Football
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer 2y

2022-23 preseason schedules: Europe's top clubs heading to U.S., Asia and Australia on summer tours

With the 2021-22 campaign already a fading memory, the thoughts of football clubs across Europe naturally turn not only to the summer transfer window but also to their preseason schedule. Teams in the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 will all have various world tours and far-flung exhibition matches in the offing.

Here we lay out the preseason fixtures confirmed by the biggest clubs both in Europe's five major leagues, most of whom are gearing up to spend the coming months touring the United States to take part in a series of friendlies and mini-tournaments for the entertainment of their fans Stateside.

We'll keep track of how many games each team will be playing over the summer as and when they are announced, as well as keeping a running total of the miles each squad will rack up while crossing the globe before the start of the 2022-23 season. 

JUMP TO: Premier League | LaLiga | Bundesliga | Serie A | Ligue 1


Premier League

Manchester City

The Premier League champions are one of many European clubs who will be heading across the Atlantic to the U.S. this summer, with two exhibition games confirmed so far. City are scheduled to kick off their tour with a friendly against Liga MX side Club America in Texas before traipsing across the entire country to play Bayern Munich in Wisconsin at the home of the Green Bay Packers.

July 20: Manchester City vs. Club America (NRG Stadium, Houston)
July 23: Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich (Lambeau Field, Green Bay)

Etihad Stadium to NRG Stadium: 4,719 miles
NRG Stadium to Lambeau Field: 1,099 miles
Lambeau Field to Etihad Stadium: 3,698 miles
Total: 9,516 miles

Liverpool

Having finished runners-up to Real Madrid in the Champions League final and to Manchester City in the Premier League, Liverpool intend to dust themselves off and go again next month. The FA Cup and Carabao Cup holders kick off their preseason schedule with a heavyweight bout against Manchester United for the Bangkok Century Cup in the Thai capital. The Reds then fly to Singapore where they will also come up against Premier League opposition in the shape of Crystal Palace.

The second phase of Liverpool's preseason itinerary sees them return to Europe where they will face RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg in quick succession before finishing their warm-up on home soil with a final friendly against French side Strasbourg.

July 12: Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok)
July 15: Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace (National Stadium, Singapore)
July 21: Liverpool vs. RB Leipzig (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)
July 27: Liverpool vs. Red Bull Salzburg (Red Bull Arena, Salzburg)
July 31: Liverpool vs. RC Strasbourg (Anfield)

Anfield to Rajamangala Stadium: 5,997 miles
Rajamangala Stadium to Singapore National Stadium: 890 miles
Singapore National Stadium to Red Bull Arena: 6,203 miles
Red Bull Arena Leipzig to Red Bull Arena Salzburg: 244 miles
Red Bull Arena Salzburg to Anfield: 799 miles
Total: 14,133 miles

Chelsea

Chelsea and Arsenal's respective preseason schedules are intertwined, as both Premier League sides intend to take part in the Florida Cup Series: Clash of Nations. The FC Series involves a clutch of games staged across the U.S. that will unfold over the course of a week before culminating in a "grand final" between the Blues and the Gunners in order to ascertain the champions of the 2022 Florida Cup. Thomas Tuchel's side then fly back to Europe to play Udinese in Italy before returning home in order to finish off their preparations.

July 16: Chelsea vs. Club America (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas)
July 20: Chelsea vs. Charlotte FC (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte) 
July 23: Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
July 29: Chelsea vs. Udinese (Stadio Friuli, Italy)

Stamford Bridge to Allegiant Stadium: 5,222 miles
Allegiant Stadium to Bank of America Stadium: 1,933 miles
Bank of America Stadium to Camping World Stadium: 464 miles
Camping World Stadium to Stadio Friuli: 5,029 miles
Stadio Friuli to Stamford Bridge: 715 miles
Total: 13,363 miles

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham first announced their plans to tour South Korea in February which seemed a natural choice given that the captains of the Korean men's and women's national teams (Heung-Min Son and Cho So-Hyun) both play for Spurs. The north London side will take part in the Coupang Play Series, which consists of two games three days apart. The first game is against a K League All-Star XI in Seoul and the second is against Spanish side Sevilla in the city of Suwon, which lies roughly 20 miles outside the nation's capital. After that, they briefly return to the U.K for a visit to Scottish giants Rangers, before jetting off back to Asia for a reunion with former boss Jose Mourinho and his Europa Conference League champions, AS Roma.

