Champions League hopefuls on their travels

While UEFA Champions League qualifying is in full swing, the 22 teams with byes to the group stage have been able to plan their summers in peace – and most have taken the opportunity to go away. UEFA.com has got out its globe and located Europe's finest on foreign tours ...

A reunion for two former club-mates in Pasadena©Getty Images

North America

Barcelona, Chelsea, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and play-off entrants Manchester United have all headed west for the annual International Champions Cup, which also involves Fiorentina and clubs from the United States and Mexico – both those nations stage games, along with Canada.

Already, Paris have beaten Benfica 3-2 in Toronto, Canada, while Barcelona won 2-1 against an LA Galaxy team boasting Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard in a game watched by 93,226 fans at Pasadena's Rose Bowl. Manchester United defeated San Jose Earthquakes 3-1, Memphis Depay among the scorers, to follow an earlier 1-0 defeat of Mexico's Club América courtesy of another new signing, Morgan Schneiderlin. On Saturday there are two UEFA Champions League form guides with Barcelona playing Manchester United and Paris up against Chelsea.

Arsenal fans in Singapore©Getty Images

Asia/Australia

Real Madrid, Roma and Manchester City, meanwhile, have gone in the opposite direction to play in the same competition, along with both major Milan clubs. In Melbourne, Australia, Roma beat Madrid on penalties after a 0-0 draw in front of 80,746 fans but then lost 5-4 on spot-kicks after finishing 2-2 against Manchester City at the same venue, with the English club to face Real Madrid on Friday there.

Madrid then fly to China, where they will play both Internazionale Milano and AC Milan, with the two neighbours first meeting on Saturday in Shenzhen. Also from the Spanish capital in China are Atlético Madrid on 4 August to play Shanghai SIPG, coached by Diego Simeone's old Lazio boss Sven-Göran Eriksson.

Bayern München are also in China and defeated Valencia 4-1 in Beijing and Inter 1-0 in Shanghai. Bayern play Guangzhou Evergrande on Thursday before returning home to visit Wolfsburg on 1 August in the German Super Cup.

Singapore, meanwhile, staged the Premier League Asia Trophy, won by Arsenal after victories against an all-star team from the local league and compatriots Everton. Chelsea were also out east in May and June, facing teams from Thailand and Australia.

Zenit are already back in league action©Getty Images

Europe

Not every club felt the need to cross oceans to get into shape. Juventus are heading to France, Poland and Switzerland while Olympiacos have had training camps in Austria and Turkey, where are involved in a tournament with qualifying hopefuls Fenerbahçe and Antalyaspor. They then travel to the Netherlands to play Twente and Feyenoord before a home game against Qatar. Galatasaray's training camp was in Austria, Borussia Mönchengladbach's in the Bavarian Alps, FC Porto's in the Netherlands and PSV Eindhoven's in Spain, where they are to face Valencia.

Lyon have been in Switzerland and Wolfsburg the Netherlands but both will be in London at the weekend for a tournament hosted by Arsenal, and also featuring Villarreal. Sevilla, after hosting Werder Bremen, play Reims in France and then Watford and Brighton in England before taking on Barcelona in the 11 August UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi.

For two group-stage teams, though, pre-season is over as Zenit and Dynamo Kyivhave both kicked off their league title defences. Zenit already have silverware, having defeating Lokomotiv Moskva 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw to lift the Russian Super Cup, but Dynamo lost 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the equivalent game in Ukraine. Gent start the league at the weekend having overcome Anderlecht 1-0 in the Belgian Super Cup.

Postcards home...