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Newcastle United to visit Korea for preseason matches

Published: 27 May. 2025, 11:11 Updated: 27 May. 2025, 13:13

Newcastle United celebrate winning the Carabao Cup in London on March 16. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Newcastle United and a team of Korean league All-Stars will join Tottenham Hotspur in a series of preseason matches here this summer.

Korean streaming service Coupang Play announced Tuesday that Newcastle United will make their first trip to Korea as part of the "2025 Coupang Play Series," the company's annual event featuring popular European football clubs for summer exhibitions.

Coupang had announced on May 19 that Tottenham Hotspur, featuring Korean-born captain Son Heung-min, will visit Korea for the third time in four years for the preseason series.

With Newcastle United's visit, the Coupang Play Series will pit two Premier League clubs against each other for the first time since its inception in 2022.

Newcastle United won the English Football League Cup in March, beating Liverpool for their first domestic trophy in 70 years. They also finished fifth in the Premier League to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Newcastle's attack is led by Alexander Isak, who finished second overall in the Premier League this season with 23 goals. Their English midfielder Harvey Barnes once said Son was an inspiration to him.

"Team K League," to be made up of All-Stars in the domestic league, will also be part of the annual preseason series.

Coupang Play said it is in the final stages of getting approval from the Korea Football Association on the match schedules and venues.

Spurs are visiting Korea this summer after winning the Europa League last week, which ended their 17-year trophy drought and marked Son's first title in his career.

Whether Tottenham will present their Europa League trophy in front of Korean fans is unclear.

Manchester City showcased their Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies from the 2022-23 season during the 2023 Coupang Play Series at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.

BY YONHAP, PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]