International Champions Cup

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International Champions Cup
International Champions Cup logo.png
Founded2013 (2013)
Number of teams8 – 18 (depending on the year)
Current champions Flag of Portugal.svg Benfica (2019; 1st title)
Most successful club(s) Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid (3 titles)
Website internationalchampionscup.com

The International Champions Cup (ICC) was an annual club association football (soccer) official competition staged from 2013 to 2019. COVID-19 resulted in the 2020 edition being cancelled. The tournament was later abolished, but the Women's International Champions Cup has continued to play in 2021 and 2022. [1]

Contents

Format

The format has changed in each competition. Subsequent tournaments have had different numbers of teams in the three locations.

In the 2013 iteration, the participants were designated as part an "Eastern" and a "Western" group based on the location of their group stage matches. The groups were not played as a round-robin; rather, the winners of the first-round matches played each other in the second round, and the first-round losers also played each other in the second round. The two teams with two wins from the first two matches advanced to the final. The other three teams of each group were then ranked based on their records in the two matches played, with a game won in regulation time counting for two points and a game won on a deciding penalty shootout (no tied games were permitted) counting for one, with traditional methods of ranking goal difference, goals scored, etc determining order in case of two teams having the same points total. After the teams in each group had been ranked, they were paired against their opposite number from the other group, second playing second, third playing third, fourth playing fourth, with the results of these final matches determining a definitive placing for each team, from first place to eighth.

In the 2014 season, this slightly awkward system was done away with, the teams separating into non-geographical groups and playing a round-robin format with one game played against each other team in their group. After each team has played three games, the top-placed team from each group contested a final to determine the overall winner. [2]

Starting with the 2015 season, the tournament was separated into three geographic editions with a winner crowned for each region based on points total. The 2015 and 2016 tournament held editions in North America and Europe, Australia, and China. The Australia and China tournaments were contested as three-team round-robin competitions (Real Madrid participated in both), and the North America and Europe edition featured ten teams (including three US-based MLS teams) which played four matches each. The 2016 season retained the same format and regions, with Melbourne Victory of the A-League joining as the fourth team in the Australia region. In the 2017 iteration, Singapore replaced Australia as one of the three regions.

In 2018, all 18 participating teams contested the tournament as part of a single table, with each team playing three matches and the champion crowned based on points total. Matches were held across 15 venues in the United States, 7 in Europe, and 1 in Singapore.

For the 2019 edition, 12 teams participated in the tournament. Guadalajara took place in this tournament, being the only non-European team participating. Games were played across 17 cities in the United States, Europe, Singapore and China. [3]

History

The ICC is owned and operated by Relevent Sports Group, founded by RSE ventures based out of northern New Jersey, a sports venture firm founded in 2012 by billionaire real estate magnate and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, a former executive with the New York Jets [4] [5] and international soccer executive Charlie Stillitano. [6] It replaced the World Football Challenge, which had featured a more even distribution of European- and American-based sides. [7] Daniel Sillman is the chief executive officer of Relevent Sports Group and during his tenure, Relevent Sports Group launched the Women's International Champions Cup Tournament and International Champions Cup Futures Tournament. [8]

During the 2014 tournament, a match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan set the all-time record for attendance at a soccer game in the United States with 109,318 spectators. [9] In 2017, Real Madrid and Barcelona played in the second El Clásico held outside of Spain. [10]

In 2018, the ICC Futures tournament began with 24 teams including 8 academies from Europe, 8 MLS Academies, and 8 US based state all-star teams. Bayern Munich topped Chelsea to win the first ICC Futures trophy. [11] [12]

The Women's International Champions Cup was established in 2018.

2020 cancellation and future

Shutdowns and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancelation of the 2020 edition, [13] and the tournament has not returned. An open letter from the organization's CEO had stated that the men's tournament planned to return in 2022 in the United States and Asia. [14] The 2022 men's edition did not materialize. However, a women's edition was held in United States in 2022. [15]

Sponsors

The trophy was created by silversmiths Thomas Lyte in partnership with EPICO Studios. [16]

International Champions Cup.svg

For the first two years (2013–2014), Guinness signed on to be the title sponsor for the entire tournament which, at that time, was only in North America.

