West Ham United flew to the United States on Sunday afternoon for a 16-day, two-match Sunshine State Tour of Florida.
Head Coach Julen Lopetegui, his backroom team, players and Club staff gathered at Gatwick Airport for the nine-hour flight to Tampa, the Gulf Coast city where the Hammers will spend the majority of the next fortnight training, meeting supporters and immersing themselves in the local community and culture. There, they were met by a specially branded team coach emblazoned with the new 2024/25 Home shirt.
The Irons will be hosted by the historic Tampa Bay Rowdies, the USL Championship club once captained by Joe Cole and represented by Clyde Best, and train at the Rowdies’ Al Lang Stadium.
We’re Forever Blowing Bubbles 🫧
Hammers roll into Tampa, @StatesideCup 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VWItSh58hI— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 22, 2024
Next weekend, the Hammers will travel across Florida for the first of two Stateside Cup ties, taking on English Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville on Saturday 27 July at 7pm EDT. Tickets for the game are on sale now HERE.
The visit to the First Coast will also be celebrated with an open training session, fan party and tailgate experience, which you can register for now HERE!
West Ham will then return to Tampa for a number of exciting events climaxing with the Stateside Cup finale against Crystal Palace at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Saturday 3 August at 7pm EDT. Tickets for this London derby with a difference are on sale now HERE.
Keep an eye on our channels for details of fan events to be hosted in Tampa, which will be announced soon!
The Sunshine State Tour marks the first time since 2016 that West Ham have visited the United States. Prior to that, the Hammers took part in the MLS All-Star Game in Toronto, Canada, in 2008, and also made a series of historic tours in the 1960s.
With the Floridian summer famous for its hot and humid weather, Lopetegui and his staff will hold training sessions at either end of the day, when conditions will be cooler, while at the same time helping provide the players with fitness foundations for the 2024/25 season.
Head Coach Lopetegui has previous experience of working in Florida in pre-season and knows the importance of this period. He said: “Always in pre-season the aim is to achieve your best level physically and tactically and to know all around that we will translate to the team. But, of course, these kind of matches and experiences help you to put the points across. Obviously, it is going to be important to have demanding matches in the pre-season to achieve these levels.”
Players involved at summer international tournaments will return during the Sunshine State Tour, with Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček the first to come back, followed by Michail Antonio, Alphonse Areola, Lucas Paquetá and finally Jarrod Bowen, who reached the final of UEFA Euro 2024 with England.
The Irons kick-off the new Premier League campaign at home to Aston Villa at London Stadium on Saturday 17 August at 5.30pm BST, seeking to build on last season’s ninth position and three top-nine finishes in the previous four seasons.
In the meantime, we will be bringing you daily updates from Florida as West Ham embark on an unforgettable Sunshine State Tour!
