The FC Barcelona preseason will be divided into two parts this summer. Several months ago it was announced that the first team will be playing two games in Japan against Chelsea in Tokyo (July 23) and Vissel Kobe in Kobe (July 27), and it has now been announced there will be two further games in August in the United States against Napoli.

Ernesto Valverde and Carlo Ancelotti’s sides will first be meeting on August 8 at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, the same place where they beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the first ever Clásico on North American soil in the summer of 2017. Three days later, Barça and Napoli will meet again, this time at the Michigan Stadium, home of the Wolverines and with a capacity of 107,000, making it the biggest in the country.

Third visit in three years

This will be the ninth time that FC Barcelona have visited the United States, and the third year in a row. In 2017, the team played three games in New York, Washington and Miami, and last year switched from the east to the west coast and played in Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco, as well as a training camp in Portland, where they were joined for the first time on tour by the women’s team.

In terms of the global implantation of the Barça brand, the American market has always been a priority due to the strong growth in football in the country. The club has had a permanent office in New York since 2016, and projects like these will help to generate a large number of new followers in a region where the sports industry is so highly developed and where the competition is extremely strong.

This visit also offers an opportunity to generate further income and take the club closer to its current strategic partners and possible new ones due to the powerful economy of the American market.

Statement by Josep Maria Bartomeu, president of FC Barcelona:

“Visiting the United States and being able to get closer to our fans is always a great thing for Barça. On top of that, we will also have the chance to play at two iconic stadiums: at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where in 2017 we played the La Liga Clásico, and at Michigan Stadium, the largest in the United States. While there, we hope to put on a show and entertain our American fans with our style of play”.

Statement by Aurelio de Laurentiis, president of Napoli:

“We could not be happier to be playing against FC Barcelona in the United States this summer. Our club has not visited the country for thirty years and the chance to go back to the American market for these two games and against an opponent like Barça is extraordinary for us”.