The sixth edition of the International Champions Cup has come to a close as some of the world's biggest and best clubs collided over the summer.
Held in the likes of Asia and the United States, the annual pre-season tournament involving Europe's top clubs taps into the huge fanbases that exist for those teams outside of their local markets.
It has drawn huge crowds in the past; and not only do the clubs involved pocketing significant appearance fees, but it also enables them to benefit from the longer-term commercial benefits of engaging with supporters across the globe.
Goal brings you all you need to know about the 2018 International Champions Cup.
What is the International Champions Cup?
The International Champions Cup (ICC) is a pre-season tournament that has been held every summer since 2013.
For the past three years, the ICC has been split into three different regions: the United States, China and Australia in 2016 and the United States, China and Singapore in 2017.
In the two years prior to that, it was held exclusively in the USA. This year, China was replaced by a number of European venues in Sweden, Poland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Spain.
Europe and Singapore hosted 10 games in total, while the USA section has 17 games on the schedule - a total of 27 games.
According to organisers, in a departure from previous years, each team played three matches and only one champion emerged. In previous years teams did not always play the same number of games and a separate champion was crowned in each host country.
It began on July 20 and ended on August 11, getting everyone back before the start of their competitive campaigns.
Which teams are in the International Champions Cup?
| United States | Europe | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| AC Milan | Arsenal | Arsenal |
| Barcelona | Atletico Madrid | Atletico Madrid |
| Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich | Chelsea |
| Benfica | Benfica | PSG |
| Borussia Dortmund | Chelsea | |
| Juventus | Inter | |
| Liverpool | PSG | |
| Manchester City | ||
| Manchester United | ||
| Real Madrid | ||
| Roma | ||
| Tottenham |
Eighteen of Europe's top clubs took part in the 2018 edition of the ICC, which was held at various venues across the United States, Europe and Singapore.
The likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester giants United and City continued their involvement from previous years, while Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool join, having not played a part in the 2017 edition.
Unlike 2017, no games were played in China, with Singapore providing hosting duties in Asia, but a number of fixtures took place across Europe, with the likes of Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain among those in action.
International Champions Cup 2018 results and winner
The 2018 edition of the ICC kicked off on July 20 - just a few days after the World Cup came to an end - and concluded on August 11 .
The US leg of the competition ran from July 20, when Man City and Borussia Dortmund got things started, until August 7, when Real Madrid and Roma played.
Bayern Munich and PSG kicked off the European games on July 21, with Atletico and Inter concluding matters on August 11.
The Singapore section of the ICC was the shortest and featured the least number of games, with the first match - between Arsenal and PSG - kicking off on July 26, while PSG and Atletico closed the section out four days later on July 30.
Tottenham Hotspur were crowned winners of the 2018 International Champions Cup, winning on goal difference over Borussia Dortmund and Inter as all three teams finished their games with seven points.
The Premier League club downed Roma and Milan, picking up a further point in their penalty shoot-out defeat to Barcelona.
Both local and UK times are listed below.
United States:
| Date | Match | Time (local / BST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20 | Manchester City 0-1 Borussia Dortmund | 8:05pm / 2:05am | Soldier Field, Chicago |
| Jul 22 | Liverpool 1-3 Borussia Dortmund | 4:05pm / 9:05pm | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte |
| Jul 25 | Juventus 2-0 Bayern Munich | 7:05pm / 12:05am | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia |
| Jul 25 | Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool | 8:05pm / 1:05am | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
| Jul 25 | Borussia Dortmund 2-2 (3-4 pens.) Benfica | 8:05pm / 1:05am | Heinz Field, Pittsburgh |
| Jul 25 | Roma 1-4 Tottenham | 7:05pm / 3:05am | SDCCU Stadium, San Diego |
| Jul 25 | AC Milan 1-1 (8-9 pens.) Manchester United | 8:05pm / 4:05am | Rose Bowl, Pasadena |
| Jul 28 | Benfica 1-1 (2-4 pens.) Juventus | 1:05pm / 6:05pm | Red Bull Arena, Harrison |
| Jul 28 | Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool | 5:05pm / 10:05pm | Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor |
| Jul 28 | Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City | 7:05pm / 12:05am | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| Jul 28 | Barcelona 2-2 (5-3 pens.) Tottenham | 8:05pm / 4:05am | Rose Bowl, Pasadena |
| Jul 31 | Manchester United 2-1 Real Madrid | 8:05pm / 1:05am | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens |
| Jul 31 | Tottenham 1-0 AC Milan | 7:35pm / 1:35am | US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis |
| Jul 31 | Barcelona 2-4 Roma | 9:05pm / 3:05am | AT&T Stadium, Arlington |
| Aug 4 | Real Madrid 3-1 Juventus | 6:05pm / 11:05pm | FedEx Field, Landover |
| Aug 4 | AC Milan 1-0 Barcelona | 5:05pm / 1:05am | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara |
| Aug 7 | Real Madrid 2-1 Roma | 8:05pm / 1:05am | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford |
Europe:
| Date | Match | Time (local / BST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21 | Bayern Munich 3-1 PSG | 4:05pm / 3:05pm | Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt |
| Jul 28 | Chelsea 1-1 (5-4 pens.) Inter | 8:05pm / 7:05pm | Allianz Riviera, Nice |
| Aug 1 | Arsenal 1-1 (6-5 pens.) Chelsea | 8:05pm / 8:05pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin |
| Aug 1 | Benfica 2-3 Lyon | 9:05pm / 9:05pm | Estadio Algarve, Algarve |
| Aug 4 | Inter 1-0 Lyon | 8:05pm / 7:05pm | Stadio Via del Mare, Lecce |
| Aug 7 | Chelsea 0-0 (5-4 pens.) Lyon | 8:05pm / 8:05pm | Stamford Bridge, London |
| Aug 11 | Atletico Madrid 0-1 Inter | 8:05pm / 7:05pm | Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid |
Singapore:
| Date | Match | Time (local / BST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26 | Atletico Madrid 1-1 (3-1 pens.) Arsenal | 7:35pm / 12:35pm | Singapore National Stadium |
| Jul 28 | Arsenal 5-1 PSG | 7:35pm / 12:35pm | Singapore National Stadium |
| Jul 30 | PSG 3-2 Atletico Madrid | 7:35pm / 12:35pm | Singapore National Stadium |
International Champions Cup 2018 venues
Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
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AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas):
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina):
Soldier Field (Chicago, Ilinois):
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MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey):
Red Bull Arena (Harrison, New Jersey):
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FedEx Field (Landover, Maryland):
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Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida):
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US Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, Minnesota):
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Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California):
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Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania):
Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania):
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SDCCU Stadium (San Diego, California):
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Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
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Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland):
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Allianz Riviera (Nice, France):
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Worthersee Stadion (Klagenfurt, Austria):
Stadio Via del Mare (Lecce, Italy):
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Wanda Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain):
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Stamford Bridge (London, England):
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National Stadium (Singapore):
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Who won the International Champions Cup last year?
Previously, each section yielded a separate winner, but in 2017 there were only two 'champions' because the teams in the Chinese section did not all play the same number of games.
Barcelona won their first ever ICC title by topping the US section with three wins from three. The Blaugrana defeated Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid on their way to glory.
Inter, meanwhile, topped the Singapore section to scoop a first ICC title, beating Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
