Football

Hong Kong to host star-studded football festival in August

theSun
21 Apr 2026, 03:34 pm
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Hong Kong to host star-studded football festival in August
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Manchester City, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Juventus will play pre-season friendlies in Hong Kong this August, bringing elite football back to the city.

ENGLISH and Italian football giants Manchester City, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus will square off in a pre-season tournament in Hong Kong this August.

The “Hong Kong Football Festival” will kick off at the futuristic 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium on Saturday, August 1, with a match between Manchester City and Inter Milan.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, currently battling Arsenal for the Premier League title, will be spearheaded by Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland.

The festival will conclude on Wednesday, August 5, when Chelsea face Juventus in the second marquee friendly.

Inter Milan, managed by former Romanian international Cristian Chivu, are currently eight points clear at the top of Serie A as they pursue a 21st league title.

Juventus, who hold a record 36 Italian top-flight championships, are fourth in the table and aiming to secure a Champions League spot under Luciano Spalletti.

Chelsea, who won the Club World Cup in the United States last year, have since parted ways with then-manager Enzo Maresca and appointed Liam Rosenior.

Rosenior is under pressure after Chelsea lost five of their last six Premier League matches, dropping to sixth and seven points adrift of the Champions League places.

It remains to be seen if Rosenior will still be in charge when Chelsea arrive, following an 8-2 aggregate defeat to PSG in the Champions League last 16.

All four teams will hold open training sessions ahead of their matches, offering fans a chance to see stars like City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.

Fans can also see Inter’s Lautaro Martinez and Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic during the open sessions at the gleaming, air-conditioned Kai Tak Stadium.

The football action continues in the city, as Bayern Munich and Aston Villa have already announced they will play a friendly in Hong Kong on Friday, August 7.

Last year’s pre-season saw 50,000 sell-out crowds watch Liverpool play AC Milan and Tottenham face Arsenal in the first north London derby held outside the UK.

Tens of thousands of fans also turned out to watch the teams’ open training sessions during the 2025 pre-season tour.

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