Inter Miami CF announced today that the club will face LaLiga powerhouse side FC Barcelona in a friendly match at DRV PNK Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The match is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the match will go on sale on May 25 for Inter Miami CF Season Ticket Members. More details will be shared via email in the coming days. Non-Season Ticket Members interested in signing up for priority access should register here. Fans that register will be eligible for an exclusive pre-sale beginning on Thursday, May 26 while supplies last. In the case of remaining tickets, the general public will have access beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, May 27. Broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
In the absence of a large fútbol event this Summer, DRV PNK Stadium is quickly becoming the place to be as the facility is set to host The Beautiful Game by R10 & RC3, a celebrity soccer match orchestrated by Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos on June 18. A month later, one of the most storied clubs in the World in Barcelona will pay a visit to the home of Inter Miami CF. Inter Miami’s second-ever international friendly at DRV PNK Stadium will bring the five-time UEFA Champions League, 26-time LaLiga, 31-time Copa del Rey and three-time FIFA Club World Cup champion FC Barcelona to South Florida for the first time since 2019.
“To bring a club the caliber of FC Barcelona to South Florida will continue to put our region on the map as a global fútbol epicenter,” said Inter Miami CF Chief Business Officer Xavier Asensi. “We are proud and excited to bring this great game to DRV PNK Stadium for our growing, passionate and multi-cultural fanbase.”
“We look forward to welcoming FC Barcelona during their preparation for the 2022-2023 LaLiga season,” added Inter Miami CF Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director, Chris Henderson. “The team is excited for the challenge to match up against some of the most talented players in the world.”
The Blaugranas are managed by club legend and head coach Xavi Hernandez and features a star-studded roster including United States Men’s National Team fullback Sergiño Dest; young standouts 2021 Golden Boy winner Pedri, Uruguayan international Ronald Araújo and Spanish international Ansu Fati; FIFA World Cup winners Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué; dynamic attackers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres; and German international goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, among many others.
“We are proud to return to the United States and play these two games in a country that is strategic for us as it is a territory where we have a large fan base and where football has experienced great growth in recent years, especially among the new generations,” said FC Barcelona Vice-president, Marketing Area, Juli Guiu. “This visit will allow us to get closer to our fans, share with them our values and our Barcelona feeling and it will be an opportunity for them to enjoy our team on the pitch.”
Members of Inter Miami and FC Barcelona have multiple links from previous experiences. Inter Miami CF co-owner David Beckham faced Barça in 11 official matches, registering one goal and four assists. Beckham also scored a free-kick for the LA Galaxy in a friendly against Barcelona on Aug. 1, 2009. Striker Gonzalo Higuaín has faced them in 22 official matches, scoring three goals, including one in the 2012/13 Supercopa de España. Head coach Phil Neville and head coach Hernandez faced each other in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League. Inter Miami CF Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson played against Barcelona in a friendly matchup on Aug. 12, 2006, in front of a sellout crowd at Giants Stadium. Henderson was a midfielder for the New York Red Bulls at the time. The match may also see the reunion of USMNT’s fullbacks Dest and DeAndre Yedlin, who recently helped their national team qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Inter Miami young midfielder Bryce Duke spent the 2019 campaign with the Barça Residency Academy U-18/19 in Arizona.
DRV PNK Stadium continues to be the home of thrilling fútbol events for the sport-lovers. In less than three years of existence, DRV PNK Stadium has not only hosted Inter Miami CF and Inter Miami CF II, but also outstanding games like the U.S. Men’s National Team vs. El Salvador, Colombia vs. Honduras, the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary rounds, Inter Miami CF vs. Peru’s Universitario de Deportes and more.
The fixture will be the first of two friendlies for FC Barcelona against MLS sides this summer, as the Blaugranas will also visit the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, July 30 at Red Bull Arena.
