After much fanfare and waiting, it is finally time for some of the world’s best football teams to take to the pitch in Kai Tak Stadium. Premier League clubs 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 this summer as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival 2025, and footie fans are all abuzz. Read on for all the details of these matches.
When are the pre-game training sessions?
The three Premier League clubs will indeed be holding open training sessions on July 24, 29, and 30 in Kai Tak Stadium – these will be open for the public to watch in addition to the matches. The Reds will be training on July 24, the Spurs on July 29, and the Gunners on July 30. AC Milan’s opening training session will be held on the evening of July 25, in Hong Kong Stadium instead of Kai Tak.
Schedule for the pre-season friendly matches
Saturday, July 26: Liverpool will face off against AC Milan
The last time the Reds were in town was back in 2017, and it’s been even longer for the Rossoneri, who last played a game in Hong Kong in 2004.
Thursday, July 31: Arsenal will play against Tottenham Hotspur
This will be a fantastic opportunity to see the two north London rivals playing outside the British capital city – this is actually also their first match against each other outside of the UK. The last time Hong Kong saw Arsenal was 13 years ago in 2012.
What is the seating plan within the Kai Tak Stadium for Liverpool vs AC Milan?
Category A seats are located on the east and west sides of the stadium. This means they run the length of the pitch and offer the best view of the match. There is also a special fan zone for Liverpool supporters on the north stand, split into two price categories, while the AC Milan fan zone is on the south stand. Refer to the seating chart below for details.
What is the seating plan for the Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur match?
As with the previous match, the most expensive seats are along the east and west sides of the stadium. The Arsenal fan zone will be on the south stand, while the Spurs fans will be grouped into the north stand.
Are there still any tickets left?
As you might expect from a large sporting event with such well-known names, tickets to see Liverpool vs AC Milan and Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur have already long since sold out months ago.
However, it seems that there are still some tickets available for the open training sessions for all four teams, so if you didn’t manage to snag match tickets, at least you’ll still get to watch them in action on the pitch for some time!
Things to note before the football matches
Physical tickets will need to be picked up at Cityline kiosks before entry. Nine of these kiosks will be available on event days in Kai Tak Sports Park and in the Kai Tak area. There will be security checkpoints in place, so make sure you allocate enough time to get through the checks. Re-entry to the venue will not be permitted after tickets have been scanned.
What items are not allowed in the stadium?
Go through the list of prohibited items below to make sure you won’t need to waste time putting your belongings in storage on the match days.
- Footballs or any other variety of balls
- Whistles
- Plastic, glass, or metal containers of any capacity
- Canned or bottled beverages
- Food (excluding baby food and medicine)
- Light-up banners and cheering materials
- Professional cameras, camera equipment, tripods, or recording devices
- Selfie sticks
- Wheeled recreational devices including skateboards, bicycles, and scooters
- Folding stools, chairs, and footrests
- Folding ladders or long umbrellas
- Laser pointers and glow sticks
- Drones or remote-controlled flying devices
- Bags, boxes, or luggages larger than 38 x 30 x 20cm
- Balloons or inflatable items
In case you do need to store items, there is a baggage storage area on level 1M of the Kai Tak Arena, near Central Square. There are also lockers available in Kai Tak Mall 2 and the Airside mall.
Will there be merch stands?
Yes, there will be merchandise on sale. One counter will be located at Central Square within Kai Tak Sports Park, while the other can be found at Dining Cove towards the waterfront. These pop-up stores will open at 2pm on match days and training days, and are also available for the public to purchase without match tickets.
During the training days for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on July 19 and 30, a third official merch stand will also be open at level two of Celebration Hall 2 in the Kai Tak Main Stadium. This pop-up stall will be available to ticket holders. Refer to the map above for the merch stand locations, marked in green and red.
How to get to Kai Tak Stadium
Traffic tends to get tedious when there are big events in Kai Tak, so the best way to get there is by MTR. Ticketholders for gates A, B, B2, and C should alight at Sung Wong Toi MTR station and take exit D. Security checkpoint 2 is at the West Bridge, while security checkpoint 1 is located towards Dining Cove, near gate C. Ticketholders for gates D, D1, E, F, G, H, J, K, and K1 should alight the MTR at Sung Wong Toi or Kai Tak Station, taking exit D at either station. Head towards Central Square, where security checkpoint 3 is located.
There are also over 40 bus routes servicing the vicinity of Kai Tak Sports Park from all across Hong Kong. The stadium is a 15-minute walk from the Kai Tak Public Transport Interchange or the bus stop on Shing Kai Road, or a 20-minute walk from the Kowloon City Interchange (Richland Oriental Hotel / Sung Wong Toi Park).
If you absolutely must arrive by car, there are taxi pick-up and drop-off points at Kai Tak Stadium, Kai Tak Arena, and along Sung Wong Toi Road. Private cars can head to the drop-off areas at Kai Tak Stadium, Kai Tak Arena, or the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
How to leave Kai Tak Stadium
Leaving the premises with a stadium full of people can be daunting, but the MTR is still probably your best bet. There will be trains that run later on event days, the latest being the 12.55am service from Kai Tak Station towards Wu Kai Sha. Aside from the aforementioned 40 bus routes servicing the area around Kai Tak Stadium, there will also be special buses on July 26 and 31, running to 11 major destinations such as Central, Siu Sai Wan, Mong Kok, Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun, Sheung Shui, the airport, and more.
Taxis can pick up passengers from the designated points at Kai Tak Stadium and Kai Tak Arena, while private cars are only allowed to pick up from Muk Wo Street, near exit A of Sung Wong Toi MTR station, or Ma Tau Kok Road.
For more detailed information, visit the Hong Kong Football Festival 2025 website.
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