Kai Tak Sports Park is a multi-purpose stadium on the site of the former Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, Hong Kong, as part of the Kai Tak Development project. The venue is located to the northwest of the old Kai Tak Airport, on the old car park. With an approximate area of 28 hectares, Kai Tak Sports Park is the largest sports venue in Hong Kong. The site anchors the redevelopment of the former airport site, and is intended to support the future sports development of Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post initially reported that the park would be finished by 2023, but it was not completed until 2024 due to a shortage of resources. The venue contains the Kai Tak Stadium, which holds 50,000 people at its maximum capacity along with a retractable roof, a 10,000-seat Kai Tak Arena and a 5,000-seat Public Sports Ground.
The venue was officially opened to the public on 1 March 2025. The first musical event to take place at the venue was Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour, with four shows held from 8–12 April 2025. The performances attracted 183,980 attendees in total.
Development
American engineering firm AECOM was engaged by the Civil Engineering and Development Department to undertake the Kai Tak Development project in early 2007.Kai Tak Development, Hong Kong AECOM. Retrieved 21 October 2011. In the 2011–12 policy address delivered by Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, he stated that the government is studying financing options and mode of operation of the proposed multi-purpose stadium complex at Kai Tak and will start the preliminary work as soon as possible.2011–12 Policy Address – From Strength to strength. Sports Development. 144. 2011–12 Policy Address. Hong Kong Government. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
On 5 November 2012, the Home Affairs Bureau completed an initial technical feasibility study of the Kai Tak multi-purpose complex and submitted it to the Legislative Council. In the study, the bureau proposed a "design-build-operate" approach – design, construction, operations and maintenance under a single entity – to ensure effective delivery from designing the complex to its long-term operation. The study also recommended that the project be financially supported by a combination of government and private financing in order to maximize efficiency and innovation. The stadium will have a retractable roof and a capacity of 50,000 for international sports and entertainment events. The facilities were proposed to be completed by 2020.
HK$62.7 million in pre-construction funds for the Kai Tak Multi-purpose Sports Complex was approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee members on 3 July 2015.
On 23 June 2017, the Hong Kong legislators in the finance committee granted cash for the HK$31.9 billion sports complex in Kai Tak after a six-hour debate. 36 lawmakers green-lit the sports park, with 21 voting against it.
On 28 December 2018, the government announced that the contract for the design, construction and operation of the Kai Tak Sports Park would be handed over to Kai Tak Sports Park Limited, a subsidiary of New World Development and NWS Holdings established specifically for the project. At the time, the Commissioner for Sports was Yang Deqiang.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the Kai Tak Sports Park was held on 23 April 2019.
Project team Kai Tak Sports Park's project team members include Hip Hing Engineering, Populous, ASM Global and Lagardère Sports and Entertainment. Hip Hing Engineering is the main contractor of the project supported by Populous, Robert Bird Group, SKA, ADI Limited, and Arup as design team.
Schedule and penalties The government has imposed strict performance indicators for the Kai Tak Sports Park with a penalty of HK$500,000 for every day if the operator fails to meet usage requirements in the main stadium, HK$100,000 for the indoor centre and HK$50,000 for the public ground accordingly. The time for operational acceptance is 1,640 days (54 months) from the commencement of the contract (1 February 2019). This means that the park should be finished by June 2023.
In June 2022, the Commissioner for Sports, Yeung Tak-keung, blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in opening dates to 2024, saying suppliers had faced difficulties in shipping construction materials to the territory, he added that the contractor won't be penalised for the delay, as no one could have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic when the contract was signed in 2019.
Facilities
Kai Tak Sports Park is designed around a covered Kai Tak Sports Avenue, an indoor and outdoor pedestrian walkway starting at the Station Square (the connection to the park linking new MTR stops Kai Tak station and Sung Wong Toi station) and takes people all the way to the Dining Cove overlooking the Victoria Harbourfront.
The main stadium has flexible pitch system which can be switched between natural turf for premier football or rugby events, to other surfaces for a variety of sports, entertainment, and community events. The facility has been designed to meet the standards of major international events with customisable staging and seating configurations that cater to various events and crowd sizes.
The sports park's Indoor Sports Center provides a large multi-purpose space with retractable seating to host major competitions or events of up to 10,000 seats and to accommodate sports courts for community use. A 5,000 seat Public Sports Ground is also provided for hosting school athletic events, athletic training and local league games.
Other facilities include more than 8 hectares of open spaces, outdoor ball courts, a children's playground, a health and wellness center, a bowling center and retail and dining outlets. An event village will also be built to house international athletes visiting from other regions and countries.
Transportation The sports park is accessible from the Kai Tak station and the Sung Wong Toi station on the Tuen Ma line, as well as to the Kowloon City Ferry Pier, Central Kowloon Route and many neighbouring bus stops.
Notable events Sports Hong Kong co-hosted the 2025 National Games of China with Guangdong and Macau, with the Kai Tak Sports Park as part of the hosting venues. The stadium hosted rugby sevens, and the arenas hosted men's handball, fencing and bowling.
