Premier League ‘to host pre-season tournament in USA with group stages’

The Premier League is reportedly set to host a pre-season tournament with group stages in the USA next summer.

The Premier League Asia Trophy has already tried to expand the league globally in pre-season – but the proposed tournament would dwarf the size of that. It's hoped six teams would play in two groups across the US with a final and a trophy to conclude proceedings.

According to The Athletic, 14 sides are in favour of the idea, but it's unclear if any are part of the 'big six'. The Premier League are hoping at least one of the big six will join the tournament to add some glitz and glamour to the clashes.

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The Premier League is looking to expand into the North American market, while the US is looking to ramp up preparations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The US is hosting football's biggest show alongside Canada and Mexico, but the final is expected to be hosted in the US.

The Athletic report adds the tournament would benefit from Premier League branding and it would be expected to sell out major stadiums. It's hoped it will gain interest from sponsors and generate significant broadcast rights deals.

What do you think of the idea of a pre-season tournament stateside? Let us know in the comments section below

North American sports have experienced success hopping across the pond to Europe to play regular season games in recent seasons.

And European nations have explored the possibility of heading stateside to play some league fixtures – such as La Liga.

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