The Hong Kong Football Festival (HKFF) 2026 officially opens tomorrow (Aug. 1) at the state-of-the-art Kai Tak Stadium, with Manchester City and FC Internazionale Milano squaring off in the tournament's opening match.
Over 20,000 fans packed the stadium tonight for Manchester City's open training session, cheering on stars including Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, Savinho, and Josko Gvardiol – who recently signed a new five-year deal with the club.
Enzo Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola on a three-year contract in June, will lead City out for the first time. "I don't believe in copy and paste," Maresca said. "Every manager is different... it's my duty to try to introduce some new ideas".
Several World Cup stars – including Erling Haaland and Rodri – are absent due to mandatory rest periods. However, Phil Foden and Gianluigi Donnarumma are among the 28-man travelling squad.
Inter coach Cristian Chivu confirmed his squad is thrilled to be in Hong Kong. The Nerazzurri have strengthened their defence with the free-agent signing of former Manchester City defender John Stones.
Chivu began his press conference by paying tribute to Franco Baresi, the legendary former AC Milan defender who passed away Friday at age 66. "It's a sad day for the whole world because he represented one of the legends of football," Chivu said.
Festival Details
· Opening Match: Manchester City vs Inter Milan, August 1, 7:30pm
· Second Match: Chelsea FC vs Juventus, August 5, 7:30pm
Tickets range from HK2,999. Last year's inaugural HKFF generated approximately HK56 million) in economic value for Hong Kong.
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