Chelsea To Meet Wrexham In Chapel Hill, N.C., on July 19

Chelsea will meet Wrexham in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on the evening of Wednesday, July 19, as part of the 2023 FC Series. The stateside match will be the first neutral-site meeting of the two historic clubs. It will mark the first international soccer competition held at the University of North Carolina's Kenan Stadium.

Group and single-match presale information is available at FCSeries.com. Public tickets go on sale Thursday, April 27. A portion of every ticket sold will be donated to the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Clinic at UNC Children's Hospital.

Broadcast information and the official match start time will be announced later this year.

Founded in 1905, Chelsea is London's most central football club, based at the iconic 41,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium. Nicknamed 'The Blues', the club won its second UEFA Champions League title in 2021 and has also won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup eight times, the Football League Cup five times, the UEFA Europa League twice, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice, the UEFA Super Cup twice, the Football League Championship once, and most recently the FIFA Club World Cup in 2022.

The Blues will meet Wrexham, the historic Welsh club, for the first time at a neutral site. Founded in 1864, the "Red Dragons" are one of the oldest football teams in the world and currently compete in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. In 2020, Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) purchased the team. The club and its owners are the subjects of the hit docuseries "Welcome to Wrexham," produced by Boardwalk Pictures.

Chelsea leads the all-time series over Wrexham, 5-2-3. The FC Series match will be their first meeting since 1984 and the first conducted at a neutral site.

Set among the majestic Carolina pines, Kenan Stadium has been home to the Tar Heels football program since 1927. Though primarily an American football venue, the stadium also hosted Carolina's first national championship in women's sports when the 1981 UNC women's soccer team won 1-0 over the University of Central Florida.

Unified Events will host the event in partnership with Orlando, Florida-based Florida Citrus Sports. The Chapel Hill match is the first of the 2023 FC Series, an international soccer exhibition that grew from Florida Citrus Sports' Florida Cup event.

Since 2015, the Florida Cup & FC Series has featured clubs from all over the world. Last year, Arsenal defeated Chelsea in the headline match in Orlando. This summer's FC Series schedule also includes the Orlando stop of the Premier League Summer Series when Fulham and Aston Villa meet on July 26. Additional FC Series and Florida Cup events will be announced later this year.

Longtime FC Series supporter Universal Orlando Resort will support the event in Chapel Hill as part of its partnership across all series matches. 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 – FC SERIES

Chelsea FC (England) vs. Wrexham AFC (Wales) | Time TBD (Evening)
Kenan Stadium
Chapel Hill, NC

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Chelsea FC President of Business Tom Glick

“We are delighted to return to North Carolina as part of our US tour this summer, and play in what I'm sure will be a fantastic atmosphere at Kenan Stadium. Our strong US fanbase support us incredibly all year round and we are looking forward to meeting them in Chapel Hill.”

Wrexham AFC manager Phil Parkinson

"Our tour of the United States will be an exciting part of the summer's build-up to the new season and something we will all be looking forward to in July. To have the opportunity to play a team of Chelsea's caliber at the Kenan Stadium, North Carolina, will be a terrific test for our players and form an important part of our preparations for the 2023/24 season. We're looking forward to meeting some of the fans who have supported us so passionately from afar this season at a renowned athletics stadium."

University of North Carolina Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham

We are excited to bring Chelsea and Wrexham to Chapel Hill for this fun and historic event. We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world, filling Kenan Stadium and creating a fantastic atmosphere for international competition.

Unified Events Head of Touring Business and Operations Molly Pendleton

"We are excited to bring this historic match to Kenan Stadium and the University of North Carolina. We can't wait to bring fans to Chapel Hill to see Chelsea and Wrexham's first date on U.S. soil in 2023."

Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan

"Our team is excited to work with Chelsea again following last summer's successful tour. Matching them with the incredible underdog story of Wrexham will make this a must-see match on the summer soccer calendar. Together with Unified Events, we look forward to bringing 'the beautiful game' to the picturesque backdrop of UNC's campus."

FC Series CEO Ricardo Villar 

"This match is a thrilling addition to the history of the FC Series. The pairing of Chelsea's legacy and pedigree with the resurgence of Wrexham will be an incredible experience for international football fans in the United States this summer."

About Unified Events

Unified Events is committed to bringing our partner teams closer to their fans and bringing world-class matchups to our partner venues. Unified Events partners with teams and venues to host games in cities throughout the United States. Over the past decade, its management team has helped promote over 100 international soccer matches across North America and Europe. In the last two years, Unified Events and it’s affiliates managed ticketing for over 40 international soccer matches in the U.S., featuring many of the world's biggest professional clubs. 

About Florida Cup / FC Series 

The largest annual international soccer event in the Sunshine State, the Florida Cup is a global platform that combines sports, music and entertainment. In 2022, the event expanded to the FC Series featuring multiple matches across the United States, concluding with a sold-out meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea in Orlando. The event's international TV audience reached over 7 million unique viewers in over 150 countries. Across social networks, content posted by official event pages generated more than 200 million impressions worldwide. For more information on the FC Series, visit FCSeries.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

About Florida Citrus Sports

Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Citrus Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the FC Series and the Camping World Kickoff. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com. 

About Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is an award-winning theme park destination that welcomes all to truly be themselves while enjoying world-class attractions that redefine theme park experiences. Here, a multitude of authentically thrilling, exciting and spontaneous adventures await – each inviting guests to embark on whatever vacation they crave while igniting their full range of emotions like never before – from the awe of walking the streets of Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to the rush of adrenaline that takes over when coming face-to-face with a Velociraptor in Jurassic Park to the wide-eyed joy of seeing an entire slice of cake atop a delectable milkshake at The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Feast Kitchen.

The 700-acre resort is home to three exhilarating theme parks – Universal Studios Florida,  Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay – that boast some of the most innovative and immersive experiences ever created, with a fourth next-level theme park, Universal Epic Universe, on the way. Guests can also relish in exciting dining and entertainment at the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex and enjoy incredible accommodations and magnificent theming across eight hotels that offer something for every style and budget –  Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal's Aventura Hotel and Universal's Endless Summer Resort – Surfside and Dockside Inn and Suites.