Manchester City, Chelsea to hold open practices ahead of game at Ohio Stadium

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Fans will have the chance to watch European giants Chelsea FC and Manchester City practice in open training sessions at the Crew’s home, Lower.com Field, on Aug. 2.

The opportunity comes the day before the English Premier League clubs will match up for an exhibition game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. Tickets to the training will be available starting at $25 and allow spectators to experience both sessions in their entirety, with Chelsea practicing at 5:30 p.m. followed by Manchester City at 7:30 p.m.

Crew season ticket holders and Black and Gold Next members, those on a benefit inclusive waitlist for season tickets, will receive pre-sale opportunities at 10 a.m. Wednesday, two days before the public sale opening at 10 a.m. Friday.

At a news conference in March, former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said August’s match is expected to sell 80,000 tickets.

“You’re going to have some of the world’s best soccer players on the field here,” Di Matteo said.

The clubs are the only two to win multiple Premier League titles in the last decade. Their August meeting in Columbus will mark their 178th matchup, a series Chelsea leads 71-64-42. Most recently, the teams tied 1-1 on Feb. 17.

15 days after the two meet in Columbus, they will play again on Aug. 18 in the opening weekend of the 2024-25 EPL season.

Chelsea is the first club to win four major UEFA club competitions twice, with successes at the Champions League, Super Cup, Europa League and the Cup Winners’ Cup. Manchester City won the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, a club-specific competition akin to FIFA’s international World Cup.

The trainings are one of several outside events the Crew will host this summer. Next month, Lower.com Field will host the MLS All-Star game and festivities July 20-24 and a Leagues Cup Showcase match against Aston Villa three days later.