Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are coming to Korea this summer

Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are headed to Korea this summer, with the two clubs agreeing to play in this year’s edition of streaming service Coupang Play’s Coupang Play Series.

Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are headed to Korea this summer, with the two clubs agreeing to play in this year’s edition of streaming service Coupang Play’s Coupang Play Series.

According to multiple reports, e-commerce company Coupang, operator of streaming service Coupang Play, has completed negotiations with the Premier League and La Liga sides.

Coupang could not be reached for comment as of press time Thursday, but had released a video on the official Coupang Play YouTube channel showing both the Manchester City and Atletico Madrid badges.

This year would mark the second edition of the Coupang Play Series, which launched in 2022 with Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla.

The series last year included two games: Tottenham vs. a team of K League 1 stars, known as Team K League, and Tottenham vs. Sevilla. Off the pitch, both teams held a number of fan events and traveling around tourist sites in and around Seoul.

According to reports, the 2023 series would take roughly the same format, with Manchester City first playing Team K League and then facing off against Atletico Madrid.

The 2022 edition was hugely successful, with tickets selling out in minutes for both the Tottenham vs. K League and Tottenham vs. Sevilla game. Ticket sales were boosted by the appearance of Korean star Son Heung-min, along with popular players like Harry Kane, Ben Davies and Richarlison.

The 2023 edition is likely to be just as popular. While they don’t currently have a Korean player, the club is home to hugely popular players like Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

Atletico Madrid, a major La Liga club, will also be visiting Korea for the first time.

The series is expected to take place at some point in July, although the exact dates have not been announced as of press time Thursday. Whether Coupang Play intends to keep the same format with two teams or expand it with more participants still to be announced also remains to be seen.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]