Arsenal confirm 1st pre-season fixture as further details leak | OneFootball

Arsenal have confirmed plans to hold a north London derby match in Hong Kong this summer, as part of the club’s 2025/26 pre-season plans.

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Arsenal have officially confirmed leaks that they intend to hold a north London derby pre-season match this summer, facing Tottenham Hotspur at the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.

It will be the first north London derby held outside of the United Kingdom, with the game scheduled for July 31st at 19:30 local time, 11:30 BST.

Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick said: “Everyone at Arsenal is excited to be visiting Hong Kong in July. It’s great to be back with our men’s first team squad after 13 years, and gives us the opportunity to meet so many of our fantastic supporters in the region again.

“As well as training hard and playing the match, we cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world.

“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.”

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Arsenal are seemingly set for a tour of Asia, with Arsenal Fixture News reporting that they expect two more games outside of Hong Kong but still on the same continent. Both are expected to take place before the Hong Kong match.

Arsenal’s 2024/25 campaign will come to an end in May, whether that’s the final game of the Premier League season on May 25th or the Champions League final on May 31st.

The Gunners are seemingly set for around a month and a half off after that, with pre-season starting at some point in mid-July. The new season will then kick off on August 16th.

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The Premier League have recently confirmed that the summer transfer window will open briefly between June 1st and June 10th (due to the Club World Cup) before opening properly on June 16th and closing on September 1st.

Arsenal should therefore have over a month to complete any transfers before the pre-season tour kicks off. Ideally, a few new signings will be involved by the time the team reaches Hong Kong.