USA TODAY The 2018 International Champions Cup kicks off on Friday, July 20 and concludes on Saturday, Aug. 11. A total of 18 teams — representing six different domestic leagues in Europe — will be participating in this year's edition of the tournament, in which each team plays three games. The competition serves as a preseason tune-up as European club teams prepare for the 2018-19 season. Of the 27 games, 17 will be held in the United States at 15 different venues. TEAMS England: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma Portugal: Benfica Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla SCHEDULE (all times Eastern) Friday, July 20 Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund, Soldier Field, Chicago, 9 p.m. on ESPN2 Saturday, July 21 Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain, Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria, 10 a.m. on ESPN2 Sunday, July 22 Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Wednesday, July 25 Juventus v Bayern Munich, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 7 p.m. on ESPNU Manchester City v Liverpool, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., 8 p.m. on ESPN2 Borussia Dortmund v Benfica, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, 8:05 p.m. on ESPNews Roma v Tottenham Hotspur, SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, 10:05 p.m. on ESPN2 AC Milan v Manchester United, StubHub Center, Carson, Calif., 11 p.m. on ESPN Thursday, July 26 Atletico Madrid v Arsenal, National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore, 7:35 a.m. on ESPNU Saturday, July 28 Arsenal v Paris Saint-Germain, National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore, 7:35 a.m. on ESPN2 Benfica v Juventus, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J., 1 p.m. on ESPN2 Chelsea v Inter Milan, Allianz Riviera, Nice, France, 2 p.m. on ESPNews Manchester United v Liverpool, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich., 5 p.m. on ESPN Bayern Munich v Manchester City, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla., 7 p.m. on ESPN Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif., 11:05 p.m. on ESPNews Monday, July 30 Paris Saint-Germain v Atletico Madrid, National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore, 7:30 a.m. on ESPNU Tuesday, July 31 Manchester United v Real Madrid, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla., 8 p.m. on ESPN2 Tottenham Hotspur v AC Milan, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, 8:35 p.m. on ESPNews Barcelona v Roma, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, 10 p.m. on ESPN Wednesday, Aug. 1 Arsenal v Chelsea, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, 3 p.m. on ESPN2 Benfica v Lyon, Estadio Algarve, Faro-Loule, Portugal, 4 p.m. on ESPNews Saturday, Aug. 4 Inter Milan v Lyon, Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce, Italy, 2 p.m. on ESPN Real Madrid v Juventus, FedExField, Landover, Md., 6 p.m. on ESPNews AC Milan v Barcelona, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif., 8 p.m. on ESPN2 Tuesday, Aug. 7 Chelsea v Lyon, Stamford Bridge, London, 3 p.m. on ESPNews Real Madrid v Roma, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., 8 p.m. on ESPN Saturday, Aug. 11 Atletico Madrid v Inter Milan, Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, 3 p.m. on ESPNews MUST-READ STORIES What you need to know:Europe's top soccer clubs in the U.S. Great expectations:Can Pulisic maintain his upward climb? Which Euro league is the best? :EPL, La Liga among those with best case Messi has a new challenge:Carry Spanish league with Ronaldo gone Soccer in America:What does the future look like?<doc-sep>A rsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham will be able to test themselves against the best that Europe has to offer this summer in the 2018 International Champions Cup. The annual club friendly competition will take place across three continents - North America, Europe and Asia - during both July and August with the Premier League 'big six' all in action. While the tournament may be more useful in terms of pre-season fitness and commercial revenues in lucrative markets, there is no doubt that competitors will not want to look foolish against the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The ICC will also offer the likes of new manager Maurizio Sarri and Unai Emery the chance to get a first proper look at their squads, while Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino will look to build on progress made last season. Full UK TV coverage for International Champions Cup Fixture Date Time (BST) TV coverage Venue Man City vs Dortmund July 21 02:00 Premier Sports Soldier Field Bayern vs PSG July 21 03:00 Premier Sports Worthersee Stadion Liverpool vs Dortmund July 22 21:00 Premier Sports Bank of America Stadium Juventus vs Bayern July 26 00:00 Premier Sports Lincoln Financial Field Man City vs Liverpool July 26 01:00 LFC TV MetLife Stadium Dortmund vs Benfica July 26 01:00 Premier Sports 2 Heinz Field Roma vs Tottenham July 26 03:00 Premier Sports Qualcomm Stadium AC Milan vs Man United July 26 04:00 MUTV Rose Bowl Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal July 26 12:30 Premier Sports Singapore National Stadium Arsenal vs PSG July 28 12:30 Premier Sports Singapore National Stadium Benfica vs Juventus July 28 18:00 Premier Sports 2 Red Bull Arena Chelsea vs Inter July 28 19:00 Premier Sports Allianz Riviera Man United vs Liverpool July 28 22:00 MUTV and LFC TV Michigan Stadium Bayern vs Man City July 29 00:00 Premier Sports Hard Rock Stadium Barcelona vs Tottenham July 29 04:00 Premier Sports Rose Bowl, Pasadena PSG vs Atletico Madrid July 30 12:30 Premier Sports Singapore National Stadium Man United vs Real Madrid Aug 1 01:00 MUTV Hard Rock Stadium Tottenham vs AC Milan Aug 1 01:30 Premier Sports US Bank Stadium Barcelona vs Roma Aug 1 03:00 Premier Sports 2 AT&T Stadium Arsenal vs Chelsea Aug 1 20:00 Premier Sports Aviva Stadium Benfica vs Lyon Aug 1 21:00 Premier Sports 2 Aviva Stadium Real Madrid vs Juventus Aug 4 23:00 Premier Sports FedEx Field AC Milan vs Barcelona Aug 5 01:00 Premier Sports Levi's Stadium Chelsea vs Lyon Aug 7 20:00 Premier Sports Stamford Bridge Real Madrid vs Roma Aug 8 01:00 Premier Sports MetLife Stadium Atletico Madrid vs Inter Aug 11 20:00 Premier Sports Wanda Metropolitano How do I watch Premier Sports? Premier Sports is on Sky and Virgin, available for residents in the UK and Northern Ireland. All Virgin TV customers will receive the channel for free for months starting on July 21. The channel is on 412 (HD) or 866 (SD) on Sky, and channel 551 (HD) on Virgin. It will set you back £9.99 a month or £11.99 depending on the package. Sky customers can purchase a season ticket for £99. Those without Sky or Virgin, and those with, can watch online in HD via the Premier Player. The service also include a seven-day catch-up service to watch back games and other events.