A press conference to be held on Friday is expected to confirm international club soccer at Michigan Stadium, multiple sources told the Daily.
Per the sources, the International Champions Cup is expected to announce that Real Madrid and Manchester United will play Aug. 2, 2014, at the Big House.
Wednesday afternoon, an Athletic Department e-mail invited media members to a “special event announcement,” to be held Friday. The e-mail stated that Athletic Director Dave Brandon and members from the organizing committee will be present to discuss the “historic event to be held at Michigan Stadium.”
Associate Athletic Director David Ablauf told the Daily that he was not allowed to comment on the nature of the press conference.
The International Champions Cup pits some of the world’s top club teams in elimination rounds. Currently, the Real Madrid-Manchester United game is the only contest without a venue on the tournament’s website.
Real Madrid, which won the inaugural ICC last year, boasts 32 La Liga titles. Manchester United has finished atop the English Premier League 13 times since the EPL’s foundation in 1992.
The two clubs feature some of the world’s top players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale of Los Blancos, and Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney of The Red Devils.
An ICC spokesperson previously told the Daily that the host city would be revealed in early March.
Feb. 20, the International Champions Cup sent an e-mail promoting “the Gods of soccer” visiting Ann Arbor, among 11 other North American cities. The following day, a tournament spokesperson confirmed to the Daily that the ICC had been in serious discussion with the University to host the game at Michigan Stadium, but that no plan had been finalized.