COLUMBIA, S.C. (February 23, 2024) – Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United will meet in the United States this summer as part of the Rivals in Red Tour, facing off at the University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. The match will take place on August 3, and will bring the Premier League titans together for one of the biggest international soccer matches in the history of the state.
Event promoters TEG Sport (TEG) is very proud to bring Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United to the U.S. with Official Destination Partner, Experience Columbia SC, working alongside the University of South Carolina team.
“Experience Columbia SC Sports is honored to be ‘The Official Destination Partner’ of this once in a lifetime event,” said Scott Powers, executive director of Experience Columbia SC Sports. “When approached with the opportunity to assist TEG Sports and the University of South Carolina with bringing this match to Columbia, it was an immediate yes for me. As a huge sports community, we have wrapped our arms around large events in the past, but the global reach and fanbase surrounding this sport and these teams generates the potential to make this the most impactful sporting event ever hosted in Columbia. We look forward to showcasing our destination to the fans of Man U and Liverpool and can’t wait toPaint the Town Red together come August 3rd.” Manchester United is one of the most widely supported soccer teams in the world. United is a winner of a record 20 league titles and have won every major trophy in England and Europe. They hold the record for the largest crowd at a soccer match in U.S. history with 109,318 fans for a 2014 match against Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium. United is led by Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes, and English stars Marcus Rashford and Scott Francis McTominay, both developed in Manchester United’s youth academy.
“We had an incredible time during last year’s visit to the US and we are pleased to be returning with the men’s team to prepare for the 2024/25 season,” said John Murtough, Manchester United’s Football Director.
“The popularity of English football is continuously growing in the US, and we’ve come to expect passionate and enthusiastic support from our US fan base. They didn’t disappoint last year and everyone at the club is looking forward to reconnecting with those fans again this summer.”
“Having secured some of the best sporting facilities the US has to offer, the club will create the optimum environment for the team to reconnect after their summer break, and work on match fitness before the start of the Premier League season. The quality of opponents lined up to play is at the highest level, giving the players an opportunity to gain valuable playing time, and for fans to see some of the most famous teams in world football playing live.
“As is the club’s tradition during preseason, we’re expecting this tour to not only help prepare our first team players, but also give some of our exciting up-and-coming Academy talent the opportunity to experience training and playing within a first team environment at some of the most impressive and historical US stadiums,” said Murtough.
Liverpool F.C. will return to the United States of America for the first time in five years. One of the most popular and winning soccer teams, the club has won 19 domestic league titles, eight FA Cups, and six European Cups. Liverpool has been one of the most successful English club in recent years, having finished inside the Premier League’s top four each season since 2016-2017, and winning the league in 2019-2020. Dutch Defender Virgil van Dijk, Uruguayan forward Darwin Núñez, and Egyptian forward Mo Salah lead the squad sitting at the top of the Premier League table.
“We are proud to announce our highly anticipated return to the USA providing a great environment for the squad to prepare for the season ahead” said Ben Latty, Liverpool F.C. Commercial Director. “Pre-season tours always present exceptional opportunities for our supporters, the team and our official partners to engage in memorable experiences within a key focus market for the Club.
“We know millions of super passionate American fans love this club and what we stand for. A fact underlined when our televised game with Arsenal in December became the most-watched Premier League game in US history.”
“The USA is an important market for the Club and our partners; with 67 official supporters’ clubs, international academies across 12 States and the USA being the number one international market for our merchandising business. We eagerly await the opportunity to bring the Club closer to the fans and look forward to playing in these iconic venues,” said Latty.
Geoff Jones, Group CEO of TEG said: “We are thrilled to be bringing three of the world’s most storied football teams to the U.S.A this summer, playing at Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and the University of South Carolina. We’ve had a lot of interest from fans across the States, so encourage everyone to secure their tickets as soon as possible to enjoy all the on-field action of these blockbuster matchups in iconic stadiums. The Rivals in Red Tour showcases great matchups with amazing history as a backdrop and we hope that attending football and sports fans truly enjoy the games and match day experience.”
