Featured image credit: Pak Misai/CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size
Manchester United will play two matches in Malaysia and Hong Kong in May, marking the Premier League club’s first post-season tour in the modern era.
United will take on the ASEAN All Stars at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium on May 28, before heading to Hong Kong Stadium on May 30 for a match against the Hong Kong national team.
Bukit Jalil National Stadium (pictured) has a capacity of 84,000, while Hong Kong Stadium seats up to 40,000 fans. United last visited Kuala Lumpur in 2009 and Hong Kong in 2013, and the club’s last trip to Asia was in July 2022 for a friendly against Liverpool in Bangkok.
The matches in Malaysia and Hong Kong will be presented by club sponsor Snapdragon and arranged by ProEvents. The match in Kuala Lumpur will take place just three days after United’s final Premier League match of the season.
United’s match in Hong Kong will not take place at the recently opened Kai Tak Stadium, which forms part of the wider Kai Tak Sports Park complex. It was announced last week that the 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium will host Liverpool vs AC Milan on July 26 and Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur on July 31.
Kai Tak Stadium is hosting two JJ Lin concerts on May 24 and 25, which would only leave a small window of time to prepare the venue for a football match five days later.
In November 2021, local authorities revealed plans to reduce Hong Kong Stadium’s capacity from 40,000 to 9,000 once Kai Tak Sports Park opened, but as things stand the stadium is still operating at full capacity.
United has already been confirmed as one of four teams taking part in the Premier League Summer Series, which will take place at three US stadiums from July 26 to August 3. The series will also feature Everton, AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United.
Omar Berrada, United chief executive, said: “We appreciate the amazing level of support that Manchester United enjoys around the world and this summer we are delighted to deliver a schedule that provides our fans in Asia, Scandinavia and the United States the opportunity to connect with the club and watch the men’s first team play live in local settings.
“Importantly, tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch. They also create unique opportunities for us to collaborate with our valued commercial partners, and to deepen relationships with our fans in regions such as Asia and the US.”
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