Manchester United will visit its huge fanbase in Asia to play fixtures in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Premier League season in May. The two-match visit marks the first post-season tour in the modern era of the club, and a return to Asia following victory over Liverpool in Bangkok in July 2022.
United will take on ASEAN All Stars in the 84,000-capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on 28 May, before travelling to play Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Stadium, which can hold up to 40,000 fans, on 30 May.
The club last visited Kuala Lumpur in 2009, and Hong Kong in 2013, but the bond between United and the club’s millions of loyal fans across Asia remains as strong as ever. The fixtures in May provide a unique opportunity for the players and staff to connect directly with fans in Asia, and for the club to activate with its valued commercial partners in the region.
The ASEAN All-Stars Team will feature top players selected from all 12 ASEAN Football Federation Member Associations, reflecting the diversity and collective strength of Southeast Asian football. The ASEAN countries are Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Myanmar and Brunei.
The touring squad will travel with Official Airline Partner, Malaysia Airlines, following the final fixture of the 2024/25 Premier League season against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 25 May.
Pre-season Friendlies in Singapore
Arsenal will first play AC Milan on 23 July, before having an open training session at Singapore’s National Stadium two days later. Arsenal will then face League Cup champions Newcastle on 27 July. Both matches will be played at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium.
Arsenal men’s first team squad had previously played in Singapore in 2018 where they played against Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid. This will be AC Milan’s first visit to Singapore. Newcastle last played in Singapore in 1996
Promoters TEG Sport and the Singapore Tourism Board also announced a five-year partnership that will see top European clubs play in Singapore in 2025, 2027 and 2029.
Hong Kong to host top tier football clubs in July
Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, and Tottenham Hotspur FC, as well as the Serie A club AC Milan will all be playing pre-season friendly matches at the 50,000-spectator Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong in July.
Liverpool will face off against AC Milan on July 26 before making their first-ever visit to Japan. The last time the Reds were in town was back in 2017, though they were in the Asia-Pacific region more recently for a Singapore trip in 2023.
AC Milan last played a game in Hong Kong in 2004. This Hong Kong match is also going to be the first stop of the Milan men’s First Team’s pre-season tour this year.
Arsenal will play against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, July 31. The event is made even more memorable by the fact that it will be their first match against each other outside of the UK.
The last time Arsenal visited Hong Kong was 13 years ago in 2012. The three Premier League clubs will also be holding open training sessions on July 24, 29, and 30 – these will be open to watch in addition to the matches.
Liverpool to play in Japan for the first time
Liverpool will play Yokohama F. Marinos in the second game of their pre-season tour in Asia this summer.
The match against the J1 League club will take place at the 70,000-seat Nissan Stadium in Yokohama on 30 July as the Reds visit Japan for a pre-season tour for the first time.
All these exciting football matches are sure to bring in tourism dollars from sports fans from all around Asia to these cities to watch their favourite football stars in action.
