Arsenal announce Barcelona pre-season clash in USA ahead of 2023/24 campaign

Arsenal will take on Barcelona in July during their pre-season tour of America, with the match taking place in Los Angeles

Arsenal have announced that they will take on Barcelona in July as part of their pre-season preparations ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

A statement on the north London club's website read: "As part of our pre-season preparations for 2023/24, we’re delighted to confirm that our men's first-team will play against Barcelona in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 26. The match will take place as part of the Soccer Champions Tour series, with our clash against Barca being hosted at SoFi Stadium, home of the LA Rams.

"The Soccer Champions Tour is a new marquee soccer exhibition series which will take place between Saturday, July 22 and Wednesday, August 2. The series features six of the world’s most iconic football clubs competing in nine top-tier matches over 12 days in venues across the United States.

"We’re playing once in the series and are featuring alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus and Manchester United. As well as Los Angeles, other host cities include New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Orlando and Baltimore. "Exclusive pre-sale tickets for our Soccer Champions Tour match against Barcelona will be available from Tuesday, May 16, with general on-sale ticket access beginning on Friday, May 19."

Sporting Director Edu also spoke about the match against the Catalan giants, admitting that it will be a special occasion for Mikel Arteta and co.

"Our match against Barcelona in Los Angeles is another great opportunity for Mikel and our men’s first-team squad to prepare for the exciting new season", the Brazilian said. "We’re very proud to be playing at the fantastic SoFi Stadium, the home of the LA Rams, in what will be such a special occasion for everyone at our club.

"This is another high-quality match in our visit to the United States in July and we’re so looking forward to meeting our many supporters in Los Angeles.”

Last season, Arsenal played five friendlies in the build-up to the start of this season, taking on Bundesliga 2 side FC Nurnberg in Germany at the beginning of July before visiting the United States - where they beat Everton, Orlando City and Chelsea.