July 13: Tottenham vs. Team K League (Seoul World Cup Stadium)
July 16: Tottenham vs. Sevilla (Suwon World Cup Stadium)
July 23: Tottenham vs. Rangers (Ibrox, Glasgow)
July 30: Tottenham vs. Roma (Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to Seoul World Cup Stadium: 5,491 miles
Seoul World Cup Stadium to Suwon World Cup Stadium: 21 miles
Suwon World Cup Stadium to Ibrox: 5,392 miles
Ibrox to Sammy Ofer Stadium: 2,456 miles
Sammy Ofer Stadium to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: 2,172 miles
Total: 15,532 miles

Arsenal

The Gunners will kick things off with a trainign camp in Germany that culminates in a game against 2.Bundesliga side Nurnberg. As a precursor to their Florida Cup matches, Arsenal will be facing Premier League rivals Everton, who they beat 5-1 on the final day of last season. After playing Chelsea in Orlando, the Gunners will return home to host Sevilla in the annual Emirates Cup.

July 8: Arsenal vs. Nurnberg (Max-Morlock-Stadion, Nuremberg)
July 16: Arsenal vs. Everton (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore)
July 20: Arsenal vs. Orlando City (Exploria Stadium, Orlando)
July 23: Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
July 30: Arsenal vs. Sevilla (Emirates Stadium, London)

Emirates Stadium to Max-Morlock-Stadion: 632 miles
Max-Morlock-Stadion to M&T Bank Stadium: 4,140 miles
M&T Bank Stadium to Exploria Stadium: 884 miles
Exploria Stadium to Camping World Stadium: 0.5 miles
Camping World Stadium to Emirates Stadium: 4,337 miles
Total: 9,993.5 miles

Manchester United

Manchester United are taking their show on the road across both Asia and Australia this summer with a blockbuster tie against Liverpool in Bangkok before a run of back-to-back games in Melbourne. The Red Devils will then fly back to Europe in order to square off against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid on neutral ground in Norway before Erik ten Hag faces more Spanish opposition for his first match at Old Trafford, in the form of Rayo Vallecano. 

July 12: Manchester United vs. Liverpool in Century Cup (Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok)
July 15: Manchester United vs. Melbourne Victory (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
July 19: Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
July 23: Manchester United vs. Aston Villa (Optus Stadium, Perth)
July 30: Manchester United vs. Atletico Madrid, (Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo)
July 31: Manchester United vs. Rayo Vallecano, (Old Trafford, Manchester)

Old Trafford to Rajamangala Stadium: 5,970 miles
Rajamangala Stadium to Melbourne Cricket Ground: 4,574 miles
Melbourne Cricket Ground to Optus Stadium: 1,691 miles)
Optus Stadium to Ullevaal Stadium: 9,928 miles
Ullevaal Stadium to Old Trafford: 665 miles
Total: 22,828 miles


LaLiga

Real Madrid

Real Madrid's U.S. tour begins with a showpiece Clasico duel against rivals Barcelona in Las Vegas, before the European champions move on to face Club America and Juventus. Once they return from their preseason tour, there is also the small matter of the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in Finland on Aug. 10, just two days before LaLiga begins its new season.

July 23: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas)
July 26: Real Madrid vs. Club America (Oracle Park, San Francisco)
July 30: Real Madrid vs. Juventus (Rose Bowl Stadium, Los Angeles)

Bernabeu Stadium to Allegiant Stadium: 5,591 miles
Allegiant Stadium to Oracle Park: 415 miles
Oracle Park to Rose Bowl Stadium: 1,175 miles
Rose Bowl Stadium to Bernabeu Stadium: 5,805 miles
Total: 12,986 miles

Barcelona

Barcelona have already clocked up some miles this summer, having flown to Australia right after the 2021-22 campaign ended for a one-off match against the A-League Men All-Stars, which they won 3-2. They'll be starting their preseason tour closer to home with a short trip within Catalonia to play lower-league UE Olot. After that, they will be visiting the U.S. in late July with a preseason tour that so far encompasses two games against MLS sides and another two against European giants.

