The sportsperson’s guide to Kai Tak Sports Park

Between 1925 and 1998, Kai Tak Airport was the home of Cathay Pacific. The iconic site on the city’s waterfront was admired the world over before it was decommissioned. More than 25 years later, the former airport experienced a rebirth when Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) officially opened in March 2025. For us at Cathay, this meant celebrating a major homecoming as we returned to the buzzing district as KTSP’s exclusive Founding Travel Partner. 
 
As a leading airline and premium travel lifestyle brand, we go beyond just bringing travellers safely to their destination. We’re also committed to promoting entertainment, sporting, arts and cultural experiences as a way of championing the vibrancy of our beloved home city. Testament to that was the success of the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, christening the new stadium during its thrilling run between 28–30 March. And there's plenty more to look forward to this year – read on to discover the key facilities of the park, as well as its exciting line-up of sports events. 

State-of-the-art facilities

Kai Tak Stadium is one of a kind, featuring several innovations you won’t find in any other venue in Hong Kong. The retractable roof ensures events continue come rain or shine, while air conditioning under each seat keep spectators cool during the city’s infamously humid summers. Its customisable seating system also adapts to events of different sizes and functions.

The stadium is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the KTSP, but there’s plenty of functional space in the park’s indoor sports venues. When the seats are removed in Kai Tak Arena's Grand Hall and Sports Hall, they equal the size of 12 basketball courts. The Sports Hall can seat up to 500 people, while the Grand Hall has a capacity of 10,000. Pillar-free for unobstructed views, and with a range of floor surface overlays and 80 percent retractable or removable seating, it’s designed with major international tournaments in mind. It can be reconfigured to accommodate everything from badminton and basketball to gymnastics, tennis and table tennis. 

The sports park is also home to the largest bowling lanes in Kowloon. At over 40,000 square feet, Top Bowl Tenpin Bowling includes 40 competition-grade lanes. Earlier this year, between 5–14 January, it even held its first major international sports event – the IBF World Cup – which saw teams from 31 countries and regions competing against each other.  

The Hong Kong Football Festival  

There’s a lot of buzz around the upcoming Hong Kong Football Festival , and for good reason. This summer, four of the world’s biggest clubs will be playing at Kai Tak Stadium. The Premier League trio of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham, along with Italian giants AC Milan, will be playing pre-season friendlies throughout July. Liverpool and Milan, both winners of the UEFA Champions League, will face off on 26 July, while longtime rivals Arsenal and Tottenham play on 31 July – the first-ever north London derby to be played outside of the UK. Fans will also get the rare opportunity to watch their favourite teams practice during open training sessions: Liverpool train on 24 July, Tottenham on 29 July and Arsenal on 30 July.  

The 15th National Games

Co-hosted by Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao, the 15th National Games is held once every four years, and in 2025 it takes place 9–21 November. Hong Kong will be hosting eight competition events, including men’s under-22 basketball, track cycling, fencing, golf, men’s handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball, as well as one mass participation event: bowling. Four events will take place in KTSP: fencing and men’s handball to be held in the arena, rugby sevens in the stadium, and bowling in the bowling centre. 

In addition, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games will be held later in the year, between 8–15 December 2025. Hong Kong will host four competition events: boccia, wheelchair fencing, para table tennis and para dance sport, with boccia being held at Kai Tak Arena.

2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification

The third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification takes place from 25 March 2025 to 31 March 2026 to determine the teams for the 19th edition of the men’s football championship. This year, three matches from the third round will be hosted in KTSP. On 10 June, Hong Kong and India will compete in a qualifying match at Kai Tak Stadium, marking the Hong Kong team’s first home game. The team will then return to the stadium to play Bangladesh on 14 October and Singapore on 18 November.