NEW YORK – Relevent Sports Group (RSG) announced today that FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli will face off in the inaugural LaLiga-Serie A Cup. The annual cup will be a home and away series featuring teams from each of the leagues. The matches will be held on Wednesday, August 7 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL and on Saturday, August 10 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“LaLiga has recognized the importance of international expansion, especially in the United States, which is why we have dedicated significant resources through our joint venture with Relevent Sports Group,” said LaLiga President Javier Tebas. “The creation of the LaLiga-Serie A Cup is in line with our mission to create more opportunities for U.S. fans to celebrate LaLiga and we look forward to this new annual tradition to bring our clubs to America each summer.”
“This Cup is the start of something incredibly special for both leagues to compete in front of thousands of fans in the biggest media market in the world,” said Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo.“We couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity and are proud to have SSC Napoli playing Barcelona in the first edition of this prestigious matchup.”
FC Barcelona will be traveling to South Florida after playing the Gamper Trophy in Barcelona, where they will be unveiling the 2019 first team to tens of thousands of fans at Camp Nou Stadium. Both clubs have confirmed that they will debut their first teams internationally in the LaLiga-Serie A Cup.
“It’s always a point of satisfaction to go to the United States and to be able to get closer to our fans, even more so if we can face an opponent that has the quality and class of SSC Napoli. Moreover, we will have the chance to play in two iconic stadiums, such as Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where we played the very special LaLiga El Clásico in the summer of 2017, and Michigan Stadium, the largest in the United States. We are proud to be the first participants in the LaLiga-Serie A Cup, which will be played every year, and we will try to put on a show that will allow our American fans to enjoy our style of play” said FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be facing FC Barcelona in the US this summer,” said Aurelio De Laurentiis, Chairman of SSC Napoli. “Our clubs hasn’t been to the US in over 30 years, and to have the opportunity to reintroduce SSC Napoli to the American market in this historic matchup against a world class club is huge for us.”
Barcelona and SSC Napoli are two of the most successful franchises in their respective leagues.A 26-time LaLiga and five-time UEFA Champions League champions, FC Barcelona holds the league record for the most Copa del Rey (30) and Supercopa de Espana (13) titles, as well as European records for the most UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (4) and UEFA Super Cup (5) wins.
SSC Napoli is recognized internationally as one of the most successful Italian clubs, having won two league titles, five Coppa Italias, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and one UEFA Cup. The club placed second overall in the league this year. This will be SSC Napoli’s first trip to the United States in 30 years.
The two teams will play matches in two iconic venues in the United States, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on August 7, and at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on August 10. Hard Rock Stadium holds the record for the largest crowd for a soccer match in Florida in 2015 and held the first El Clasico in the US in 2017. Michigan Stadium holds the record for the largest US crowd in soccer history (109,318 fans, Manchester United vs. Real Madrid in 2014).
“Bringing together two of the most successful leagues in the world for an annual cup is a proud moment for Relevent Sports Group and for me personally,” said RSG Executive Chairman Charlie Stillitano. “The leadership in both leagues continue to show remarkable vision for not only growing their own league’s brands, but for stimulating the sport’s growth internationally.”
Tickets for the match at Hard Rock Stadium will be available for pre-sale on June 25 at 10 AM on Ticketmaster. Tickets will go on sale for the public on June 27 at 10 AM. Tickets for the match at Michigan Stadium will be available for pre-sale on June 25 at 10 AM on www.releventsportsgroup.com/events or MGOBLUE.COM. Tickets will go on sale for the public on June 28 at 10 AM.