Barca will be facing Real Madrid in a Las Vegas Clasico before taking on Juventus as part of the Soccer Champions Tour. Xavi's side were then due to take on Jose Mourinho's Roma in their traditional curtain-raiser, the Joan Gamer Trophy match. However the supposed friendly against Jose Mourinho's team has become anything but after the Italian club withdrew from the fixture at short notice. With friction between the two parties mounting, Barca  issued a strongly-worded statement that appeared to threaten their opponents with legal action over pulling out of the game "without reason." The have since drafted in Liga MX club Pumas to play the fixtures instead.

July 13: Barcelona vs. UE Olot (Estadi Municipal d'Olot)
July 19: Barcelona vs. Inter Miami (DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale)
July 23: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas)
July 26: Barcelona vs. Juventus (Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas)
July 30: Barcelona vs. New York Red Bulls (Red Bull Arena, New Jersey)
Aug. 6: Barcelona vs. Pumas (Camp Nou, Barcelona)

Camp Nou to Estadi Municipal d'Olot: 71 miles
Estadi Municipal d'Olot to DRV PNK Stadium: 4,685 miles
DRV PNK Stadium to Allegiant Stadium: 2,176 miles
Allegiant Stadium to Cotton Bowl Stadium: 1,224 miles
Cotton Bowl Stadium to Red Bull Arena: 1,537 miles
Red Bull Arena to Camp Nou: 3,835 miles
Total: 13,528 miles

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid will start their preseason schedule by facing third-tier CD Numancia, in what has become an annual meeting between the two sides in memory of former Atleti president Jesus Gil y Gil. Diego Simeone's side then travel to Norway in order to face Manchester United three days later. The game is a repeat of last season's Champions League round-of-16 clash (which Atletico won 2-1 on aggregate), albeit with slightly lower stakes this time round.

Atleti will then fly back from Scandinavia to the south coast of Spain in order to take on fellow La Liga rivals Cadiz in the Ramon de Carranza Trophy.

July 27: Ateltico Madrid vs. Numancia (El Burgo de Osma)
July 30: Atletico Madrid vs. Manchester United (Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo)
Aug 4: Atletico Madrid vs. Cadiz (New Mirandilla, Cadiz)

Wanda Metropolitano to El Burgo de Osma: 85 miles
El Burgo de Osma to Ullevaal Stadium: 1,399 miles
Ullevaal Stadium to New Mirandilla: 1,796 miles
New Mirandilla to Wanda Metropolitano: 308 miles
Total: 3,588 miles


Bundesliga

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are all set to take part in the Audi Summer Tour, which will take the Bavarian club across the U.S. for the fifth time since they first spent their preseason limbering up in the States in 2014. So far the tour consists of just two games taking place at enormous NFL stadiums but it's likely that more opponents and/or venues will be added in the weeks to come.

July 20: Bayern Munich vs. DC United (Audi Field, Washington D.C.)
July 23: Bayern Munich vs. Manchester City (Lambeau Field, Green Bay)

Allianz Arena to Audi Field: 4,232 miles
Audi Field to Lambeau Field: 692 miles
Lambeau Field to Allianz Arena: 4,400 miles
Total: 9,324 miles

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund have added a plethora of pre-season dates to their schedule in recent weeks with new head coach Edin Terzic kicking off his tenure with a friendly against local side Luner SV who play in the Westfalenliga 1 (the sixth tier of German football).

The Bundesliga giants will then play Dynamo Dresden a few days later before taking on another third-tier outfit in SC Verl the following week. They then travel to Austria to undergo a rigoruous training camp that will also feature back to back exhibition games against Valencia and Villarreal.

