Between 16 July – 10 August, the 2019 International Champions Cup will take place, with this Audi-sponsored football tournament involving some of the leading football clubs in Europe.
A total of twelve teams will participate in the Champions Cup, with three teams from England being represented in the form of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. These three clubs will use the International Champions Cup matches as preparation for their 2019/20 Premier League campaign where they will hope to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
Bayern Munich are the sole representative from Germany although they are the biggest club from this country and they’re also the reigning champions after winning the Bundesliga title last season. They will look to test themselves in the International Champions Cup and make sure that they’re reading for another campaign of domestic battle.
Italy will be the most-represented club in the Champions Cup, with Serie A providing four teams who will be competing with some of the other prestigious teams in the tournament. Juventus will be the star attraction and the Italian champions will be led into battle by new manager Maurizio Sarri, while Cristiano Ronaldo is the team’s leading player and many will flock to watch him in action.
The Italian top flight is also represented by Fiorentina, Internazionale and Milan, with these teams adding to the glamour of a tournament which can lay claim to being the biggest pre-season football competition in Europe and probably the rest of the world.
The two Madrid clubs will represent Spain, with Real Madrid the most successful club in Europe over the past few seasons and the giants of this country will hope that star signing Eden Hazard can impress for Los Merengues over the three games that they will play.
Atletico Madrid are also in action and they’re going to be a leading team in Spain over the next nine months, while there’s also a global theme thanks to the presence of Mexico side Guadalajara who will also be in competition.
How Does The International Champions Cup Work?
The International Champions Cup is not a tournament which involves each of the twelve teams playing each other, nor do we have a group stage or a knockout phase to decide the overall winner. Instead, each team will play three different opponents which fits in with their pre-season schedule and there are multiple host countries involved.
China, England, Sweden, Singapore, United States and Wales will provide the venues for this tournament, with the Champions Cup starting on 16 July when Fiorentina meet Guadalajara at the SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, while Arsenal clash with Bayern Munich on 17 July when the two European giants meet at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.
On 20 July, there is something called the Audi Football Summit starting and that will see three different matches taking place in the United States, with the National Stadium in Kallang hosting a match between Manchester United and Inter Milan.
On the same day, there are also three football matches occurring in Santa Clara, Houston and Charlotte respectively, with the action continuing all the way through to 10 August when Atletico Madrid clash with Juventus as part of their final preparations for the new season.
How is the International Champions Cup Winner Decided?
Tottenham Hotspur won the 2018 International Champions Cup by winning two and drawing one of their matches. Quite simply, it comes down to the team who performs the best over three games, with goal difference taken into account if certain clubs end up on the same number of points.
It should be noted that if a match ends in a draw after ninety minutes, then we will get a winner after a penalty shoot-out taking place. Therefore, you can often bet on the winner of a particular match-up in addition to the 1x2 outcome.
Naturally, while winning the Champions Cup isn’t as prestigious as an actual domestic trophy, there is some kudos to landing some silverware and it’s a great way to start the campaign. Those looking to place a bet on the International Champions Cup winner should look at each team’s respective fixtures as you might find that certain sides have easier games than others.
How to Bet on Champions Cup Matches
Most bookmakers will price up each Champions Cup match that takes place in the same way that they would do for a pre-season club football friendly. That means you will have a nice range of betting markets from which to choose and it’s not uncommon to see bookmakers in disagreement over which team should be favourite for a particular match.
With something like a pre-season friendly match, it’s important to note a few things. Firstly, different teams might be at different stages of their pre-season planning, with the English Premier League season generally starting earlier than Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A or German Bundesliga.
It means that English teams might be more advanced than some of their opponents when it comes to matches, while team news also plays a big part in how customers tend to place their bets. If a particular club are fielding a strong XI, it clearly means they have a much stronger chance of winning the game as a result.
You can also Bet In-Play on Champions Cup games, with the odds constantly changing according to what’s happening on the pitch. It’s a case of assessing the various prices and we recommend that you are watching any match when you bet live, whether that’s through live streaming or simply on a televised basis.