled with debt and institutional issues, losing Lionel Messi and lifting only the 2021 Copa del Rey. It reportedly remains in pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, however, so there’s a slight chance the two-time reigning FIFA player of the year might make his Barcelona debut in the U.S. The Blaugrana are already scheduled to meet Inter Miami and the New York Red Bulls in July.

Both Barcelona and Juventus have Americans on the books, although neither is guaranteed to be with the club come the summer. Defender Sergiño Dest, 21, made 31 appearances for Barça but suffered multiple injures and then missed the final month of the season (and the current U.S. national team camp) with a hamstring issue. Midfielder Weston McKennie, 23, made 29 appearances for Juve in his second season in Turin, scoring four goals, before breaking his foot in February. He’s now back on the field and in camp with the U.S.

The Soccer Champions Tour will be part of what is becoming a busy summer for U.S. friendlies—the likes of Bayern Munich and Chelsea are also coming over. With the World Cup pushed back to November-December, there’s no major men’s event to compress the schedule, and well-known clubs appear eager to tap back into the American market after two pandemic summers.

Here’s a partial list of scheduled summer friendlies in the U.S.:

June 11 - Austin FC-Pachuca, Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas
June 14 - Atlanta United-Pachuca, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
June 15 - Chivas de Guadalajara-Santos Laguna, Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
June 18 - Atlas-Chivas de Guadalajara, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
June 18 - Monterrey-Santos Laguna, PNC Stadium in Houston
June 19 - Club América-UNAM Pumas, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill.
June 22 - Club América-Club León, PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
July 2 - America de Cali-Deportivo Cali, Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
July 16 - Arsenal-Everton, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore
July 16 - Chelsea-Club América, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
July 19 - Inter Miami-Barcelona, DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
July 20 - Charlotte FC-Chelsea, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
July 20 - Club América-Manchester City, NRG Stadium in Houston
July 20 - D.C. United-Bayern Munich, Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
July 20 - Minnesota United-Everton, Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.
July 20 - Orlando City-Arsenal, Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
July 20 - San Jose Earthquakes-Celta Vigo, PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
July 22 - Chivas de Guadalajara-Juventus, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
July 23 - Arsenal-Chelsea, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
July 23 - Barcelona-Real Madrid, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
July 23 - Bayern Munich-Manchester City, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
July 26 - Club América-Real Madrid, Oracle Park in San Francisco
July 26 - Barcelona-Juventus, Cotton Bowl in Dallas
July 30 - Juventus-Real Madrid, Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
July 30 - New York Red Bulls-Barcelona, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Aug. 3 - LA Galaxy-Chivas de Guadalajara, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Aug. 3 - Los Angeles FC-Club América, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.