Eight-time German champions and 1997 UEFA Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund will be involved in the second edition of the Champions Cup China as part of their 2016/17 pre-season preparations in China. In a tournament featuring some of the world's leading clubs, the Black and Yellows will take on top English teams Manchester United and Manchester City.

"We are absolutely delighted to be taking part in such a high-quality tournament in July. The matches will be fantastic for all the players and the spectators alike," declared Hans-Joachim Watzke, Borussia Dortmund's Chief Executive Officer. 

A BVB delegation led by Champions League winner Karl-Heinz Riedle was in attendance today as the entrants for this year's edition of the competition were presented in Beijing. "The fact that we, as a non-Premier League club, have been invited to such an extraordinary tournament is a sign of recognition for BVB's excellent performance in recent years," said Carsten Cramer, Borussia Dortmund's Director for Marketing and Sales.

BVB will open the Champions Cup China on 22 July in Shanghai, a metropolis of 15 million people, in a big-name clash with Manchester United. Three days later Beijing will play host to the first Manchester derby to ever take place outside of the United Kingdom. Borussia Dortmund will then close the tournament (probably on 28 July though the fixture has not yet been scheduled precisely) in Shenzhen – one of the world's fastest-growing cities – against a Manchester City side with new coach Pep Guardiola at the helm.

"For years now, we have regularly welcomed large fan groups and many media representatives from China to Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. It is important to us that we now make a return visit," said Hans-Joachim Watzke, before adding: "We are also looking forward to getting to know the wishes of our fans in China a bit better and to having a live and close-up experience of the fast-growing interest in football among the Chinese population during and beyond our matches with two other giants of the European club football scene."

Before travelling over to China, BVB will hold several training sessions in Dortmund followed by a first training camp in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria. Furthermore, several preparation days have been scheduled in Bad Ragaz (Switzerland) for the start of August.