Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will face each other for the first time in the U.S. as the El Clasico will be held in Miami on July 29 at Hard Rock Stadium, as part of the International Champions Cup.
The newly renovated Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, will host its first soccer event since the renovations took place.
During the press conference where the announcement was made, legends Hristo Stocihkov and Roberto Carlos were present alongside Stephen Ross, owner of both the Miami Dolphins the International Champions Cup.
“I am thrilled to bring the International Champions Cup back to the city of Miami,” said Stephen Ross, RSE Ventures chairman and co-founder and Miami Dolphins owner. “The opportunity to showcase two of the most storied clubs in the history of the sport is why we created this tournament. That it will take place at Hard Rock Stadium is a testament to the recent transformation of this venue into a global entertainment destination.”
This will be the second time the El Clasico, arguably one of the fiercest rivalries in football, will be played outside of Spain. The previous time the two sides faced each other abroad was in Venenzuela in 1982. Real Madrid won that match 1-0, goal scored by World Cup 2010 champion manager Vicente Del Bosque.
Since launching in 2013, the International Champions Cup (ICC) has hosted matchups at some of the most renowned venues across the world featuring teams from the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and German Bundesliga.
In 2015, the ICC expanded to include tournaments in both Australia and China. Overall, the ICC has hosted matches in more than 30 cities, 11 countries and four continents.
Relevent Sports will reveal the entire lineup of world-class teams, venues and matchups for the 2017 tournament at a national launch event in New York City on Tuesday, March 21.
