San Diego FC and Club Tijuana on Thursday announced a five-year partnership that will feature an annual friendly match at Snapdragon Stadium.
The multi-year competition, the first of its kind between Major League Soccer and Liga MX club, will begin in 2025.
This match will be included in packages for SDFC season ticket members and ample tickets will be made available for Xolos fans.
With the teams based less than 25 miles apart, the hope is that the SDFC and Xolos collaboration also will establish the opportunity for respective supporters and fans to participate in community service projects. Over time, the clubs aspire to add entertainment and festival/fiesta elements to the events.
“We are honored to partner with our neighbors at Club Tijuana to co-create a series of exciting matches and a cultural celebration of the unique binational communities of San Diego and Tijuana,” said San Diego FC CEO Tom Penn. “We are excited to compete intensely on the pitch and work together off the pitch to develop unifying initiatives and experiences that will help grow the game and make a positive impact on both sides of the border.”
Club Tijuana, commonly referred to as Xolos, were founded in 2007 and play in Estadio Caliente. Xolos compete in Liga MX, Mexico’s top division, and won the Liga MX title in 2012.
Xolos is co-owned by Mexican businessman Jorgealberto Hank, who also serves as the team’s president, and Grupo Caliente.
“We believe that this alliance that we are making with the five games that we are going to have in the next five years is just the beginning of something very important that we can do between the two institutions,” Hank said. “We hope to learn from each other and help each other as much as we can and continue to grow.”
Each of the annual matches as part of the multi-year partnership between both clubs will be produced, promoted and presented by SDFC.
For questions about SDFC memberships, email Tickets@SanDiegoFC.com.
San Diego FC, jointly owned by Mohamed Mansour, an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, and Padre slugger Manny Machado, is an expansion MLS team that is set to begin play at Snapdragon in 2025.