South Carolina Gamecocks announce plans to welcome top European soccer teams to Williams-Brice Stadium as part of preseason tour

Williams-Brice Stadium has hosted South Carolina Gamecocks football matchups since it broke ground in 1934. Over the year, there have been just a few instances where the stadium has hosted events other than Gamecocks football. Williams-Brice will host a preseason tour game between two top European soccer clubs this summer for the first time in its long history.

The director of digital content for GamecockCentral, Mike Uva, took to X on Friday to post about South Carolina's plan to host English soccer's biggest teams for their preseason tour matchup.

"South Carolina has announced that Manchester United will play Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium on Aug. 3, part of a preseason tour for the clubs," Uva wrote.

Manchester United and Liverpool will make a stop at Williams-Brice on Aug. 3 as they make their way through the U.S. for a preseason tour. The matchup is part of these clubs' three-city "Rivals in Red" tour. The stadium can hold 77,559 fans.

Many European soccer clubs tour the U.S. for preseason games every year, but this will be the first time Williams-Brice will hold a soccer game in the stadium's history. Recent renovations have bumped the stadium's capacity up to 77,559, allowing more soccer fans to enjoy this event and venue.

Event information

• Teams: Liverpool FC vs. Manchester United FC
• Location: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
• Date: Aug. 3, 2024
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Tickets: The pre-sale opens Monday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. EST, and general public ticket sales open on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. EST on Ticketmaster

Other events held at Williams-Brice Stadium

Williams-Brice Stadium

While primarily built for college football games, Williams-Brice Stadium hosted an NFL preseason game between the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills in 1990.

There was a proposal for the stadium to be used as a temporary home for the Carolina Panthers while construction of their new stadium was underway in 1995. But South Carolina athletic director Mike McGee shot down that idea, claiming he wanted the Gamecocks to be the only major football team in the area.

Williams-Brice has also hosted concerts from performers like Metallica, Guns N' Roses, U2, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Pope John Paul II spoke at Williams-Brice in 1987 when visiting Columbia, along with Barack Obama in 2007 as part of his presidential campaign.

Williams-Brice has also shown up in a couple of films over the years. It was the setting for the 1993 college football movie "The Program." A closing shot in the classic football flick "The Waterboy" also features an overhead shot of the stadium.