Soccer fans from Maryland and abroad swarmed M&T Bank Stadium to watch FC Barcelona and AC Milan play against one another.
It’s part of the Soccer Champions Tour, which also saw Manchester City, Real Madrid CF, and Chelsea play a series of friendly matches in six stadiums across the United States.
Kristi Burford and her family traveled to the game from Ocean City. They are big soccer fans and the game marked their first professional soccer game.
“It’s huge. The fact that their exhibition games, but the fact they’re coming here, New York, all the different places — they are places to show we’re all coming together and making a huge dynamic for the sport,” Burford said. “There are so many people down here, different cultures, different families. I think it’s going to be great.”
“It’s a big deal,” Luke Burford said. “Soccer has come a long way, so it’s a big deal — especially coming to Maryland, it’s grown a lot.”
Guillermo Cuellar said having the game in Baltimore is huge.
“European soccer, they’re superstars, and it doesn’t happen very often, so we are taking advantage of having this game here,” Cuellar said.
The game came one day after M&T Bank Stadium displayed phase one of a major renovation plan, making Tuesday the first time fans could take advantage of several upgrades such as new food options and spaces like “The Gatehouse and Roof Deck.”
Rob Voorhees is a soccer fan and a Ravens fan. He said the renovations came just in time.
“The money that they’re putting into this is fabulous. This is our first time here, so being able to experience this for the first time is awesome, Vorhees said. “I can’t wait for the football season to actually take advantage of it, but it’s an awesome venue.”
It isn’t all good news for soccer in Baltimore, though. FIFA decided to pass on Baltimore as a location for a World Cup match in 2026.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was another destination for the Soccer Champions Tour. MetLife Stadium is hosting the World Cup Final.
Yankee Stadium in New York, Camping World Stadium in Florida, Soldier Field in Illinois and Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina were the other host stadiums for the tour.
After the game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, AC Milan inched by with the win, 4-3, in penalty kicks.
