For European club teams, summer is the offseason, but mid-July marks the beginning of preseason. What that’s meant increasingly for teams is tours abroad, playing matches against each other in sometimes-mammoth stadiums, giving their growing legions of fans a chance to see them up close and personal. The tours now correspond, for 11 top European teams and one showcase Mexican team, with the seventh edition of the International Champions Cup, running July 16 through Aug. 10, with a four-team women’s tournament running Aug. 15-18.
It’s a tournament in that it crowns a winner, but it doesn’t have a knockout round. This year’s format has each team playing three matches, and formula based on wins, goal differential, goals scored, goals conceded, and a number of other tiebreakers, including least red cards, least yellow cards, and all the way down to least amount of fouls committed in the tournament. (If two teams tie in all categories, the winner comes down to a coin flip.)
What it ultimately does is function as a preview of newly configured teams for its fans. Will Real Madrid round back into Galacticos form with Eden Hazard and Luca Jovic? Will heartbroken Atletico Madrid fans find solace for losing Antoine Griezmann with newly signed sensation Joao Felix? Will Tottenham Hotspur look cohesive or crestfallen, having come so close to winning Champions League? It also allows for the international matchups you might only see in the Champions League or the FIFA Club World Cup, doing so with the backdrop of mostly American audiences. (Though the tournament will also go to select Asian and European host nations.)
Here’s what you need to live stream the International Champions Cup.
2019 International Champions Cup teams
AC Milan
2018-19 season: Fifth in Serie A standings, made Supercoppa Italiana finals, reached Coppa Italia semifinals, reached Europa League group stages
Arsenal
2018-19 season: Fifth in Premier League standings, reached Europa League finals
Atletico Madrid
2018-19 season: Second in La Liga standings, reached Champions League Round of 16, won UEFA Super Cup
Bayern Munich
2018-19 season: Won Bundesliga title, won DFB-Pokal, reached Champions League Round of 16 (knocked out by eventual winners Liverpool)
Benfica
2018-19 season: Won Primeira Liga, reached Taça de Portugal semifinals, reached Taça da Liga, semifinals, reached Champions League group stage, reached Europa League quarterfinals
Fiorentina
2018-19 season: Sixteenth in Serie A standings, reached Coppa Italia semifinals
Guadalajara
2018-19 season: Eleventh in Liga MX Apertura standings and 14th in Liga MX Clausura standings, reached Copa MX Round of 16, 6th in FIFA Club World Cup
Inter Milan
2018-19 season: Fourth in Serie A standings, reached Coppa Italia quarterfinals, reached Champions League group stage, reached Europa League Round of 16
Juventus
2018-19 season: Won Serie A league title, won Supercoppa Italia, reached Coppa Italia quarterfinals, reached Champions League quarterfinals
Manchester United
2018-19 season: Sixth in Premier League standings, reached FA Cup quarterfinals, reached Champions League quarterfinals
Real Madrid
2018-19 season: Third in La Liga standings, reached Copa del Rey semifinals, reached Champions League Round of 16, reached UEFA Super Cup finals, won FIFA Club World Cup
Tottenham Hotspur
2018-19 season: Fourth in Premier League standings, reached League Cup semifinals, reached Champions League finals
International Champions Cup live stream: Watch International Champions Cup matches
ESPN will carry the tournament on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+. With a one-week free trial via all the services listed below, it provides an easy way to watch International Champions Cup matches for free.
1) ESPN+
- Cost: $4.99 per month or $49.99 for 12 months
- Devices: Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku players and TV, Oculus Go, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung smart TVs, and iOS and Android devices
ESPN+ is a subscription service that extends ESPN’s existing website and app, and it’s essential for soccer fans, in particular, carrying select International Champions Cup matches, as well as Serie A+, MLS, USL, Copa America, and FA Cup matches. It encompasses other sporting events as well, including 20 exclusive UFC Fight Night events per year, 180 NHL games, at least one MLB game a day for every day of the season, and a cornucopia of college sports.
ESPN+ also features the network’s sports talk programming, and it features original series starting with the entire 30 for 30 catalog ESPN made its name on. It also unlocks more content and fewer ads on the ESPN site.
2) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $25-$40 per month (40% off first month)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $25 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels for International Champions Cup viewing, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NFL Network, FS1 and FS2, NBCSN, and local channels. If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $40 per month. To add beIN SPORTS and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and beIN SPORTS Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from LaLiga, Ligue 1, and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four beIN SPORTS channels. (And choosing Sling TV Latino + Sling Orange for $30 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
PlayStation Vue is a fantastic option for soccer fans who already own a PlayStation console, but this streaming platform is available on a variety of devices. ESPN and ESPN2, where you’ll find ICC matches, and FS1, where you’ll find even more soccer, are part of the Core package of channels, which offers soccer and other sports programming, and the options increase at the Elite and Ultra levels.
4) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ICC matches on ESPN networks, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for soccer fans, including ESPN, FS1, broadcasting partnerships with three MLS teams, TNT for Champions League matches and NBCSN for Premier League matches. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
2019 International Champions Cup schedule
Here are the International Champions Cup matches covered by ESPN networks (including ESPN+); as of now, the women’s tournament on Aug. 15 and 18 (featuring North Carolina Courage, Lyon, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester City) hasn’t been announced for TV:
Tuesday, July 16, 9pm ET, Fiorentina vs. Guadalajara, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Wednesday, July 17, 10pm ET, Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Saturday, July 20, 7:30am ET, Manchester United vs. Inter Milan, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Saturday, July 20, 4pm ET, Benfica vs. Guadalajara, ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Saturday, July 20, 6pm ET, Arsenal vs. Fiorentina, ESPN+
Saturday, July 20, 8pm ET, Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, ESPNEWS
Sunday, July 21, 7:30am ET, Juventus vs. Tottenham Hotspur, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Tuesday, July 23, 7pm ET, Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Tuesday, July 23, 9pm ET, Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan, ESPN+
Tuesday, July 23, 9pm ET, Guadalajara vs. Atletico Madrid, ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Wednesday, July 24, 7:30am ET, Juventus vs. Inter Milan, ESPN+
Wednesday, July 24, 8pm ET, Fiorentina vs. Benfica, ESPN+
Thursday, July 25, 7:30am ET, Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United, ESPN+
Friday, July 26, 7:30pm ET, Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid, ESPN/ESPN Deportes
Sunday, July 28, 3pm ET, AC Milan vs. Benfica, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Saturday, Aug. 3, 12:30pm ET, Manchester United vs. AC Milan, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes
Sunday, Aug. 4, 10am ET, Tottenham Hotspur vs. Inter Milan, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 10, 10am ET, Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus, TBD
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