FC Bayern will once again be jetting off on their Audi Summer Tour this year under the motto “Visiting Friends” and will compete in three high-class pre-season friendlies as part of the International Champions Cup (ICC). The reigning German champions will first meet Paris Saint-Germain in Klagenfurt (date tbc). Following that, they will head to the USA and face record Italian champions Juventus on 25 July at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The tour will end with a reunion with former coach Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 28 July.
“The Audi Summer Tour is an important part of our international development strategy and supports our global marketing expansion,” said FC Bayern’s Executive Board Member for Internationalization and Strategy, Jörg Wacker. “We’ve seen great progress in the United States since opening our New York office in 2014. We now have roughly 27 million FC Bayern followers and more than 135 organised fan clubs there. The Audi Summer Tour will give our fans in the U.S. the chance to see our team in the flesh in their own backyard.”
“As a long-term partner of FC Bayern, we are pleased to be involved in supporting a successful Summer Tour once again in 2018,” said AUDI AG head of marketing and sales Bram Schot. “Our brand stands for a special premium experience and unforgettable moments, which is why such high-class matches on the Audi Summer Tour are the perfect platform for our customers and FC Bayern fans. The U.S. in particular is an exciting and important market for Audi.”
The fixtures were announced today at a press conference in Miami, where World Cup winner and Germany’s most capped player Lothar Matthäus represented FC Bayern. The former club captain will accompany the team alongside other club legends on the tour in the summer.
This will be the third time the Audi Summer Tour takes place in the U.S. after visits in 2014 and 2016. Furthermore, the record German champions’ global activities will be promoted by two international offices in the key markets of the U.S. (New York) and China (Shanghai). FC Bayern currently has over 650 million followers around the world.
Overview of the Audi Summer Tour 2018:
- Audi Football Summit in Klagenfurt (date tbc): FC Bayern – Paris Saint-Germain
- 23 July 2018: Departure to Philadelphia
- 25 July 2018 in Philadelphia: Juventus – FC Bayern
- 28 July 2018 Audi Football Summit in Miami: FC Bayern – Manchester City
- 30 July 2018: Arrival in Munich
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