Chelsea FC will play Johor Darul Ta’zim in a pre-season friendly in Malaysia, their first match in the country since 2013.
PETALING JAYA: Premier League giants Chelsea FC will return to Malaysia for the first time in 13 years when they take on reigning Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim FC in a high-profile pre-season friendly at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium this August.
The match, scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, with kick-off at 8pm, will mark the final stop of Chelsea’s Asia-Pacific pre-season tour ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign on Aug 22.
The clash is expected to generate significant excitement among football fans, with the encounter bringing together one of England’s biggest clubs and Malaysia’s most dominant domestic side in recent years.
Chelsea’s visit forms part of a five-stop regional tour that includes two matches in Sydney, Australia, and fixtures in Hong Kong and Jakarta before concluding in Malaysia.
The match also marks a return to Malaysian soil for the London club after an absence of more than a decade.
Chelsea previously played in Malaysia several times between 2003 and 2013, including appearances in Kuala Lumpur during the Premier League Asia Cup and exhibition matches against Malaysian select teams.
However, this will be the club’s first-ever match outside Kuala Lumpur and their first appearance at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.
Opened in 2020, Sultan Ibrahim Stadium has become one of Southeast Asia’s most recognisable football venues and serves as the home ground of Johor Darul Ta’zim, also known as the Southern Tigers.
JDT have established themselves as a dominant force in Malaysian football since Chelsea’s last visit, winning multiple league titles and building a growing reputation as one of Asia’s leading clubs.
The encounter presents a rare opportunity for local fans to witness top-level European football while offering JDT another chance to test themselves against elite international opposition.
Ticket prices for the match range from RM154 to RM1,254.
Supporters club members will have access to a pre-sale beginning at 10am (Malaysia time) on Thursday, May 21, while tickets for the general public will go on sale at noon on Friday, May 22.
The fixture is expected to draw a strong crowd, with the 40,000-capacity stadium likely to host one of the region’s biggest football events of the year.