July 5: Borussia Dortmund vs. Luner SV (Kampfbahn Schwansbell Stadion)
July 9: Borussia Dortmund vs. Dynamo Dresden (Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, Dresden)
July 14: Borussia Dortmund vs. SC Verl (Sportclub-Arena, Verl)
July 18: Borussia Dortmund vs. Valencia (Stadion Schnabelholz, Austria)
July 22: Borussia Dortmund vs. Villarreal (Stadion Schnabelholz, Austria)

Signal Iduna Park to Schwansbell Stadion: 9 miles
Schwansbell Stadion to Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion: 271 miles
Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion to Sportclub-Arena: 233 miles
Sportclub-Arena to Stadion Schnabelholz: 316 miles
Stadion Schnabelholz to Signal Iduna Park: 302 miles
Total: 1,131 miles


Serie A

AC Milan

AC Milan's first match since ending their 11-year wait to become Serie A champions again will be against FC Koln in the Bundesliga club's 11th edition of the Telekom Cup.

The Rossoneri will then embark on a summer training camp in central Europe that will take in games against top-tier Hungarian and Austrian opposition in Zalaegerszegi TE and Wolfsberger AC, before departing for the south of France in order to finish off their preseason with a friendly against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.

July 16: AC Milan vs. FC Koln (RheinEnergieSTADION, Cologne)
July 23: AC Milan vs. Zalaegerszegi TE (ZTE Arena, Zalaegerszeg)
July 27: AC Milan vs. Wolfsberger AC (Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt)
July 31: AC Milan vs. Marseille (Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

San Siro to RheinEnergieSTADION: 514 miles
RheinEnergieSTADION to ZTE Arena: 533 miles
ZTE Arena to Worthersee Stadion: 123 miles
Worthersee Stadion to Stade Velodrome: 491 miles
Stade Velodrome to San Siro: 239 miles
Total: 1,900 miles

Inter Milan

Last season's runners-up have announced a busy summer schedule that includes exhibitions against a variety of teams from around Europe.

The first fixture on Inter's tour is their traditional annual friendly against Swiss side Lugano followed by successive games against French opposition in AS Monaco, Lens and Lyon. The Nerazzurri will then square off against Spanish side Villarreal in their final preseason game on the weekend before the new Serie A season kicks off on Aug. 13.

July 12: Inter vs. Lugano (Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano)
July 16: Inter vs. Monaco (Stadio Paolo Mazza, Ferrara)
July 23: Inter vs Lens (Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
July 30: Inter vs. Lyon (Orogel Stadium, Cesena)
Aug 6: Inter vs Villarreal (Stadio Adriatico, Pescara)

San Siro to Cornaredo Stadium: 39 miles
Cornaredo Stadium to Stadio Paolo Mazza: 152 miles
Stadio Paolo Mazza to Stade Bollaert-Delelis: 561 miles
Stade Bollaert-Delelis to Orogel Stadium: 620 miles
Orogel Stadium to Stadio Adriatico: 154 miles
Stadio Adriatico to San Siro: 328 miles
Total: 1,854 miles

Juventus

Juve have a trio of U.S.-based exhibition games in the books as part of the Soccer Champions Tour. They kick off against Chivas in Las Vegas before heading off to Dallas to face Barcelona and then back out west to Pasadena for a meeting with Real Madrid

July 22: Juventus vs. Chivas, Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
July 26: Juventus vs. Barcelona, Cotton Bowl Stadium (Dallas)
July 30: Juventus vs. Real Madrid, Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena)

Allianz Stadium to Allegiant Stadium: 5,783 miles
Allegiant Stadium to Cotton Bowl Stadium: 1,224 miles
Cotton Bowl Stadium to Rose Bowl Stadium: 1,439 miles
Rose Bowl Stadium to Allianz Stadium: 5,997 miles
Total: 14,443 miles


Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG have booked in a preseason tour of Japan with a tripleheader of matches against J1 League sides Kawasaki Frontale, Urawa Red Diamonds, and Gamba Osaka taking place in late July.

July 20: PSG vs. Kawasaki Frontale (Japan National Stadium, Tokyo)
July 23: PSG vs. Urawa Red Diamonds (Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama)
July 25: PSG vs. Gamba Osaka (Panasonic Stadium Suita, Osaka)

Parc des Princes to Japan National Stadium: 6,036 miles
Japan National Stadium to Saitama Stadium: 16 miles
Saitama Stadium to Panasonic Stadium: 247 miles
Panasonic Stadium to Parc des Princes: 5,980 miles
Total: 12,279 miles

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