SINGAPORE — Backed by the red-hot form of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, Chelsea are looking like runaway favourites to clinch a fifth Premier League title this season. 

If all goes according to plan, victory for Antonio Conte’s men will mean a special treat for Singaporean fans in July, when the newly-crowned English champions travel here to compete in the 2017 International Champions Cup (ICC) alongside European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

After months of speculation, ICC organisers Relevent Sports and Catalyst Media Group (CMG) confirmed in a press conference on Thursday (March 16) that the ICC will be held at the 55,000-seater National Stadium from July 25 to 29. 

This is the first time that the prestigious club exhibition pre-season tournament will be staged in South-east Asia since its 2013 inception. 

China and Australia are the ICC’s only other Asia-Pacific venues to date, and this year’s ICC will travel to China, Miami, and New York.

Fans could also see football greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in town in the future, as the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has signed a four-year deal with CMG to be the ICC’s only stop in South-east Asia from 2017 to 2020. The long-term commitment is the first of its kind for the ICC, which has no formal deals with any other stop on its calendar.

CMG president and chairman Patrick Murphy said Thursday that the Republic is a perfect fit for the tournament. “It has wonderful hospitality for the clubs in terms of hotels, an amazing stadium, an incredible airport — basically, it has all the raw materials to run a very complicated event like this,” he told TODAY. 

“These kinds of facilities don’t exist anywhere else in the region, so why would we want to go anywhere else when everything is here?” STB deputy chief executive Melissa Ow told TODAY that discussions with CMG had begun in early 2016, and that the exclusivity of Singapore as a venue was an important consideration in the partnership.

“The fact that it will only take place in Singapore and over a span of four years will give us a chance to reach out to regional fans of the various clubs, and (other) football fans to make it viable for them to come here and see some of the best football action,” she said.

The ICC’s three-team, round-robin format could see a different line-up each year. That means that Singaporean fans could see the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, who have featured in previous editions of the ICC in other cities.  

“Clubs like to play one year in North America and the next year in Asia, so over the course of the four years, I think fans can expect to see a very good selection of top clubs,” said Murphy.

While cynics may dismiss pre-season tours by big football clubs as money-making ventures, Murphy stressed the ICC is in it for the long run. The tournament will work with Sport Singapore and the Football Association of Singapore to contribute to local grassroots and youth development programmes, and more details will be revealed at a later date. 

Club legends and ambassadors Tore Andre Flo (Chelsea), Hasan Salihamidzic (Bayern) and Francesco Toldo (Inter), who were present at the launch, are also looking forward to the ICC in Singapore. 

Salihamidzic added: “I spoke with a lot of the Bayern players and they have said they are looking forward to coming to Singapore. “We will also have some other activities (here), such as a Youth Cup in April.”

The news was welcomed by fans, as Carter Ee, president of the official Chelsea FC Supporters Club Singapore said: “Many of us have made the journey to London or other countries to watch them, but it’s special when they make the trip to our country.

“I expect many fans from the surrounding countries to come and watch … I am hoping to see a lot of first-team players like Hazard, (John) Terry and (Cesc) Fabregas.”

What: International Champions Cup Singapore 2017
Where: National Stadium
When: Tuesday, 25 July: Chelsea vs Bayern, Thursday, 27 July: Bayern vs Inter, Saturday, 29 July: Chelsea vs Inter

Ticket price: Starts from S$25 (child) to S$40 (adult), available from March 30 at www.sportshubtix.sg, Sports Hub Box Office and all Singapore Post outlets. 

Visit www.internationalchampionscup.com for more information.