SINGAPORE - English Premier League leaders Chelsea, German giants Bayern Munich and Italian club Inter Milan will be in town for the July 25-29 International Champions Cup (ICC) Singapore, which the Republic will host for the next four years until 2020.
The announcement was made by ICC founder Relevent Sports and Catalyst Media Group (CMG) during the event launch at Mandarin Oriental hotel on Thursday (March 16).
The three teams will play against one another in a round robin three-match tournament at the 55,000-seater National Stadium.
The ICC features European teams facing off against one another in different venues around the world.
Singapore is the third country to host the tournament in Asia-Pacific, after China and Australia, and will be the only Southeast Asian country to host a leg of the annual tournament.
Said CMG president and chairman Patrick Murphy: "The ICC has revolutionized the pre-season touring experience for the world's biggest and best football clubs and we are pleased to be able to expand the event and bring the tournament to Southeast Asia.
"Singapore is a natural choice due to its location, efficiency and more importantly, the nation's passion for international sporting events."
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Lionel Yeo added: "In a region where football is hugely popular, having the world's best teams here will allow us to tap on that interest and raise Singapore's profile as a vibrant events destination."
Football Association of Singapore president Lim Kia Tong welcomed the tournament, saying: "Football is a key platform and vehicle to galvanize the people ... we have been working with our partners to host quality matches to inject vibrancy to football and to bring out the Kallang roar. We are delighted that the ICC will be hosted in Singapore in July."
Said Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran in a Facebook post: "Happy that Singapore will be the exclusive Southeast Asian host of the International Champions Cup (ICC) tournament - a popular football tournament watched by millions of fans worldwide. The ICC tournament will augment Singapore's current suite of sporting and lifestyle events, and enhance our global branding as an attractive lifestyle and tourism destination.
"STB's efforts to grow our list of quality events and products will continue, so as to offer a diverse range of experiences for Singaporeans as well as visitors, and drive tourism growth in the long run."
Tickets will be on sale from March 30 at www.sportshubtix.sg, the Sports Hub Box Office and all Singapore Post outlets. Prices start from $25 for children and $40 for adults.
