Arsenal, Chelsea to Play Pre-Season Friendly in Beijing July 22

London soccer teams Arsenal Football Club and Chelsea Football Club will meet for the first time ever outside of London on July 22 at Beijing's National Stadium (The Bird's Nest) in a pre-season friendly match, the two sides announced Saturday. 

The English Premier League (EPL) pair, who play Saturday night in London at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, are playing as part of a three-match, two-city tour for Arsenal, who will first visit Sydney before coming to China for their second visit to China in five years. It's current EPL leaders Chelsea's first visit to Beijing, although they have played previously in Guangzhou and Macau. Chelsea announced the match is part of an Asia tour, but did not release any other plans.

Arsenal last came to the Bird's Nest in 2012, where they lost 2-1 to Manchester City.

No ticket information has yet been released. Of course, all of this depends on weather and field conditions. A proposed, first-ever derby outside of Manchester between Manchester City and Manchester United was canceled when the July 25 match was hit by a series of mishaps, torrential rain, and the unscheduled landing of a team plane in Tianjin.

Photos: Ekimeeza, Sky Sports