Two games, four days, one World Cup stadium
Manchester City’s stop in Seoul has turned into something more than a mid-tour friendly. Enzo Maresca’s squad will play twice at the Seoul World Cup Stadium after opening the tour against Inter Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday, August 1.
The first of those Seoul fixtures comes on Wednesday, August 5, against a K League All-Stars XI. Three days later, the same venue hosts Atletico Madrid. Both are scheduled for 13:00 UK time and will be streamed live on CITY+ in permitted regions.
Seoul World Cup Stadium holds 66,704. It staged three matches at the 2002 World Cup, including Senegal’s famous opening win over France. City have been here before, too — a rain-delayed 2-1 defeat to Atletico during the 2023 Asia Tour.
This is still a commercial tour. No one is pretending otherwise. But for Maresca, the Seoul leg offers two very different examinations inside four days: a K League side with local rhythm and intensity, followed by an Atletico team built to make life difficult for everyone.
That makes the double-header a useful early measure. Pressing distances, rest-defence shape, midfield spacing — the kind of details Maresca will want to see taking shape before the season starts to harden.