Hong Kong Premier League agrees rejigged fixture list as juggling act begins for new campaign
- Three-time defending champions Kitchee to play host to Tai Po at Mong Kok Stadium on August 19 in curtain raiser
- AFC Asian Cup finals and other international competitions set to interrupt what will be a congested campaign
A rejigged Hong Kong Premier League fixture schedule has finally been agreed, with a number of international competitions set to interrupt proceedings in what will be a congested campaign.
The new season will kick off in two weeks’ time at Mong Kok Stadium on August 19, with three-time defending champions Kitchee playing host in the curtain raiser to Tai Po, the last team to deny them the league title when the district club were crowned the champions in 2019.
Full details for the season will be confirmed at a press conference next week, including the Premier League title sponsor, fixture list, and prize money.
“There are a number of overseas competitions at both club and international level during the season, making the fixture list more difficult to prepare,” a source said.
“Adding to the problem, some staff members in the Football Association’s competition department quit during the close season and the lack of expertise has affected preparations for the new season.
“Now all the problems have been resolved, thanks to the help of the Hong Kong Premier League Committee, and a board meeting will take place before the presser to ratify all these details before making them public.”
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The Committee was formed by all Premier League clubs last season and works under the Football Association.
Committee convenor Chan Man-chun of Southern said they had secured the services of several ex-HKFA staff members to help consolidate the fixture list.
“We are happy to lend a hand if the Football Association needs our help,” Chan said. “The Sapling Cup is a sponsored event by the Jockey Club and we need to sort out all the preparation work with the sponsor before we can start the tournament. We are running out of time to do this with only two weeks left.”
With North District accepting an HKFA invitation to join the Premier League for the new season, there will be 11 teams in the top flight, with one team to sit out each week of league competition.
In January, Hong Kong will feature in the Asian Cup finals in Qatar for the first time for over half a century.
They will start in group C with the first match against the UAE on January 14 and their last group match against Palestine on January 23. If they can reach the knockout stage, they will stay in Doha for a longer period of time.
“We will need to give the Hong Kong team sufficient preparation time as we have been working for this for a long time and therefore the league will have to stop before they travel to the Middle East,” the official said.
“Coupled with the involvement of three Premier League clubs in the AFC Champions League, the AFC U-22 qualification tournament in early September, the 2026 World Cup Asian zone qualification that begins in October – all of these will have an impact on the fixtures.”
