Chelsea and Arsenal will return to the United States of America this summer to partake in a friendly tournament known as the Florida Cup. The Gunners will also face Orlando City as part of their pre-season tour, while the Blues’ other two opponents are yet to be revealed.
After Manchester United and Liverpool announced their plans to fly to Australia and Asia for pre-season, Chelsea and Arsenal, too, have revealed their respective schedules for their summer tours.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will fly across the Atlantic to play a friendly tournament in the US, where they will lock horns in a one-off tie called the Florida Cup.
Chelsea and Arsenal will meet at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando on July 23 for the game, where the winner will be given the Florida Cup. The two have faced each other regularly during their respective summer tours in recent years; they even met as part of The Mind Series – a tri-series that also involved Tottenham – ahead of the 2021/22 season, when Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 through goals from Kai Havertz and the since-departed Tammy Abraham.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have also revealed they will play two further matches in the States as part of the FC Series, but their opponents for the same are yet to be announced. Furthermore, a statement released on the Blues’ website confirmed that the club’s pre-season plans will only come into play if its sale is completed in time. Under the current ownership, Chelsea are beneath heavy sanctions from the UK government, and are having to operate on a shoestring budget.
On the other hand, Arsenal confirmed that they, too, will play other teams while in the States. The Gunners will face Major League Soccer side Orlando City at the Exploria Stadium on July 20.
Speaking to the club’s website, manager Mikel Arteta expressed his delight at taking the team on a pre-season tour for the first time since he took over:
“We’re very pleased to see our pre-season plans taking shape with the announcement of our trip to the United States to take part in the FC Series.”
