Soccer Champions Tour announced that DIRECTV will be the presenting sponsor of the first-time summer series of games, now officially “Soccer Champions Tour presented by DIRECTV.” The tour includes eight matches between Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Juventus Football Club, AC Milan, Arsenal, and Manchester United to be played in major markets across the United States between Saturday, July 22 and Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.
This is a significant moment in continuing DIRECTV’s legacy of bringing the best sports and entertainment to fans across the U.S. and doing it in a way that is unmatched in the pay-TV industry. The 2023 Soccer Champions Tour presented by DIRECTV is the first time the six participating clubs, which hold among them 31 European trophies, will participate together in a U.S. series.
DIRECTV brings a long legacy of being a leader in sports and marquee sponsorships to the Soccer Champions Tour, having worked hand in hand with teams, leagues, and events across the entire U.S. sporting landscape in its nearly 30 years as a content distributor. In addition, it currently provides carriage of 17 soccer leagues from 14 countries across its various platforms.
As part of the agreement, DIRECTV receives integration into the primary and secondary Soccer Champions Tour logos and marks, category exclusivity for the Tour, inclusion in each of the broadcasts, in-stadium logo exposure, VIP hospitality at each match, an on-site VIP area within the Fan Zone, and social and digital media exposure from the event and its participating teams, among several other activations.
“DIRECTV believes in putting the best in sports and entertainment in the hands of audiences from coast to coast. The Soccer Champions Tour is arguably the best collection of European clubs ever assembled for one event in the United States,” said Vince Torres, chief marketing officer of DIRECTV. “Our presenting sponsorship of the Soccer Champions Tour delivers on that promise, and we’re excited to showcase some of the best soccer players in the world to fans in stadiums, their homes and local establishments across the nation.”
“On behalf of the Soccer Champions Tour, we are excited to have DIRECTV join as the presenting sponsor for the 2023 tour,” said Chris Hibbs, President, Legends Global Partnerships. “DIRECTV’s long-standing commitment to delivering high-quality soccer matches to the American soccer fan makes them the perfect partner to bring this incredible tour featuring eight matchups with the biggest names in global soccer over the span of 12 days to soccer fans in the U.S. this summer.”
Soccer Champions Tour was created by a newly formed company of global investment firm Sixth Street to support the continued global growth of top-tier sports franchises by organizing high-profile, competitive events for the millions of fans that live outside the domestic markets of the biggest clubs. The 2024 tour will be expanded to include the world’s biggest women’s clubs.
Soccer Champions Tour is working closely with global premium experiences company Legends to bring these marquee matchups and elevated in-match experiences to local fans of the game. Legends represented the Tour in securing the presenting sponsorship with DIRECTV. The 2023 Soccer Champions Tour is being produced in partnership with AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company.
Learn more about Sixth Street, Legends, AEG and DIRECTV at their respective websites.
How to Watch the Soccer Champions Tour Presented by DIRECTV
ESPN Platforms will be the exclusive U.S. media home for Soccer Champions Tour presented by DIRECTV from Saturday, July 22 – Wednesday, Aug. 2. ESPN FC and Fuera de Juego, the popular English- and Spanish-language global soccer programs available daily on ESPN+, will helm ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of the Tour. Explore the full schedule below.
Soccer Champions Tour TV Schedule
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Match / Commentators |
Platforms |
|
Sat, Jul 22 |
10:30 p.m. |
FC Barcelona vs. Juventus English: Mark Donaldson and Alejandro Moreno Spanish: Fernando Palomo and Mario Kempes |
ESPN+ |
|
Sun, Jul 23 |
10 p.m. |
Real Madrid vs. AC Milan Adrian Healey and Kasey Keller Mauricio Pedroza and Barak Fever |
ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
|
Wed, Jul 26 |
8:30 p.m. |
Real Madrid vs. Manchester United Adrian Healey and Alejandro Moreno Ricardo Ortiz and Kempes |
ESPN+ |
|
|
10:30 p.m. |
Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona Jon Champion and Stewart Robson Pedroza and Fever |
ESPN+ |
|
Thu, Jul 27 |
10:30 p.m. |
Juventus vs. AC Milan Champion and Robson Pedroza and Fever |
ESPN+ |
|
Sat, Jul 29 |
8 p.m. |
FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Derek Rae and Moreno Ortiz and Kempes |
ESPN+ |
|
Tue, Aug 1 |
11 p.m. |
AC Milan vs. FC Barcelona Champion and Robson Ortiz and Kempes |
ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ |
|
Wed, Aug 2 |
7:30 p.m. |
Juventus vs. Real Madrid Jose del Valle and Hernan Pereyra |
ESPN+ |
DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.
