The stateside derby will be the finale of a weeklong “FC Series” expansion featuring international matches across the United States.
The Florida Cup has taken place in the state since 2015, featuring clubs from all over the world. In 2022, the FC Series will extend the weeklong “Clash of Nations” festival to multiple venues.
Arsenal will play Orlando City SC at Exploria Stadium on July 20, a first-time meeting between the two clubs.
Florida Cup / FC Series CEO Ricardo Villar
“We are thrilled to continue our tradition of connecting the globe through sport. We look forward to delivering a first-class experience to our English visitors with help from our partners locally in Orlando and across North America.”
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta
“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. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen our fans in the US, and we’re looking forward to playing in front of them. The tournament features some good sides that will provide strong opposition, and the training and matchday facilities in Orlando will provide a first-class environment for our preparations for next season.”
Arsenal Technical Director Edu Gaspar
“The FC Series, together with our Orlando training camp, will provide Mikel and the squad with an excellent level of preparation as we focus on next season. We look forward to confirming further plans for our pre-season very soon.”
Chelsea FC Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech:
“We’ve always had a lot of success on our US tours, taking so many fans to the stadium’s and giving them the opportunity to see Chelsea FC play live. We have a huge fan base in the US that we’ve proudly built and we’ve seen that fan base getting bigger and bigger every year. We are delighted to go and play in the FC Series and the Florida Cup, where in total we will have three competitive games to prepare well for our upcoming season and to show what we can do to the American audience.”
Orlando City SC President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon
“We’re excited to be able to provide our fans and the greater Orlando soccer community the opportunity to experience one of the world’s most iconic clubs, Arsenal FC, right here in the best soccer venue in America, Exploria Stadium. Not only will the friendly be a phenomenal experience for our fans, but we are excited to see our Lions take the field against a top international opponent. This is going to be a match that no one will want to miss.”
Orlando City SC EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi
“This game is a unique opportunity for us to host one of Europe’s most recognized teams at Exploria Stadium. This is a great way for our players to get high-level gameplay and for our fans to see us match up with a very exciting Premier League opponent. We’re looking forward to it.”
About Florida Cup / FC Series
The largest annual international soccer event in the Sunshine State, the Florida Cup is a global platform that combines sports, music and entertainment. In 2021, the event’s international TV audience reached over 5 million unique viewers. Across social networks, content posted by official event pages and shared worldwide reached more than 100 million people. In 2022, the event expands to the FC Series featuring multiple matches across the United States. For more information on the FC Series, visit FCSeries.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
About Florida Citrus Sports
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Vrbo Citrus Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the FC Series and the Camping World Kickoff. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
