(Tuesday, May 20, 2003) - Two of the top club teams in international soccer, Celtic FC of Scotland and AC Milan of Italy, will square off against each other at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Friday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. as part of the 2003 ChampionsWorld Series, it was announced today.

Currently ranked #4 in the CNN/World Soccer rankings of international club teams, AC Milan are one of the most glamorous and storied teams in soccer history. Led by a dazzling international cast of superstars that includes forwards Filippo Inzaghi (Italy), Rivaldo (Brazil) and Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine), midfielders Fernando Redondo (Argentina), Clarence Seedorf (Holland) and Rui Costa (Portugal), and Italian National Team defenders Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta. AC Milan have captured the Italian League (Serie A) championship 16 times, and will play in the championship final of the prestigious UEFA Champions League against another ChampionsWorld Series participant, Juventus, on May 28.

Celtic, who hold the #9 spot in the CNN/World Soccer rankings, have won the Scottish League championship 38 times and the Scottish Cup on 31 occasions. Led by head coach Martin O'Neill and paced by a number of high-powered stars, Celtic feature a lineup that includes Sweden's Henrik Larsson, England's Chris Sutton, Stilian Petrov of Bulgaria, and Scottish stars Robert Douglas, Jackie McNamara, Tom Boyd, and Paul Lambert.

Currently tied for first place in the Scottish Premier League, the Glasgow club will compete in the championship match of the UEFA Cup against Portugal's Porto tomorrow, Wednesday, May 21.

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue the very important phase of our preseason preparations with a top-class match against a quality opponent like AC Milan," said O'Neill. "I understand that the facilities at Cleveland Browns Stadium are world class, and I am eager to have our club play before the many Celtic supporters in Ohio."

The match will mark the first sporting event other than Cleveland Browns football ever held at the 73,000-seat stadium in Ohio. Completed in 1999, the state-of-the-art facility has also hosted several concert events.

"We are very excited to be hosting a match involving two of international soccer's premier teams," Cleveland Browns Executive Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Administrative Officer Kofi Bonner said. "This will be the first sporting event held at our stadium other than a Browns game, and we anticipate an eclectic and passionate crowd for this special event."

Tickets for the match, ranging in price from $30 to $125 for VIP Seating, will go on sale to the public on Saturday, May 31 at 10:00 a.m. through TicketMaster, TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone and TicketMaster.com. Group ticket requests for groups of 20 or more should be directed via e-mail to boxoffice@championsworld.com.

"We are pleased to be able to add another high-quality match to this summer's ChampionsWorld Series," said ChampionsWorld CEO Charlie Stillitano. "Cleveland is a very attractive market with a fantastic stadium and a deep base of very knowledgeable, passionate soccer fans and a strong youth soccer community. Bringing a pair of world-class teams to Cleveland Browns Stadium as part of the ChampionsWorld Series seemed only natural."

ChampionsWorld will offer a limited number of special VIP tickets for the Celtic-AC Milan match in Cleveland. With the purchase of the VIP ticket, all fans will receive the best seats available in the stadium along with a commemorative VIP Credential that entitles the holder to admission to a special training session the day before the match. All VIP credentials will be mailed during the first week in July and will detail training times and locations.

The 2003 ChampionsWorld Series, featuring six of the top club teams in soccer from Europe and Mexico - Manchester United (England), Glasgow Celtic (Scotland), Juventus (Italy), Club America (Mexico), AC Milan (Italy), and Barcelona (Spain) - has been arranged by the New Jersey-based ChampionsWorld, which will also manage and stage all elements of the games.

2003 Championsworld Series Schedule of Games

*  July 22, 2003 8:00pm PT - Man. United vs. Celtic (Seahawks Stadium) Seattle, WA
*  July 25, 2003 8:00pm ET - AC Milan vs. Celtic (Cleveland Browns Stadium) Cleveland, OH
*  July 27, 2003 2:00pm PT - Man.United vs. Club América (LA Coliseum) Los Angeles, CA
*  July 27, 2003 4:00pm ET - Juventus v. Barcelona (Gillette Stadium) Foxboro, MA
*  July 30, 2003 8:00pm ET - AC Milan vs. Barcelona (FedEx Field) Washington, DC
*  July 31, 2003 8:00pm ET - Man. United vs. Juventus (Giants Stadium) East Rutherford, NJ
*  Aug. 3, 2003 8:00pm ET - Man. United vs. Barcelona (Lincoln Financial Field) Philadelphia, PA