At the invitation of AUDI AG the teams of FC Bayern München, FC Barcelona, AC Milan and SC Internacional Porto Alegre will meet during the last week of July for a final contest before the European soccer season kicks off. As in 2009, the new edition of the Audi Cup will be played on two days at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
At the inaugural event of the tournament that was held in 2009 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Audi brand the crowd of about 130,000 at the Arena witnessed two thrilling days of matches. In the final game, host FC Bayern München only defeated the Manchester United team in the penalty shoot-out. The Audi Cup also marked the start to a 2009/2010 dream season for the Bavarians that ended with the team winning the German Championship and the DFB Trophy plus contesting the Champions League finale.
This year again the competition that will take place just before the season kicks off could hardly be fiercer. FC Barcelona, with superstars like Lionel Messi and Xavi, will travel to Munich as will AC Milan with Ibrahimovic or Gennaro Gattuso. Like the Bavarians, the two clubs from Spain and Italy are members of Audi’s international soccer family. Their players, coaches and officials have been on the road with the Four Rings for years. In addition, the team of SC Internacional Porto Alegre will provide a touch of South America to the tournament. The Brazilians last won the Copa Libertadores de América in 2010, a competition that is comparable to the European Champions League.
FC Barcelona and FC Bayern München are set for the matches at the opening day. The decision of who will contest with these teams was totally up to the fans. They were invited to select their favorite pairings at www.audicup.com until May 7, at which time the pairings for July 26 were determined. On July 27 the two teams defeated on the previous day will play for third place while the winners will fight for tournament.
Advance ticket sales for the 2011 Audi Cup are starting now. One-day tickets—for two consecutive top-class games—start selling for as little as 18 euros.