<doc-sep>Because 2018 is World Cup year, many of the most renowned stars will be absent from the first few games as they rest from participating in Russia 2018. But the teams' numerous, deep benches still guarantee a fine spectacle with high-quality, world-class players.<doc-sep>(Photo credit: Tourism Victoria) Advertisement Dry your eyes at the end of the World Cup as the start of the Premier League is right around the corner. Before that, however, pre-season takes pride of place as teams race to make sure they are fit and ready to get off to the best start possible. This summer, a selection of Europe’s best clubs will take part in the International Champions Cup as part of their preparations, with the competition kicking off on Saturday. The Premier League will be represented by Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal, joined by the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona.﻿ That sample of the stellar line-up suggests this is not a pre-season competition to be sniffed at, the very idea behind the creation of the tournament five years ago. How does it work? Relevent Sports - the company behind the ICC - aimed to change the nature of pre-season tours, as executive chairman Charlie Stillitano explained in an interview with the Guardian. Previously, friendlies were not taken particularly seriously, though the ICC was intended to be something worth playing for. And there's a strong argument that they have succeeded in creating this. We know it’s not the Premier League, La Liga, or the Champions League. We’re not trying to pretend differently, but it’s a serious tournament all the big teams want to be in to prepare the proper way - Charlie Stillitano on the ICC. Aside from the calibre of teams involved, the competition stretches right across the world, with games being played in eight countries across three continents. This might suggest a logistical nightmare, but ICC has a simple single table format, with each team playing three games. Saturday will feature Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich vs PSG, with the rest of the fixture list continuing on in the same vein of intriguing contests between European heavyweights. Advertisement Pre-season with a difference? The competition will still be affected by the same issues that pre-season tournaments have always struggled with, with opening fixtures featuring line-ups depleted of stars as they continue to recover from the World Cup. A lot of managers will choose to start their fringe players regardless of whether they have a full squad, using the competition as an opportunity to try out new tactics and ensure equal playing time. However, games including Real Madrid vs Juventus and Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan will be played in August, allowing time for appearances from World Cup players. Even if fringe players start the majority of the games, it is always a spectacle to see some of Europe’s big guns playing each other. The International Champions Cup is changing pre-season for the better. If you want to read more football content, make sure you follow us on Twitter @realsportgoals [zombify_post]<doc-sep>
Barcelona players pose with the International Champions Cup trophy after defeating Real Madrid in a match | Photo Credit: AP Big European teams would be taking part in yet another edition of the unique tournament International Champions Cup. This year, eighteen teams would be taking part in the tournament from Germany, Spain, England, France, Italy, and Portugal. All the previous season’s respective league winners Barcelona, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Juventus would be a part of it. The fixtures for the tournament was released lately, with a number of lip-smacking clashes to look out for. With only a little time left before the teams begin their league season campaign, it is rumoured that the big clubs taking part in the tournament would not be carrying the better-known players for the risk of injuries and giving them a much-needed break after a tiresome World Cup journey this year. Following is the schedule of the matches to be played: Saturday, July 21 Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund, Soldier Field, Chicago, 6:35 a.m. Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain, Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria, 7:35 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Liverpool v Borussia Dortmund, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, 1:35 a.m. Wednesday, July 26 Juventus v Bayern Munich, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, 4:35 a.m. Manchester City v Liverpool, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., 5:35 a.m. Borussia Dortmund v Benfica, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, 5:35 a.m. Roma v Tottenham Hotspur, SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, 7:35 a.m. AC Milan v Manchester United, StubHub Center, Carson, Calif., 8:35 a.m. Atletico Madrid v Arsenal, National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore, 5:05 p.m. Saturday, July 28 Arsenal v Paris Saint-Germain, National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore, 5:05 p.m. Benfica v Juventus, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J., 10:35 p.m. Chelsea v Inter Milan, Allianz Riviera, Nice, France, 11:35 p.m. Sunday, July 29 Manchester United v Liverpool, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich., 2:35 a.m. Bayern Munich v Manchester City, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla., 4:35 a.m.