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A first-of-its-kind soccer tournament is coming to the United States this summer.
The Soccer Tournament will be held in North Carolina as 32 teams from all over the world vie for a winner-take-all million-dollar title. Featuring unique rules and plenty of big names, The Soccer Tournament should be unlike anything we've ever seen.
But what is TST, how will it be played, and who's involved? GOAL has everything you need to know about the new competition.
What is The Soccer Tournament?
The Soccer Tournament is a first-of-its-kind tournament being held for the first time in the United States, summer 2023. Modeled after The Basketball Tournament, TST is an open-application, million-dollar, winner-take-all seven-on-seven competition featuring 32 teams from around the world.
When is The Soccer Tournament?
| Start date: | May 31, 2023 (arrivals) |
| Final date: | June 4, 2023 (Championship) |
The Soccer Tournament is a five-day event that will take place between May 31, 2023 and June 4, 2023.
Teams will arrive on May 31, 2023 and the first set of group matches will be played on June 1. Group games finish on June 2, with knockout grounds being played on June 2 and June 3.
The Championship match will be played on Sunday, June 4.
Where is The Soccer Tournament being played?
WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina is the venue for The Soccer Tournament.
Supporters are advised that parking must be purchased in advance, with rideshare pickup and dropoff recommended as the best method for getting there.
You can find a map of the Soccer Park below (link here).
What are The Soccer Tournament rules?
With a format modeled after the World Cup, each team will play three group stage games over two days, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout round, eventually culminating in a $1 million winner-take-all finale.
Matches will consist of two 20-minute halves as well as a two-minute halftime break. A total of seven players from each team will be on the field at one time, including the goalkeeper, but substitutions may be made on the fly through any part of the game. There will be no offsides in the tournament.
What sets the tournament apart is Target Score Time, which ensures that each match will end on a goal. Following the two 20-minute halves, teams will enter an untimed period where the winner will be determined by the first team to reach a predefined score. That score is one more goal than the leading team's score so, for example, if it's 6-4 after 40 minutes, the first team to reach their seventh goal will win.
If during Target Score Time no goal is scored within 10 minutes, one player from each team will come off making the match six-on-six. After every five minutes, another player will come off, all the way down until one-on-one, until the target score is reached.
Getty ImagesWhich teams are in The Soccer Tournament?
TST will feature teams from seven different countries, including eight professional top-flight clubs, ranging from Wrexham to Borussia Dortmund.
Additionally, there are more than 22 former U.S. men's and women's national team players involved, totaling over 1,300 senior caps.
Among those involved are former USMNT stars Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones and DaMarcus Beasley, USWNT legends Kristine Lilly, Mia Hamm and Heather O'Reilly, Spanish star Cesc Fabregas, social media stars Noah Beck, Mo Ali and Castro1021 and former NFL star Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson.
More information on the teams, including which stars will be playing on each can be found here.
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| A | Borussia Dortmund, Hoosiers Army (Indiana Alumni), Kingdom FC, Newtown Pride FC |
| B | Wolves, Blade & Grass FC, Villita FC, DMV Diplomats |
| C | Club Necaxa, Hapoel Tel Aviv, SLC FC, Virginia Dream |
| D | West Ham, Dallas United, Culture by Mo ALi FC, Far East United |
| E | Wrexham Red Dragons, Como 1907, U.S. Women, Say Word FC |
| F | Hashtag United, Conrad & Beasley United, Nati SC, Gracie FC |
| G | Team Dempsey, Sneaky Fox FC, Zala FFF, Jackson TN Boom |
| H | Charlotte FC, Duke Sevens (Duke Alumni), NCFC, Raleigh Rebels FC |
The Soccer Tournament fixtures & results
All teams will play their three group stage games on June 1 and June 2, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stages, which will begin with the Round of 16 on June 2.
Quarterfinal and semi-final games will be held on June 3, with the $1 million, winner-take-all finale held on June 4.
All games will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with matches held on six different fields all at the same time.
| Date | Round |
|---|---|
| June 1-2 | Group Stage |
| June 2 | Round of 16 |
| June 3 | Quarterfinal and Semifinal |
| June 4 | Final |
The Soccer Tournament tickets
Tickets for all TST games are on sale now and cost $35. You can buy them here.
Outside of the matches, the tournament will also have a festival full of exhibitors, family activities, food trucks, a beer garden and multiple VIP and hospitality options.
How to watch & stream The Soccer Tournament
All TST games will be available to watch live, with viewing information to be announced in the lead-up to the tournament.
The Soccer Tournament prize money
As noted, The Soccer Tournament prize is $1 million and it is awarded to the team that comes out on top of the 32 participants.