CRYSTAL PALACE
Stateside Cup, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida, USA, Saturday 3 August 2024, 7pm EDT
West Ham United will conclude their two-week Sunshine State Tour to Florida by taking on Crystal Palace in the Stateside Cup on Saturday.
The Irons will contest the final tie of the three-match, three-team tournament with their Premier League rivals at the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium.
Tickets for Saturday’s match are available to buy HERE. If you’re unable to get to Tampa, you can order a live stream HERE.
The Sunshine State Tour marks the Hammers’ first visit to the United States in eight years, and the seventh in total, having previously crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1963, 1964, 1967, 1971, 2008 and 2016.
Following Saturday’s tie, Julen Lopetegui and his squad will fly back to London on Monday, before resuming preparations for the 2024/25 season with a Betway Cup clash with Spanish side Celta Vigo at London Stadium on Saturday 10 August at 3pm BST. Tickets for that game are available HERE.
How to get there…
Driving is the easiest way to get to Raymond James Stadium – if you are already in the United States, of course!
Parking is available in Lots 5, 6 and 7 just south of the stadium, priced from $43 per vehicle, and can be booked online HERE.
Otherwise, it is easy to catch a taxi or ride-hail vehicle from downtown or wherever you are staying in the Tampa Bay area directly to Raymond James Stadium.
To ensure you have no issues accessing the stadium, please read the Raymond James Stadium ‘A-Z Guide’ HERE.
Where to stay…
You will almost certainly have booked your accommodation by now but, if you have not, there are plenty of options in and around Tampa Bay.
The downtown area has lots of branded hotels in downtown Tampa, and also south of Tampa International Airport.
Alternatively, you can stay a little further afield in downtown St Petersburg or, if you fancy the beach, on the Gulf Coast in Clearwater Beach.
What to do…
Tampa Bay has lots of things to do!
Tampa itself is a lively city. You can breathe in the history of the cigar making industry in Ybor City, learn the journey of water at the Florida Aquarium, go hands-on at the Museum of Science & Technology, ride the rollercoasters and meet the animals at Busch Gardens and visit a host of other museums.
If you want to get back to nature, Hillsborough River State Park is the one. If sun and sand are your thing, head to Clearwater Beach or one of the many beautiful beaches up and down the Gulf Coast.
For more information from Visit Tampa Bay, click HERE.
What’s happened there before…
West Ham United had never visited Florida prior to last week’s defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers in Jacksonville, but Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has certainly hosted its fair share of historic sporting events.
Opened in 1998, Raymond James Stadium is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football team.
Raymond James Stadium has hosted the Super Bowl three times – Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 and Super Bowl LV in 2021, which was won by Tom Brady’s hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium also hosts college bowl games, as well as United States men’s and women’s national soccer team matches, concerts and other sporting events.
