Wolves will travel to South Korea this summer for the first time in its 146-year history, in a landmark pre-season tour.
The trip, set to take place at the end of July, marks a significant milestone in the club's history, and promises to be an exciting opportunity for supporters to follow the Old Gold to a new continent, while the club expands its global reach and engages with fans in a new market.
Julen Lopetegui’s side will prepare for the 2023/24 season with two international friendlies in South Korea, with the first match at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on 26th July, against Scottish champions Celtic FC.
The second game will see Wolves take on three-time Serie A winners AS Roma at the Incheon Asiad Stadium on 29th July. Both games will kick off at 8pm local time and will be broadcast on Wolves TV for fans around the world.
The cities of Incheon and Suwon border the country's capital Seoul, with both stadiums having hosted several matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Wolves' last trip to Asia, and the club’s most recent international tour, was the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy, where the club emerged victorious, beating Newcastle United and Manchester City to lift the trophy in Shanghai.
This summer’s trip is set to be the most commercially lucrative pre-season tour in the club's history, and Russell Jones, Wolves' general manager of marketing and commercial growth, expressed his excitement about taking the club to South Korea.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to confirm our summer trip to South Korea and thrilled to be visiting Asia again, after a highly successful trip to Shanghai in 2019.
“South Korea is a key market for us and there has been significant fan growth there since the arrival of Hee Chan Hwang in 2021, with a big spike in interest in Wolves from the public, media and football fans alike.
“Over the last two years we have introduced local language social media channels and retail lines to support the new interest in South Korea, and we are really looking forward to meeting and engaging with our Asian fans in person this summer and learning and celebrating Korean culture.”
Wolves' forward and South Korean 2022 World Cup hero, Hee Chan Hwang, expressed his excitement and pride in introducing his teammates and Wolves fans to his home country.
Hwang said: “South Korea is a beautiful country, with incredible people, culture, food and history, and I am very excited to return home this summer alongside my Wolves teammates and introduce them to my country.
“It is an honour for me to travel to Korea with my team Wolves, I look forward to introducing my teammates and staff at the club to the passionate Korean football fans of Incheon, Suwon and from all across the country.”
The tour promotor is Stadium X/USG, a consortium that’s been formed with the focus of getting Korean national players back in their home country and having the opportunity to introduce South Korea to their teammates and an international audience.
Jaehyung AHN, a tour director and the CEO of USG said: “South Korean football is getting the recognition at a global level. More and more of our stars are playing in the various European football leagues and as an organisation and a proud supporter of South Korean football, we want to do our part in getting even more awareness out there.
“The European teams and fans have embraced Hee Chan Hwang and Oh Hyeon Gyu and we want to invite their clubs to visit South Korea so that we can help our football heroes give their clubs an equally big welcome. And in doing so, we also hope we can help more of the world see and love the beauty and culture of South Korea.”
Seongho PARK, a partnership director and the CEO of Stadium X, added: “We are looking forward to creating a multi-match football festival to mark the start of a wonderful summer filled with unforgettable experiences for the fans. We would also like to express our gratitude to Suwon City and Incheon Metropolitan City for their great support and helping us fulfil our objectives and give fans the great opportunity to cheer on their football stars in person.”
In addition to the games, supporters will have access to once-in-a-lifetime supporter travel packages, which will include travel on the official plane with the playing squad and staff, tickets to both matches, access to training and hotel accommodation. Further details of the package will be announced soon.
The trip will round off a busy summer for the club, with Wolves under-19s travelling to Mumbai, India in May, before a Wolves team made up of legends and Golden Chance winners will compete at the TST, a winner-takes-all tournament in North Carolina, in June.
