FC Cincinnati will host historic English football club Burnley FC in an international friendly on Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET at TQL Stadium, the clubs announced today.
FC Cincinnati Season Ticket Members, Orange and Blue Reserve members and partial plan members will each have exclusive presale access windows for tickets starting Friday, June 5. Members are encouraged to check their email for their exact window. The general public on sale will start at 10 am ET on Monday, June 8. For further information, visit FCCincinnati.com/Tickets or call 513-977-KICK.
“This match represents the continued evolution of FC Cincinnati,” said President & Co-CEO Jeff Berding. “Hosting a club with the history of Burnley FC is a great moment for our organization and our fans. Ten summers ago, in our inaugural season, we welcomed our first English football team to a sold-out Nippert Stadium. It is time to bring British football back to the Queen City and showcase our club, our atmosphere and our city on a global stage.”
FC Cincinnati face an English side for the first time since July 16, 2016, when – in the club’s first USL season – The Orange and Blue welcomed Crystal Palace FC to Nippert Stadium and broke an attendance record for the highest attended soccer match in the state of Ohio in front of 35,061 fans.
With the season paused for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America this summer, FC Cincinnati’s friendly against Burnley comes as part of the buildup to the return of the 2026 MLS Regular Season on Saturday, July 22 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at TQL Stadium.
The club’s full summer return-to-action schedule will be announced at a later date.
Additionally, FC Cincinnati will host a Soccer Celebration, a collection of fan-focused events throughout the summer. Fans can find FC Cincinnati across the region at the club’s partner bars and restaurants, and at a Soccer Celebration series at Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, organized in collaboration with 3CDC. For a full lineup of the club’s Soccer Celebration, visit the FC Cincinnati Summer of Soccer page.
Burnley FC, located in Burnley, England – north of Manchester in North West England, was founded in 1882. Burnley was one of the first professional clubs in England and one of the original 12 members of the English Football League, the world’s first league competition. The Clarets are one of five clubs to have won all four professional divisions in England and have twice won the country’s first division title. Burnley competed in the English Premier League in the 2025-26 season.
In May 2023, former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and his wife, Kealia, who made over 140 professional appearances in the NWSL and three caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team, became minority investors in Burnley FC. Popular YouTube content creators Dude Perfect are also minority investors.
“I’m very excited to welcome the Clarets to America for our pre-season tour this summer,” said J.J. Watt. “I am equally excited for football fans here in the US to get a chance to see our historic club up close and personal.”
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