Arsenal, Tottenham to Play Pre-season North London Derby in Hong Kong

This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
TT

Arsenal, Tottenham to Play Pre-season North London Derby in Hong Kong

This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)
This photo shows a general view from inside the Kai Tak Sports stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, on the first day of the 2025 Rugby Sevens Hong Kong tournament on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)

Arsenal will play Tottenham in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, the first North London derby to be held outside the United Kingdom, the clubs said Monday, while Liverpool will meet AC Milan.

The London rivals will play at the southern Chinese city's new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium on July 31.

"Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season," AFP quoted Arsenal's managing director Richard Garlick as saying.

Liverpool will play Serie A giants Milan on July 26 at the same stadium.

It will be a replay of the classic 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds won on penalties after being 3-0 down at half-time.

Arne Slot's Liverpool are likely to head to Hong Kong as Premier League champions -- they are currently 12 points clear with nine games left.

Liverpool will also travel to Japan for the first time during pre-season, the club said, without giving dates.

Hong Kong this month officially opened a major $3.85 billion sports park with futuristic Kai Tak Stadium the centerpiece of it.

The stadium saw its first major event at the weekend when it hosted the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens with more than 110,000 spectators attending over three days.

It is all part of efforts to restore the city's image, which took a battering after political protests and a Beijing-imposed national security law.

Visitor numbers to Hong Kong also plummeted during almost three years of strict Covid curbs and have only recently begun to recover.



Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
TT

Iraq Coach Arnold Undecided on Future Beyond World Cup

Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup - Inter-Confederation Playoffs - Final - Iraq v Bolivia - Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico - March 31, 2026 Iraq coach Graham Arnold before the match. (Reuters)

Iraq coach Graham Arnold said ‌his future beyond the World Cup remains undecided as his contract ends after the tournament and no formal talks have yet taken place, though retirement is not on his mind.

The 62-year-old Australian, who took charge of Iraq in May of last year, said he was keeping his options open and wanted to focus fully on the World Cup, where the team will make its first appearance in 40 years.

"The book is ‌open. My ‌contract finishes straight after the World ‌Cup. ⁠There has been ⁠talk about them wanting me to stay on, but I haven't had anything formal yet," Arnold told AAP.

"I really don't want anything formal yet. I want to go to the World Cup and enjoy it and after that I've got to make a decision whether ⁠to stay on or move on."

Arnold, ‌who guided his native Australia ‌to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup ‌in Qatar, said the prospect of leading teams ‌that have struggled to reach major tournaments continues to motivate him.

"There's some nations that I look at and I think to myself, they haven't qualified for a long time, I'd ‌like to do it again," he said.

"I've obviously had the experience throughout Asia, ⁠but I'm ⁠nowhere near ready to retire."

Iraq qualified for the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in Mexico in their inter-confederation playoff earlier this month.

Arnold said Iraq's qualification campaign had reinforced his belief that the team could trouble more-established sides on the global stage.

"We're going out there with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and with the chance to shock the world," he said.

"We'll be the underdog. We'll be fighters. If no one is giving us a chance, we can go there and achieve something special."


Liverpool Targets Famous Champions League Comeback Against PSG

13 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool manager Arne Slot attends a press conference at Anfield, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Paris Saint Germain. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
13 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool manager Arne Slot attends a press conference at Anfield, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Paris Saint Germain. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
TT

Liverpool Targets Famous Champions League Comeback Against PSG

13 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool manager Arne Slot attends a press conference at Anfield, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Paris Saint Germain. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa
13 April 2026, United Kingdom, Liverpool: Liverpool manager Arne Slot attends a press conference at Anfield, ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League soccer match against Paris Saint Germain. Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/dpa

Liverpool is aiming for another famous Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The six-time European champion trails 2-0 after the first leg of the quarterfinal in Paris. But it is hoping for the type of Anfield night that saw it rout Barcelona 4-0 in the semifinals in 2019 to overturn a 3-0 first leg loss.

“There is a belief that we can do special things . . . but we need to be very, very, very special," coach Arne Slot said ahead of the match, according to The Associated Press. “We know we need an exceptional performance to go through to the next round.”

Defending champion PSG totally dominated the first leg last week and could have ran up a more commanding lead if it had taken its chances.

Coach Luis Enrique warned his team about the potential to slip up with the semifinals within touching distance.

“You need to be really careful, there could be pitfalls and it could be a trap,” he said.

“Everyone says, ‘You won (the first leg) easily and you were much better than (the) opposition.’ It might be the case but things can change so quickly in a football match.”

Barcelona must also overturn a 2-0 first leg loss against Atletico Madrid if it is to advance to the semifinals.


Asian Champions League to Expand from 24 to 32 Teams

Football - Asian Champions League - Final - Al Ahli v Kawasaki Frontale - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 3, 2025 The Asian Champions League trophy is display inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Final - Al Ahli v Kawasaki Frontale - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 3, 2025 The Asian Champions League trophy is display inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
TT

Asian Champions League to Expand from 24 to 32 Teams

Football - Asian Champions League - Final - Al Ahli v Kawasaki Frontale - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 3, 2025 The Asian Champions League trophy is display inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)
Football - Asian Champions League - Final - Al Ahli v Kawasaki Frontale - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 3, 2025 The Asian Champions League trophy is display inside the stadium before the match. (Reuters)

The Asian Champions League is set to expand from 24 to 32 teams, the region's governing body for football said Tuesday, adding it will "promote inclusivity and excellence".

The move will take effect from next season once it is signed off by the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee, the AFC said, hailing it as a "landmark expansion".

The group phase of the continent's top club competition is split into two sections, East and West, before going into the knockout rounds.

The structure will remain broadly the same, but the two groups will from 2026-27 increase from 12 to 16 teams each.

The top six in each group will automatically progress to the last 16 while clubs in seventh to 10th will go through to a newly established knockout stage playoff.

The tournament has been branded the AFC Champions League Elite since 2024/25.

The last 16 and quarter-final matches in the 2025/26 campaign take place this week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.