Notre Dame will once again play host to a different type of football match this summer as the university hosts two storied European soccer clubs for a friendly in July.
On July 27, English club Chelsea will take on Scottish Club Celtic. Chelsea has won the English Premier League six times, most recently in 2017, and the UEFA Champions League twice, most recently in 2021.
Meanwhile Celtic has also won the Champions League back in 1967 and has dominated the Scottish Premier, winning the title in nine of the past 10 years.
Though a Scottish team, Celtic was founded by an Irish Catholic priest seeking to raise money for residents of Glasgow with Irish ancestry. Today, the club wears green striped uniforms and its logo is a four-leaf clover.
In a press release, Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua said this is the second time that Celtic and Chelsea have played a friendly in the United States, with the first time coming in 2004.
“We are thrilled to be able to welcome Chelsea and Celtic to Notre Dame Stadium this summer,” Bevacqua said. “It is special that Celtic chose to play at Notre Dame in their first trip stateside in over a decade and joining six-time English Premiere League champion Chelsea will make for an unbelievable experience. I cannot wait for fans across the World to be able to visit and enjoy Notre Dame and the South Bend community while cheering on their clubs.”
The University says over 40,000 fans turned out to watch Dortmund play Liverpool in the summer of 2019 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Tickets for this year’s match go on sale on Ticketmaster on Wednesday March 27 at 10 a.m.
