CHICAGO • The oldest rivalry in the Midwest and the United States' longest-running rivalry between two professional teams that have never changed homes is going abroad.

The often reported and long-whispered series between the Cardinals and Cubs in London became official Friday with an announcement from Major League Baseball. The Cardinals will host the Cubs for a two-game series in London on June 13-14, 2020. The Cardinals volunteered their home games to make the series possible.

It will be the third time in three seasons the Cardinals have ventured out of the country for a game, the second consecutive season they will have done so for a regular-season series but the first time they given up home games.

Earlier this season the Cardinals joined the Reds for a series in Monterrey, Mexico, though the Reds were the hosts for those two games. The Cardinals' likely selection for a London Series was reported by The Post-Dispatch back in February, and subsequent reports at the newspaper and other outlets have offered details.

On Friday, the past reports were made official.

The series will be played at London Stadium, an arena built for the Summer Olympics and home of the EPL club West Ham.