European power Liverpool to face Spanish club Betis at Acrisure Stadium

Chris Adamski | Tuesday, April 9, 2024 11:30 a.m.

Courtesy of Danielle Kowalkowski

Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium will host a soccer game featuring English club Liverpool on July 26.

One of the world’s biggest brands for the beautiful game is coming to Pittsburgh.

Perennial English soccer power Liverpool FC will face Spanish club Real Betis in an exhibition July 26 at Acrisure Stadium. The game — billed “The Iron City Showdown” — melds two of Pittsburgh’s pro sports teams in that the Steelers are hosts while the Penguins and Liverpool are under the Fenway Sports Group ownership umbrella.

The decorated 132-year-old Liverpool franchise has won 19 domestic league titles, eight FA Cups, nine League Cups, six European Cups, three UEFA Cups and four European Super Cups. Based in northwest England, Liverpool won the Premier League in 2019-20, part of a run of six consecutive top-four finishes in what is generally regarded as the world’s top pro soccer league. Liverpool entered the week tied with Arsenal atop the league for the current season.

Founded in 1907 and currently competing in LaLiga (Spain’s top league), Real Betis in 2022 won its third Copa Del Rey — the national pro championship in Spain. Its roster features U.S. National Team midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

The Pittsburgh stop is one of three announced in the U.S. for Liverpool this summer, joining Columbia, S.C., and Philadelphia.

“Adding Pittsburgh to our preseason tour schedule is a great way to start our eagerly anticipated return to the USA,” LFC commercial director Ben Latty said in a statement. “We were delighted to quickly sell out our fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United on this tour and are equally excited to be able to offer our supporters in the States another opportunity to see Liverpool F.C. play. Real Betis will come with a strong squad and it’s going to be a great occasion in another iconic setting, in another fantastic U.S. city.”

The Iron City Showdown is coming!@LFC will face @RealBetis in a Premier League vs. LaLiga matchup on Friday, July 26 at @AcrisureStadium!

MORE: https://t.co/tjaDhfvpMk pic.twitter.com/2pASTdsVQp

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 9, 2024

This is the third “friendly” featuring European soccer teams hosted at what had been known as Heinz Field, joining a Manchester City-A.C. Milan match in 2014 and a 2018 game between Benfica and Borussia Dortmund.

The Steelers’ home stadium also has hosted the U.S. Women’s National Team for exhibitions in 2004 and 2015.

“No doubt, this game excites us for a set of different reasons,” Real Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon said in a prepared statement. “Playing against a great club like Liverpool F.C. is a chance for us to measure our potential.”

Tickets go on sale for the general public at 9 a.m Thursday via Ticketmaster. A presale begins 10 a.m. Wednesday.