Liverpool Football Club has officially announced their return to Asia for the 2025 pre-season tour, featuring a high-profile match against AC Milan in Hong Kong, a trip to China, and a first-ever summer visit to Japan.

The tour represents a strategic shift back to the Asian market after the club’s 2024 pre-season was held in the United States.

The Reds will face Italian giants AC Milan on Saturday, July 26, at the newly opened Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, with both teams competing for the Standard Chartered Trophy.

This fixture will mark the first major football match at the impressive 50,000-seat venue, which officially opened on March 1, 2025, as part of the larger Kai Tak Sports Park complex.

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This marquee match carries extra significance as it comes 20 years after Liverpool’s historic Champions League final victory over AC Milan in Istanbul.

The game will be played at the state-of-the-art facility in Kowloon, built on the site of the former Kai Tak Airport at a reported cost of HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion).

While specific details of the Japan portion of the tour remain under wraps, this will mark Liverpool’s first summer visit to the country.

The club previously visited Japan in 2005 for the World Club Championship, where Rafael Benitez’s side lost 1-0 to Sao Paolo in Yokohama.

The Japan visit aligns with Liverpool’s strengthened commercial ties to the country following a multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with Japan Airlines announced in 2024.

The presence of Wataru Endo, Japan’s national team captain, in Liverpool’s squad further enhances the club’s connection with Japanese fans

This tour represents a deliberate commercial strategy by Liverpool, who have opted to skip the Premier League’s 2025 Summer Series in the United States in favor of returning to Asia.

The club last visited the region in 2023 with matches in Singapore and previously played in Hong Kong in 2017 as part of the Premier League Asia Trophy.

“We’re extremely excited to be returning to Asia for this summer’s pre-season tour,” said Ben Latty, LFC’s chief commercial officer.

“We’re very grateful to our principal partner, Standard Chartered, for their support in sponsoring the Standard Chartered Trophy against AC Milan, 20 years on from that magical night in Istanbul.

“And it’s a great honour for us to enjoy the award-winning and first-rate hospitality of Japan Airlines, our official airline partner, to fly us in comfort and ensure our pre-season tour starts and ends in the best way possible.

“We look forward to bringing our hundreds of millions of fans in Asia closer to the club they love.”

Read More: How Liverpool can return from international break with a bang

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