Kai Tak Arena hosted the preliminary round of 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League in June 2025.
Football In December 2024, Kai Tak Sports Park hosted the group match of 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary competition between Guam and Macau.
The first football match to be held at the main stadium was the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification between Hong Kong and India on 10 June 2025. All tickets were sold out a day before the match.
Kai Tak Sports Park then hosted pre-season friendly matches between Liverpool and Milan on 26 July 2025 (in a rematch of the iconic 2005 and 2007 UEFA Champions League finals) as well as the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur on 31 July 2025, the first outside England.
Since 2026–27 Hong Kong Premier League season, Kowloon City District SA played their home games at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. The stadium also hosted the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 2 in Autumn 2026.
Notable football events held at Kai Tak Sports ParkDateHomeResultAwayEventAttendanceNotes202414 December1–22025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary competition534First match at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground202510 June1–02027 AFC Asian Cup qualification42,570First official match at Kai Tak Main StadiumTickets were sold out24 July— Liverpool open training27,30626 July Liverpool2–4 AC MilanExhibition game49,704Tickets were sold out29 July— Tottenham Hotspur open training9,08030 July— Arsenal open training18,56331 July Arsenal0–1 Tottenham HotspurExhibition game49,975First North London derby outside EnglandRecord attendance for football match in Hong Kong Tickets were sold out14 October1–12027 AFC Asian Cup qualification45,489Tickets were sold out18 October Liverpool Legends4–2 Manchester United LegendsExhibition game27,08125 October Hong Kong women5–0 Malaysia womenInternational friendly1,332First women football competition at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground18 November1–22027 AFC Asian Cup qualification47,762Record attendance of Hong Kong national football team home matchTickets were sold out in a record of 77 minutes20266 June Hong Kong women3–1 Fiji womenInternational friendly1,261Competition at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground31 July— Manchester City open training20,0001 August Manchester City1–1(1–3 ) Inter MilanExhibition game42,8264 August— Chelsea open training16,0005 August Chelsea0–1 JuventusExhibition game43,5756 August— Bayern Munich open training—7 August Bayern Munich2–1 Aston VillaExhibition game38,17627 September4–02026 FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup group stage18,8731–030 September2–20–220,1163 October2–02026 FIFA ASEAN Challenge Cup final31,374
Rugby Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground hosted its first rugby match in November 2024, where Hong Kong beat Brazil with a score of 38–17. The main stadium hosted its first annual Hong Kong Sevens in 2025. Over 110,000 fans attended the three-day tournament. This was bettered slightly in the 50th anniversary with just over 113,000 fans showing up in 2026.http://hongkongfp.com/2026/04/20/over-113000-turn-out-for-hong-kong-sevens-south-africa-mens-and-new-zealand-womens-teams-claim-top-titles/
Notable rugby events held at Kai Tak Sports ParkDateHomeResultAwayEventAttendanceNotes202416 November Hong Kong38–17BrazilTest match—Competition at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground202528–30 March—2025 Hong Kong Sevens139,00022 June Hong Kong78–7 Sri Lanka2025 Asia Rugby Emirates Men's Championship2,305Competition at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground24 October Hong Kong14–59 Japan XVTest match7,702First home match of Hong Kong national rugby union team at the Kai Tak Stadium202617–19 April—2026 Hong Kong Sevens113,39513 September Spain Women32–38 Fiji Women2026 WXV Global Challenger Series2,900https://www.rugbypass.com/news/standout-stats-from-wxv-global-series-challenger-2026/Competition at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground Hong Kong Women29–24 Brazil Women Netherlands Women70–0 Samoa Women19 September Samoa Women21–59 Spain Women2,700 Hong Kong Women26–54 Fiji Women Brazil Women15–17 Netherlands Women26 September Fiji Women20–17 Netherlands Women2,900 Hong Kong Women17–34 Samoa Women21 November Hong Kong Tonga2026 World Rugby Nations Cup20279–11 April—2027 Hong Kong Sevens
Other sports Notable sport events held at Kai Tak ArenaDateEventNote20254–9 March2025 World Snooker Grand Prix—18–22 June2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League—21–24 AugustPPA Tour Asia Hong Kong Open 2025—17, 19 September2025 NBL Finals Hong Kong Bulls vs Changsha Yongsheng—14–15 OctoberUltimate Tennis Showdown—202623 January2025—26 NBL Hong Kong Bulls vs Changsha YongshengTickets were sold out3–8 February2026 World Snooker Grand Prix—14–15 FebruaryAll Hong Kong Schools Jing Ying Basketball Tournament 2025—2026—28 February – 1 March2026 LCK Cup FinalsFirst League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) event held outside of South Korea.Tickets were sold out19, 21 April2025—26 NBL Finals Hong Kong Bulls vs Shanghai Black Bird—8–12 July2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League—19–25 OctoberPPA Asia 1500 Hong Kong Slam 2026—17–22 NovemberBWF World Tour Super 500 Hong Kong Open 2026—9–13 DecemberWTT Finals 2026—
Concerts and performances