Four of the world’s biggest teams will descend on Hong Kong this summer for a festival of football at Kai Tak Stadium, organisers announced on Monday.
Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, plus Italian giants AC Milan, will play pre-season friendlies in July, with the two North London clubs contesting a rare derby outside the English capital and the first outside the UK.
The matches promise a tourism boost for Hong Kong, according to Rachael Carroll, managing director of TEG Sport, the event’s organiser.
“We are expecting 100,000 people, more than half from outside Hong Kong, generating great value to the local economy,” she said.
The news came less than 24 hours after the end of the first Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at the city’s stunning new venue, and highlighted the attraction of the HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park.