Florida Cup 2020 Announces its first two Participating Clubs
Orlando, Fla. – June 18, 2019 – The excitement continues to build for the 2020 Florida Cup as event officials today unveiled the first two teams that will compete in the sixth edition of Florida’s largest annual international soccer tournament. 2018 Brazilian Serie A Champion, Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras will make their Florida Cup debut in January. Joining them will be 2018 Florida Cup Champions and Colombian powerhouse Club Atlético Nacional.
Orlando continues to grow as the ideal destination for international soccer powerhouses to prepare for their seasons in connection with the Florida Cup event. After participating this past January, AFC Ajax made it to the UEFA Champions League semifinals, while Eintracht Frankfurt lost to Chelsea in the UEFA Europa League semifinals. Along with several other stars, 60 million Euros Real Madrid transfer Jovic and 75 Million Barcelona transfer Frenkie de Jong both displayed their skills in the Orlando City Stadium in 2019.
The 2020 Florida Cup will take place in Orlando at Exploria Stadium – home of Orlando City Soccer Club, the Orlando Pride and the 2019 MLS All-Star Game – from Jan. 13 – 20 and will once again feature major international clubs from Europe and South America. The tournament format will mirror the 2019 event, with four participating teams playing only international matchups.
The most successful team in Colombia, and the 2016 Copa Libertadores champion, Atlético Nacional returns aiming to repeat as Florida Cup champion, having won the event during its debut in 2018. Boasting a large fan international fan base, particularly among the large Colombian population within the state of Florida, Atletico’s presence promises to deliver another party in the stands to support their performance on the field.
Based in Sao Paulo, Palmeiras is one of the most successful and popular clubs in Brazil, boasting 18 million supporters. The 2018 Brazilian Serie A Champions, Palmeiras have won 14 national competitions, making it the most successful club inside Brazil, as well as the 1999 Copa Libertadores, 10 Brazilian National League titles, and three Brazil Cups, among other titles.
"The preparatory period coupled with an entertaining schedule for sports and music fans is the combination that made the Florida cup a success and provides exciting opportunities for activations to be explored by the clubs and other partner brands." said the Florida Cup CEO, Ricardo Villar.
One of the most successful activations in the 2019 edition, the FC Legends 5v5, is also confirmed for 2020 on January 16th. The event, which features global icons from the history of world football that have played for the clubs participating in the Florida Cup, will be played in a playoff format in an arena set up at the Universal Studios Florida theme park, one of the great partners of the event.
The last edition was attended by such big names such as Zico, Denilson, Falcao, Raí, Edwin van der Sar, Fredi Bobic, Lugano among others. Event officials and participating clubs will announce in the next months the idols that will represent them in the 2020 FC Legends 5v5.
PACKAGES AND TICKETS
Tickets will be available for sale in the coming months. Fans are encouraged to register on www.floridacup.com to be notified of updates and special announcements.
OTHER PARTICIPANTS
The other teams participating in the tournament in 2020, as well as the schedule and other updates will be announced in the coming weeks.
FAN FEST
In April, event officials confirmed the return of Ivete Sangalo, one of the most popular artists in Brazil, as the main attraction of the Florida Cup Fan Fest 2020. She will perform for the second time at the Music Plaza Stage in Universal Studios Florida on January 19, closing out the event. In addition, special guests will be announced to share the stage with the singer.
In the 2019 edition of the Florida Cup Fan Fes, the show by Ivete Sangalo brought together an audience of thousands of people who enjoyed the electric and contagious energy of her show. "The atmosphere of the event this year was incredible, not only on the pitch, but mostly on the stage. It was the perfect combination of sport and music. Ivete took the event to a new level. We are extremely happy with her return to the Florida Cup," said Villar.
FLORIDA CUP
The largest annual international soccer event in the Sunshine State, the Florida Cup is already a January tradition in Orlando, Florida – a city that welcomed more than 75 million tourists in 2018. In six years, the Florida Cup has become a global platform that combines sports, music and entertainment.
In 2019, the total live attendance of the event exceeded 40 thousand people and, and the matches were broadcast live in 103 countries. Across social networks, the content posted in the official accounts of the event, added to the postings of the influencers present at the event, had a reach of more than 100 million people. For more information on the Florida Cup, visitwww.floridacup.com, or follow us onFacebook,Twitter andInstagram.
Palmeiras will be the 27th new club to participate in the Florida Cup. To date, the following international clubs have participated in the Florida Cup: Flamengo (BRA), São Paulo (BRA), Corinthians (BRA), Atlético Mineiro (BRA), Fluminense (BRA), Vasco da Gama (BRA), Bahia (BRA), Internacional (BRA), Ajax (NED), PSV Eindhoven (NED) , Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), Bayer Leverkusen (GER), Schalke 04 (GER), Wolfsburg (GER), FC Köln (GER), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG), River Plate (ARG), Atlético Nacional (COL), Millonarios (COL), Santa Fe (COL), Barcelona (ECU), Fort Lauderdale Strikers (USA), Tampa Bay Rowdies (USA), Rangers FC (SCO) and Légia Warsaw (POL).
