Asia Tour 2026: Asian stars to play for City

Nairavoice | 3h ago 29 0 3 min read
Asia Tour 2026: Asian stars to play for City
ee4b89ce3da4128a19b093a3b0323824 Asia Tour 2026: Asian stars to play for City

City head to Asian for a pre-season tour this summer ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

City first head to Hong Kong to face Italian champions Inter in a 12:30 (UK) kick-off on Saturday 1 August.

After that we go to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars XI at 12:00 (UK) on Wednesday 5 August before meeting Atletico Madrid at the same time on Sunday 9 August.

All three tour matches in Asia will be available to watch with a CITY+ subscription*.

Over the years, City have had various players from the continent including a couple of old familiar names as well as current favourites who feature here.

Sun Jihai

One of China’s greatest ever footballers, Sun Jihai was a cult hero at City between 2002 and 2008.

The full-back was known for his tireless running and incredible commitment to the cause.

He also became the first ever East Asian player to score in the Premier League in October 2002 – heading home against Birmingham City.

Jihai remained a fan favourite throughout his time in Manchester, making 151 appearances before leaving at the end of the 2007/08 campaign.

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Eyal Berkovic

Born in Regba in Israel in the Middle East, Berkovic was a creative midfielder that captured imaginations as part of Kevin Keegan’s entertainers that ran away with the 2001/02 Division One title.

His partnership with Ali Benarbia in particular helped create an incredible amount of chances for the likes of Shaun Goater to put away.

In total, he played 67 times for City between 2001 and 2003, scoring nine goals.

Tal Ben Haim

Also Israeli, Ben Haim featured just 15 times in 2008/09 before a loan to Sunderland in the second half of the season and a move to Portsmouth the following summer.

Abdukodir Khusanov

A January 2025 signing, the Uzbek international has become a huge hit with his pace, strength and intelligent defending and will be hoping to forge a long career at the Etihad Stadium.

He’s already played nine times since joining despite coming in midway through the campaign so you can expect him to build on that experience quickly.

He’ll no doubt be a key part of Pep Guardiola’s squad as this summer’s tournament progresses.

Yasser Hussein

A winger or attacking midfielder, Hussein featured regularly for the Qatar national team between 2001 and 2011 but could only manage one City appearance – a League Cup tie with Doncaster Rovers in September 2005.

Women’s players

Our Barclays Women’s Super League champions currently has a fantastic Japanese contingent including Yui Hasegawa, Ayaka Yamashita and Aoba Fujino.

They’re not the first Asian players to feature for our women’s side, with Korean international Lee Geum-min playing a handful of matches in 2019.

Watch our 2026 tour games on CITY+!

Subscribe to CITY+ now to see all three of City’s games during our 2026 pre-season tour of Asia.

We start in Hong Kong against Italian champions Inter on Saturday 1 August, with kick-off at 12:30 (UK).

After that, we go to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars side on Wednesday 5 August and then Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August. Both games begin at 12:00 (UK).

All three will be available to watch on mancity.com and our official app for current CITY+ subscribers globally*.

Available for £34.99 for an annual subscription or £9.99 per month, CITY+ gets you closer to the Club than ever before, with documentaries, live games and full-match replays throughout the season.

*City v Inter: Globally available except China, Italy 

K League All-Stars v City: Globally available except South Korea 

City v Atletico Madrid: Globally available except South Korea, Spain 


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Nairavoice
Nairavoice

Contributor at NairaVoice.com.ng

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