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- Napoli will take on Fiorentina in first semifinal of the EA Sports FC Supercup, which this year features 4 teams for the first time
- Defending champions Inter Milan will face Lazio on Friday and the winners of the two games will meet in the final on Monday
RIYADH: The 36th Supercoppa Italiana kicks off in Riyadh on Thursday, offering football fans in Saudi Arabia the chance to experience firsthand all the passion and thrills of Italian football.
This year marks the fourth time the Kingdom has hosted the event, officially known as the EA Sports FC Supercup. For the first time it features both the winners and runners-up of Serie A and the Coppa Italia, rather than only the champions of each.
Napoli will face Fiorentina in the first semifinal on Thursday, and defending champions Inter Milan will take on Lazio on Friday. Both games, and the final on Monday will take place Al-Awwal Park, the 25,000-capacity home ground of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. All matches kick off at 10 p.m. local time.
The Italian Football Federation has a long history of showcasing the Supercup around the globe. The competition was introduced in 1988 and was held outside Italy for the first time five years later, in 1993, when AC Milan beat Torino in Washington, D. C.
Since then, the event has been held one other time in America, once in Libya, four times in China and twice in Qatar. Saudi Arabia hosted it for the first time in 2018. The previous three Supercups in the Kingdom attracted a combined crowd of about 125,000 fans and the games were broadcast around the world.
This year the Supercup will have a dedicated match ball for the first time in the competition’s history. In celebration of the expansion of the event to a four-team format, sports equipment brand Puma and Serie A have created a new version of the Orbita Serie A 2023/2024 ball that has a unique golden color.
The Supercup is touted by Saudi officials as one of the first high-profile events in what promises to be the biggest year yet for international sport in the Kingdom, and the latest example of the country’s commitment to hosting the very best international competitions.
The Italian Supercup follows hot on the heels of its Spanish equivalent last week, also in Riyadh, in which Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 in the final.
Visit webook.com to purchase tickets for the EA Sports FC Supercup.