From 23 July, FC Bayern Munich will spend a week in North America and play two friendly matches. Following previous tours in 2014 and 2016, the motto for the third Audi Summer Tour USA will again be "Visiting Friends". On 25 July, the German record champions will meet their Italian counterparts Juventus in Philadelphia (tickets), followed by a meeting with reigning English champions Manchester City in Miami on July 28 (tickets).
The attractive matches form part of the now established International Champions Cup (ICC). New Bayern head coach Niko Kovac will also use them as important tests as he prepares his team for the new season. Kovac will have a strong squad at his disposal, including Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry, Arturo Vidal, David Alaba, Javi Martínez, Kingsley Coman, Rafinha, Juan Bernat, Sandro Wagner, Sven Ulreich, Serge Gnabry and Renato Sanches.
To set the mood for the US tour, the Allianz Arena was illuminated at night on Wednesday this week, American Independence Day (4 July), in the colours of the US national flag.
"Our summer tours are an important part of our strategy to compete in international markets with the big European clubs from England, Spain, Italy and France," commented FC Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "America is one of our focus countries. With the 2026 World Cup being awarded to the USA, Canada and Mexico, the USA has now become even more important."
FC Bayern opened its New York office in 2014. Since then, the club has concluded important agreements with partners such as Columbia University and youth football organisation Global Premier Soccer. Through its representative office in New York, FC Bayern has been able to expand and intensify its ties with American fans and the wider public.
FC Bayern Munich now has around 27 million followers in the USA. Since 2014, the number of fan clubs has increased tenfold to 138 in 39 states. FC Bayern now boasts agreements with seven companies headquartered in the USA, including Goodyear, Procter & Gamble, Beats by Dre, EA Sports and OXiGEN. A first sporting cooperation was arranged with FC Dallas in February. Its goals are the promotion of talent and the exchange of training philosophies.
FC Bayern Board Member for Internationalization and Strategy Jörg Wacker said: "The Audi Summer Tour is a key element in expanding our brand even more strongly in the global world. At the same time, our American fans have the opportunity to experience our stars up close. We look forward to the top games against Juventus Turin and Manchester City, the champions from Italy and England respectively."
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