Story by
Nashville SC to play Premier League's Aston Villa in exhibition at Geodis Park. How to get tickets
- Story by
- Nashville SC to play Premier League's Aston Villa in exhibition at Geodis Park. How to get tickets
Nashville SC will host Premier League team Aston Villa in an exhibition game at Geodis Park on Aug. 2 at 7 p.m.
It will be the first time Nashville has ever faced a team from one of Europe's "Big Five" leagues — the Premier League ( England ), Ligue 1 ( France ), the Bundesliga ( Germany ), Serie A ( Italy ) and La Liga ( Spain ). Nashville has faced a European club once, drawing Swedish side IF Elfsborg 0-0 in an exhibition prior to the 2020 season.
Advertisement
The match comes during a one-week hiatus from the MLS season brought on by the Leagues Cup, which Nashville is not participating in.
"Aston Villa have a rich history in English football," Nashville SC vice chairman Ian Ayre said in a club release. "As seven-time league champions and former European cup winners, they have shown an impressive rate of consistency as well as progress in recent years under head coach Unai Emery. This game provides a unique and exciting opportunity to see the first Premier League team at GEODIS Park and a chance to see a very strong Villa squad, alongside any new summer signings, as they prepare for their 2025-2026 Premier League campaign."
Preseason tours of the United States are a common for Premier League clubs: 10 of the league's 20 clubs played exhibitions in the U.S. last summer. Nashville has hosted Premier League teams before: Manchester City and Tottenham played a friendly at Nissan Stadium on July 29, 2017 in front of 56,232 fans, at the time the largest crowd to watch a soccer game in the state of Tennessee.
This will be the third straight preseason tour of the U.S. for Villa and the second time it's faced an MLS club during those tours. It lost 4-1 to the Columbus Crew last July. In addition to facing Nashville, Aston Villa will face St. Louis City SC on July 30.
Advertisement
Aston Villa is seventh in the Premier League and fighting for a place in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. It reached the Champions League quarterfinals this season as well as the semifinals of the FA Cup, the top domestic knockout competition in England.
Nashville is 5-2-4 and has 17 points, placing it sixth in the Eastern Conference. It defeated the Chattanooga Red Wolves 1-0 on May 6 to advance to the U.S. Open Cup round of 16, in which it will take on Orlando City .
MORE: Nashville SC creates new position for GM Mike Jacobs, extends contract through 2028
How to buy tickets to Nashville SC vs. Aston Villa
Nashville SC season ticket holders can buy tickets, while tickets go on sale to the general public on May 16 with a presale on May 15.
Advertisement
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC vs Aston Villa: Premier League club comes to Geodis Park
