On a steamy Tuesday night in June, 42,570 Hongkongers packed into a spectacular new harborside stadium located in their city’s urban heart.

Built on the site of a former airport , the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Sports Park was completed this March – and has been the crucible of a resurgence in support for the local team, where a red sea of fans now regularly cheers on the players.

Ranked 148th in the world – just between Ethiopia and the Solomon Islands – Hong Kong’s soccer team has never seen home crowds of this size, with attendances even for crucial qualifiers normally under 15,000.

But recent games have pulled in audiences more like those at top-tier international matches.

“We never had this many fans watching the Hong Kong team,” said Shinichi Chan, the 23-year-old rising star who is a

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