Hong Kong Is Shaping Up To Be An Ultimate Summer Football Destination

The Hong Kong Football Festival kicks off the football craze season this summer.

In Brief

Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium hosted Manchester City and Inter Milan, with nearly 43,000 fans watching Inter win on penalties.
Fans enjoyed open training sessions and Asia's first FIFA Museum, offering an immersive football experience beyond just matchday action.
Chelsea, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Aston Villa are also heading to Hong Kong, cementing its place on the global football calendar.

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This summer, the city drawing football lovers from across the globe isn’t in Europe or South America.

It’s Hong Kong. With a purpose-built stadium, elite European clubs on the pitch, and a packed calendar of fan experiences, Hong Kong has become one of the most exciting football destinations on the planet.

The centrepiece of this summer’s football buzz is the Hong Kong Football Festival, staged at the striking, 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium, built on the historic site of the former Kai Tak Airport.

The headline fixture, the Asahi Super Dry Trophy, brought together two European giants: Manchester City, the only club in Premier League history to win four consecutive league titles, and Inter Milan, the reigning Serie A champions and three-time European champions.

Nearly 43,000 fans packed into Kai Tak for a match that lived up to the hype. Manchester City opened the scoring early through a slick finish from Divin Mubama, only for Inter Milan to level things up minutes later.

Ninety minutes of end-to-end action ended in a 1-1 draw, and Inter Milan won the trophy on penalties. Benjamin Pavard, who scored Inter’s goal, was named Man of the Match.

For fans, the appeal went well beyond the final score.

It was a rare chance to watch some of Europe’s most recognisable stars up close, on a pitch just a short MTR ride from the neon streets of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui.

High-flying excitement at the Hong Kong Football Festival’s Asahi SuperDry Trophy as Inter Milan beat Manchester City 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-all draw in regulation.

Inter Milan’s legion of fans in Asia were rewarded for their passion as Inter beat Manchester City 3-3 (1-1 in regulation) in a penalty shootout in front of 42,826 fans to conclude the Hong Kong Football Festival 2026 Asahi SuperDry Trophy at Kai Tak Stadium.

Inter Milan lift the Asahi SuperDry Trophy, the first of two matches of the Hong Kong Football Festival 2026.

Exclusive Access For Fans

As part of the festival, fans had the opportunity to attend open training sessions, watching Manchester City players go through their paces in a far more intimate setting than any matchday atmosphere allows.

Fans got a firsthand look at the work, skill, and tenacity each player brought to the pitch.

Adding to the excitement, Hong Kong is currently home to the first FIFA Museum in Asia.

The FIFA Museum Hong Kong has a six-month residency at Times Square in Causeway Bay so visitors can explore football’s most legendary moments and iconic memorabilia until 28 November 2026.

The exhibit is a nostalgia trip at every turn, featuring pieces like the 13th Anniversary Merdeka Football Festival plaque and a Malaysian Football Federation jersey.

Between the museum, the open training, and the on-pitch drama at Kai Tak, football fans visiting Hong Kong this summer are immersed in the sport for days at a time beyond just watching a match.

Savinho (right) controls the ball as Manchester City stars warm up for The Asahi SuperDry Trophy match versus Inter at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium.

Manchester City’s new manager Enzo Maresca oversees training.

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma

The Jules Rimet Cup (1930-1970) is the first FIFA World Cup trophy named after FIFA president Jules Rimet. Image: Adeline Leong/TRP

The wooden commemorative plaque and the jersey. Image: Adeline Leong/TRP

FIFA Museum Hong Kong Gift Shop. Image: Adeline Leong/TRP

A city built for travellers

Part of what makes Hong Kong such a compelling destination is how easily a football trip also shows everything else the city has to offer.

Kai Tak Stadium is easily accessible by train, shuttle bus, and taxi. Visitors can easily combine a night of world-class football with a day of dim sum in Sham Shui Po, harbour views from Victoria Peak, or shopping along Canton Road.

With a shopping mall right next to the stadium, visitors can collect more football memorabilia and enjoy delicious local food.

Even if the whole family didn’t come to Hong Kong to watch football, the city has plenty of other attractions to offer.

The football season continues

Right after the Asahi Super Dry Trophy, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup winners, Chelsea, will take on Juventus at the Herbalgy Trophy on 5 August.

In July 2025, the Herbalgy Trophy made global headlines by hosting the first-ever North London Derby played outside of the United Kingdom

The football craze continues with the Audi Football Summit 2026 this month, where fans get to watch Bayern Munich and Aston Villa go head-to-head on the pitch.

These events are part of a broader push to make Hong Kong a regular stop on the global football calendar.

For a city known for its skyline, food, and energy, Hong Kong has built a summer football experience that’s hard to match and harder to forget.

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