The International Champions Cup will be returning to the U.S. this summer after a one year hiatus as Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona, two of the biggest names in European women’s soccer, will join the Portland Thorns and Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League, in a tournament this summer in Portland, Ore.
All four teams are titleholders. Olympique Lyonnais is competing for its 15th-straight French first division title and sixth-consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League Trophy. As for Barcelona, it was a Champions League Finalist in 2019.
Houston is coming off a win in the NWSL Challenge Cup last summer and Portland finished 3-0-1 in the NWSL Fall Series to win the 2020 Verizon Community Shield.
A formal announcement is expected this spring. A spokesman for Relevent Sports Group, which operates the International Champions Cup (ICC) for men and women, would not comment.