Four of the world’s biggest football clubs will descend on Hong Kong this summer to play at Kai Tak Stadium, organisers announced on Monday.
Hong Kong Football Festival will feature English Premier League trio Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, plus Italian giants AC Milan, with the teams playing pre-season friendly matches at the city’s new venue in July.
North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, rivals for more than a century, will contest their first match outside the UK.
The festival promises a boost in tourism revenue for Hong Kong, according to Rachael Carroll, managing director of TEG Sport, its 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 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens’ first edition at the recently completed 50,000-capacity stadium, and further highlighted the pulling power of the HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park.