Pre-sale opens Monday, February 26 at 9:00 AM ET.
Sign up now for Monday’s pre-sale and early access to tickets here:
https://tegsport.com.au/event/rivals-in-red-usa-2024-tour?
Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Ticketmaster Tuesday at 9:00 AM ET.
ABOUT MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 145-year heritage we have won 66 trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day.
ABOUT LIVERPOOL F.C.
Founded in 1892, Liverpool FC is one of the world’s most historic and famous football clubs, having won 19 League Titles, including the Premier League, eight FA Cups, nine League Cups, six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four European Super Cups, 16 Charity Shields, two Women’s Super League titles and one Women’s Championship.
As a socially responsible Club, Liverpool FC is proud of the work it does via the award-winning The Red Way, its ongoing commitment to creating a better future for its people, its planet and its communities. This includes efforts to improve club-wide sustainability, enhance Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all areas, and create life changing opportunities for children and young people in Merseyside and beyond thanks to its official charity, LFC Foundation.
ABOUT EXPERIENCE COLUMBIA SC
Experience Columbia SC is the region’s destination marketing organization. We’re responsible for all marketing efforts intended to help more visitors discover all that makes Columbia the real Southern hot spot. Think of us as the biggest cheerleader for the heart of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.experiencecolumbiasc.com.
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA ATHLETICS AND WILLIAMS-BRICE STADIUM
The University of South Carolina (USC), located in the capital city of Columbia, was established in 1801 and is a full-service, state-supported research university that includes the 358-acre Columbia campus and seven regional campuses with a total full-time student body population of more than 46,000 and 2,100 full-time faculty members. USC’s athletic teams have been known as the Gamecocks for more than 100 years. More than 530 student-athletes participate in one of USC’s 21 intercollegiate athletic programs, which includes nine men’s and 12 women’s sports. Since 2015-16, South Carolina’s athletics department has averaged a Top 30 finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup All-Sports Standings, measuring an athletics department’s overall success. Williams-Brice Stadium has a seating capacity of 77,559 and has been the home of Gamecock football since 1934. Gamecock football consistently ranks in the Top 20 of all college football teams in average home attendance. The stadium has also played host to concerts, filming of motion pictures, USC student activities and major speeches. This is the first time the stadium has hosted a professional soccer match.
ABOUT TEG SPORT
TEG Sport is a producer and promoter of live sporting events featuring the world’s biggest sporting teams and brands. TEG Sport is owned by TEG, a leading global live entertainment, ticketing, and technology business which operates worldwide out of seven country offices. TEG also includes TEG Live, TEG Experiences, TEG Dainty, TEG MJR, TEG Van Egmond, Laneway Festival, Handsome Tours, TEG Rockefeller, Qudos Bank Arena, Ticketek, Ticketek Marketplace, Eventopia, Softix, TicketCharge, TicketWorld, Ticketek Singapore and Ovation. Life is Better Live. Whether it’s Sport, Concerts, Musicals, Theatre or Exhibitions, nothing beats the live experience! For more information www.teg.com.au
ABOUT LEFT FIELD LIVE
Left Field Live (LFL) is an international live sports events business created to help sports rights holders reach new and interesting markets. LFL has delivered events across a range of sports including rugby union, international soccer, ice hockey, basketball, college football and baseball into markets like Australia, North America, Asia, the Middle East, UK and Europe.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Charlene Slaughter, Director of Communications
Experience Columbia SC
[emailprotected]
Office: 803.545.5011 | Cell: 803.456.0617
Dayna Cantelmi, Communications Manager
Experience Columbia SC
[emailprotected]
Office: 803.545.0252 | Cell: 704.421.5306
Katie Walsh
[emailprotected]
On behalf of TEG Sport