Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Japan Airlines advertisement is seen on the pitch perimeter LED boards during a Premier League match(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

This summer will see Liverpool jet to Asia for pre-season games in Hong Kong and Japan.

Marinos on July 26 and 30.

At a time when many Premier League clubs are heading out to the United States this summer, with the World Cup in North America just a year out as well as the FIFA Club World Cup taking place in the US this summer, Liverpool have opted for a different route when it comes to their preparations for 2025/26, a season where it looks increasingly likely they’ll be the defending Premier League champions.



Article continues below

Liverpool last visited the region by playing in Singapore in 2023, and previously travelled to Hong Kong for pre-season in 2017.

It is a market where they have a significant fan base, and also multiple key commercial partners, including the recently added Japan Airlines, who will fly the Reds to their destination, and main shirt sponsor Standard Chartered, who will be title sponsor of the trophy that will be contested with Milan.

“I think, first and foremost, when we plan these summer tours, it's such a complex operation,” said Ben Latty, Liverpool’s chief commercial officer, speaking exclusively to the ECHO.

READ MORE:Exclusive: Inside Liverpool £308m success and ambition to be world's bestREAD MORE:Explained - Why Mohamed Salah deal goes beyond just football for Liverpool

“Finding available stadiums, matching up with opposition, getting the local FA to sanction the game, it's an incredibly long and extended process, but like for us it starts with sitting down as we did this year with Richard Hughes (sporting director) and and David Woodfine (assistant sporting director) and talking through the different options we had available to us.

“We did have a number of different options and one thing I will say, and I always say this, is that football preparation is paramount for.

We have a number of partners too, specifically Hong Kong and Japan, they're big markets.

“Whether they're from those markets or not, they see those markets as important ones to activate on.

It should be a great tour.”

So what was the motivation behind choosing Asia this summer, at a time when many other Premier League clubs are looking at the US?

America is a hugely important market for Liverpool, so much so that the club has an office in New York to service the Americas, and also many US-based companies among its list of commercial partners, including the likes of UPS, Wasabi, Orion Innovation, Expedia and Peloton.

Some industry experts that the ECHO has spoken to in recent months have claimed that so much football taking place in the US might lead to a little ‘fan fatigue’ when it comes to how compelling it is to sell another club on another tour.

You see the sort of partners now we have there, and that's working closely with the FSM (Fenway Sports Management) team led by Ryan Fischer.

“We are starting to find that brands headquartered in the US see the value, the scale and the reach of the Premier League.