The highly anticipated clash of two footballing heavyweights has certainly whet the whistle of US football fans after the game between Manchester United and Real Madrid sold out in under 24 hours.
On the first day of general sale more than 100,000 tickets were snapped up by die-hard fans who will take their seats at Michigan Stadium to watch the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney go toe-to-toe.
The game in Ann Arbor is predicted to smash the U.S. attendance record for a single game, which was 101,799 for the 1984 Olympic Gold Medal match between Brazil and France – at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles.
Michigan stadium nicknamed ‘The Big House’ has an official capacity of 109,901 and football fans will be hoping to fill to the iconic university stadium to the rafters on August 2.
“We were confident fans would recognise the magnitude of this contest between the two most famous teams in the world but the response surpassed our expectations,” said Relevent Sports chief executive officer Charlie Stillitano.
“This sell-out affirms the growing desire for more international football in the States and firmly establishes the Guinness International Champions Cup as the must-see event in the U.S. this summer.
“We look forward to providing soccer fans across America the chance to watch the biggest teams in the world play in their backyards.”
US football fans will also have the opportunity to watch other European teams battle it out on their turf as the tournament includes renowned teams such as Liverpool, AS Roma, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Manchester City.
The trip to America will be United’s only venture onto foreign soil next season as they have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 1995/1996 season.
Main image courtesy of Smithsonian Channel via YouTube, with thanks.
