Professional soccer will return to Ohio Stadium in a big way this summer, The Dispatch has
learned.
The 105,000-seat venue will play host to an International Champions Cup exhibition game, likely
in July or early August. It is expected to pit one of the world’s super-clubs against another top
team, most likely French giant Paris St.-Germain.
Full details, including matchups, times and dates of the annual ICC North American exhibition
series are expected to be announced during an ICC press conference at 10
a.m. Tuesday in New York.
Sources could not confirm the exact date or opponents for the Columbus game, but one of the
sport’s most popular clubs is expected to participate. A temporary grass surface will be
installed for the game.
This summer’s ICC Series will reportedly include Chelsea, Liverpool and Leicester City of the
English Premier League. Several more of the world’s top teams will participate. Inter Milan, A.C.
Milan and Real Madrid have been rumored to be among them.
Last year’s participants included English giants Manchester United and Chelsea along with
Barcelona (Spain), PSG (France), Benefica (Portugal), Club America (Mexico), Fiorentina (Italy) and
three MLS teams (Los Angeles, San Jose and the New York Red Bulls).
Participants in previous years include Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester City (England), A.C.
Milan (Italy) and Juventus (Italy).
Crew SC won’t play in the Ohio Stadium game this year but the club is expected to have some
involvement in the event, which will be produced by Relevent Sports in conjunction with Ohio
State.
The Crew played its first three seasons in the 94-year-old home of Ohio State football before
Mapfre Stadium opened in 1999.
The ICC also holds summer exhibition series in Australia and China, with the games serving as
preseason preparations for European teams.
Last year’s North American games drew crowds of at least 60,000 to Soldier Field in Chicago
(61,351 for Manchester United-PSG), FedEx Field in Landover, Md. (78,914 for Chelsea-Barcelona),
Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (61,224 for Chelsea-PSG), Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara,
Calif. (68,416 for Barcelona-Manchester United) and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (93,226 for
Barcelona-Los Angeles).
A 2014 ICC game featuring Manchester United and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor
drew 109,318 fans, a record for soccer in the United States.
Relevent Sports is headed by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and former N.Y. Jets executive
Matt Higgins. The company founded the ICC in 2013. Fox has televised most ICC games live in the
U.S. in past years.