For the 2015 competition, there was no overall sponsor, rather there was a unique Presenting Sponsor for each regional tournament. The North American tournament was presented by Guinness, whereas the Australian tournament was presented by Audi. Heineken became the presenting sponsor of the tournament from 2016 onward. [17] UnionPay became the sponsor of the tournament for the Singapore leg since 2018. [18]

Results by year

Regional editions (2013–2017)

EditionTeamsNorth America and Europe [N. 1] AustraliaChinaSingapore
WinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-up
2013 8 Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid Flag of England.svg Chelsea not heldnot heldnot held
2014 8 Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Liverpool
2015 15 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain Flag of the United States.svg New York Red Bulls Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid Flag of Italy.svg Roma Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid Flag of Italy.svg Milan
2016 17 Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain Flag of England.svg Liverpool Flag of Italy.svg Juventus Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid uncrowned – match canceled [19]
2017 15 Flag of Spain.svg Barcelona Flag of England.svg Manchester City not helduncrowned [N. 2] Flag of Italy.svg Inter Milan Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich

Worldwide (2018–2020)

EditionTeamsWinnerRunner-up
2018 18 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund
2019 12 Flag of Portugal.svg Benfica Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid
2020Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Top goalscorers by year

2013

RankNameTeamGoals
1 Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid 3
2 Flag of Spain.svg Jonathan Viera Flag of Spain.svg Valencia 2
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Karim Benzema Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid

2014

RankNameTeamGoals
1 Flag of Montenegro.svg Stevan Jovetić Flag of England.svg Manchester City 5
2 Flag of England.svg Wayne Rooney Flag of England.svg Manchester United 3
Flag of Greece.svg Dimitris Diamantakos Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos
4 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gareth Bale Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid 2
Flag of England.svg Ashley Young Flag of England.svg Manchester United
Flag of Spain.svg Juan Mata Flag of England.svg Manchester United
Flag of England.svg Raheem Sterling Flag of England.svg Liverpool
Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Totti Flag of Italy.svg Roma

2015

RankNameTeamGoals
1 Flag of Sweden.svg Zlatan Ibrahimović Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain 3
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Jean-Kévin Augustin Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain
Flag of Uruguay.svg Luis Suárez Flag of Spain.svg Barcelona
4 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eden Hazard Flag of England.svg Chelsea 2
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Blaise Matuidi Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain
Flag of the United States.svg Sean Davis Flag of the United States.svg New York Red Bulls
Flag of Italy.svg Federico Bernardeschi Flag of Italy.svg Fiorentina

Note: Goals from the Worldwide edition are not included.

Results by clubs

Performances
ClubTitlesRunner-upSeasons wonSeasons runner-up
Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid 302013, 2015 [N. 3]
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg Paris Saint-Germain 202015, 2016
Flag of England.svg Manchester United 102014
Flag of Italy.svg Juventus 102016
Flag of Spain.svg FC Barcelona 102017
Flag of Italy.svg Inter Milan 102017
Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur 102018
Flag of Portugal.svg Benfica 102019
Flag of England.svg Liverpool 022014, 2016
Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid 022016, 2019
Flag of England.svg Chelsea 012013
Flag of Italy.svg Milan 012015
Flag of the United States.svg New York Red Bulls 012015
Flag of Italy.svg Roma 012015
Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich 012017
Flag of England.svg Manchester City 012017
Flag of Germany.svg Borussia Dortmund 012018

Results by countries

Performances
NationTitlesRunners-upTotal
Flag of Spain.svg Spain426
Flag of England.svg England246
Flag of Italy.svg Italy224
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg France202
Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal101
Flag of Germany.svg Germany022
Flag of the United States.svg United States011

Notes

  1. 2014 and 2017 editions were not played in Europe.
  2. Because Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Lyon played once, while Milan and Bayern Munich played twice.
  3. In two editions (Australia and China).

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References

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  19. "Official Statement: 25 July". Manchester City Football Club. July 25, 2016. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016. Extreme weather events in Beijing [...] have left the playing surface in a condition deemed to be un-fit for play. [...] As a result of the Beijing match cancelation, there will not be sufficient matches played in the 2016 International Champions Cup China to achieve a tournament winner.

See also