Aston Villa to Face West Ham
Defending champions Aston Villa will take on fellow English Premier League club, West Ham United, in the group phase of the 2024 HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens next month when the tournament returns for its 25th anniversary at Hong Kong Football Club.
Villa, who won the title for a record-extending seventh time in 2023 when Omari Kellyman inspired his team to victory over Hong Kong's Tai Po in the final, will also take on Yau Yee League Select and the HKFC Captain's Select in Group A.
The HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens will be held from May 24 to 26 at Hong Kong Football Club and will feature sixteen teams in the Main Event as well as the eight-team Masters Tournament and the inaugural Women's Tournament, which also includes eight clubs
"This event is unique to Hong Kong, it's the best sevens tournament in the world and we're delighted that Standard Chartered Priority Private have agreed to come on board this year as our title sponsors,"
HKFC Chairman Neil Jensen said on Friday. "It's a fabulous three days of football, it's a great event and we're delighted to be organising it once again.
"Because of the nature of the event, we see players at the start of their career and at the end of their career.
A number of world class players, like Manchester City's Jack Grealish, have been here on several occasions and still talk fondly of their experiences in Hong Kong."
Five-time J.League champions Yokohama F Marinos headline Group B, where they will take on Brighton & Hove Albion as the Premier League side return to the tournament as well as Hong Kong Rangers and Singapore Football Club.
Fulham and Rangers meet in Group C alongside the Hong Kong China U23s and Hong Kong Football Club while Leicester City, champions in 2013 and 2017, take on three-time winners Newcastle United, 2023 finalists Tai Po and Singapore Cricket Club in Group D.
The new Women's Tournament, meanwhile, will see seven teams from Hong Kong compete alongside the Macau women's national team for the inaugural title.
Group A will feature Sha Tin Sport Association, Soar 247 FC, Kitchee and Chelsea FC Soccer School while the Hong Kong Football Club, Macau Football Association, Grace Citizen and WSE compete in Group B.
"We've got some incredibly strong teams participating this year," said Scott Semple, Chairman of the HKFC Soccer Sevens organising committee.
"The Main Tournament is incredibly strong with three former winners included in the eight professional clubs from overseas in the line-up and we have the Women's Tournament for the very first time.
"This helps us provide a more comprehensive and diverse tournament in the true spirit of football and we hope it will help develop the overall game in Hong Kong and the region. It's exciting and hopefully it inspires people to continue with their development in the game."
In the Masters Event, Wallsend Boys Club HK will be seeking a third straight win after successfully defending the title they first won in 2022 last year.
Wallsend will face Singapore Cricket Club Masters, Singapore Football Club Masters, and Kowloon Cricket Club Vets in Group B, while Group A will feature the All Stars, the HKFC Chairman's Select, Discovery Bay and HKFC Masters.
The Masters and Women's Tournament's will commence proceedings at Sports Road, with games being played on the Friday evening, before the Main Event kick off on Saturday. Matches run throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for the event will be available at zicket.co from Monday 15 April, with free entry for all on Friday May 24. Single day tickets cost $150 and weekend passes are $250. Don't miss the opportunity to witness some world-class football at the HKFC Standard Chartered Soccer Sevens.