Victoria sports minister Damien Drum has confirmed that Real Madrid will take part in next summer’s edition of the International Champions Cup (ICC) which will be held in Melbourne, Australia from July 18-24. The Spanish giants will be making their debut appearance ‘down under’ and play their games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has a capacity of 100,000.
The remaining participants have yet to be confirmed, but the understanding is Manchester City and Inter Milan will be named as part on the international bill.
The Australian-phase of the ICC will consist of three matches, all of which will be played at the MCG, and will likely generate around $50 million to the local economy. The three teams will play in a round-robin tournament, which has previously been staged in the United States.
However, 2015 ICC games may also be played in the United States and Asia with the format of the tournament yet to be disclosed.
Madrid have featured in three editions of the ICC since 2011 and have won the tournament twice. This year’s winners were Manchester United, who defeated Premier League rivals Liverpool in the final held in Miami.
The excitement in Australia has been building since it was first revealed that the country would be hosting the event. Now that football fans have learned that the La Liga giants will be setting foot on Australian soil for the first time, they’re finding it hard to contain themselves.
“I got to play in Spain for six years and experience how big Real Madrid were,” said ex-Socceroos striker John Aloisi, formerly of Osasuna and Alaves. “They buy the biggest players in the world and make it work. Watching them live is another experience. I can’t wait!”
