Brutus Buckeye stands in an empty Ohio Stadium to promote a friendly match between Manchester City and Chelsea on Aug. 3. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Two English soccer giants are coming to Columbus.
Ohio Stadium, or the ’Shoe, is set to host an exhibition game between two English Premier League teams, Manchester City Football Club and Chelsea Football Club, on Aug. 3, becoming only the second international soccer match held at Ohio Stadium since 2016.
Manchester City, last season’s league champions, and Chelsea, two-time Union of European Football Associations Champions League medalists, are the only two teams to win multiple titles in the last decade. The history between the two goes back far, as they’ll be playing their 178th game against each other. Chelsea has a hold over Manchester City, leading the series 71-64-42.
The last matchup between the two was played Feb. 17, where both teams ended in a 1-1 draw, played at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, United Kingdom — the home of Manchester City.
This matchup will be the second international contest held at Ohio Stadium. The previous game was played back in 2016 when Spain’s Real Madrid and France’s Paris Saint-Germain drew in over 85,000 fans.
This is the second announcement in just over a month that the ’Shoe will host a professional matchup. On Feb. 17, the National Hockey League released plans for its 2025 Stadium Series, including a contest between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings March 1, 2025, at Ohio Stadium.
Tickets are to be released for this matchup on March 27 beginning at 10 a.m.
