Celtic to compete in the inaugural Cork Super Cup this summer

Good to see we'll be heading back over to Ireland for another pre season game


Should be doing this more





The Rebel Army are set to face Celtic in a big summer friendly in the Pairc!

Cork City FC owner Dermot Usher previously stated on the Rebel Army Podcast that the club were in talks to host a big Summer friendly against a big UK club.

The ‘big club’ looks to be Celtic. A smart move by the club, knowing that Celtic has a huge Irish fanbase. A huge money maker for both Cork City and Pairc Ui Caoimh.

 

Great news.

 

Might go even if I can't get a ticket.

 

Should be easy enough get tickets, any idea what date?
Suspect capacity is around 40K plus

 

Noice! I've never been down Saaaf!



This made me laugh

 

I am off to Puckfest this year. Might be too late in the summer for a pre season game.

 

Would be great if they done a mini tour of Ireland, with games in Dublin and the North too.

 

Cork City are set to play Celtic in a marquee friendly on Wednesday, July 9 at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The Rebel Army will meet a treble-chasing Hoops side that will have Douglas native Adam Idah in their ranks.


It is unclear at this moment in time how the friendly will be managed over the nature of the terraces at the venue, as such structures are banned under UEFA regulations, although this issue is expected to be sorted out, with a capacity attendance of 45,000 expected. Without the terraces, a crowd of 23,000 would be the maximum.

The fixture marks the culmination of a long process of complex negotiations, with rumours first arising of the possibility of a friendly in December 2024.


Full details of the event are to be confirmed in March, for what will be just the third-ever soccer match played at the home of Cork GAA

2018 saw a fundraiser for Liam Miller between a Republic of Ireland XI and Celtic/Manchester United XI, and the women's national team hosted France there last summer as part of the UEFA Nations League.

The Girls in Green took on Les Bleues in front of 18,399 people, and a stand-out performance from Denise O'Sullivan helped the team record a famous 3-1 win. The Knocknaheeny native opened the scoring that night, while Megan Connolly got an assist.

The Girls in Green coming back to Cork is a real possibility this year, as the FAI are looking into bringing one game down to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh after the success of the Les Bleues visit
Celtic will be a different affair, with the Hoops expected to travel to Cork on the back of another league title success.

Brendan Rodgers' side are currently on top of the Scottish Premiership and they have a 13-point cushion before the split.

Celtic are also into the quarter-finals for the Scottish Cup, and they will play Hibernian next month at that stage of the competition at Parkhead. This means that the club come to Cork on the back of a treble success.

They also reached the Champions League knock-out round play-offs and suffered a narrow loss to German giants Bayern Munich

Idah has been instrumental to this success, and his run with the club has included a dramatic late-winner in the 2024 Scottish Cup final against Rangers. The striker also netted the goal that ensured progression to the knock-out rounds of the Champions League for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Cork City will go into the friendly between league games against Shelbourne at Tolka Park and Waterford at the RSC.

The Rebel Army's trip to Tolka Park could be moved or played earlier in the season over Damien Duff's side being involved in the Champions League qualifiers.

The Celtic fixture slots in, where the club traditionally hosts English teams looking for preseason action.

Stoke City, Birmingham, Leeds, a Liverpool XI, a Manchester United XI, and Burnley are some of the sides to visit Turner's Cross in recent years

 

Should be a great day out for everyone. Will have to see if I can manage to make that date work for my summer plans. Cork always has a place in my heart after a great few years I had going to college there.

 

Hopefully we can get some business done early, and use this to bed in new signings.

 

Ooohhhh! Nice! Just down the road from Limerick, so I'll be keen to show for that!

Anyone know what the ground, area and fans are like down there?

 

SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh is to host the inaugural Cork Super Cup on July 8, 2025 when Celtic travel to take on Cork City.

The Cork Super Cup is a joint initiative between Cork GAA and sports marketing agency Druid Sport to bring another record-breaking mid-summer event to the stadium.

The match will only be the third ever soccer match to be staged at the historic grounds, and the first competitive men’s game. The winners will lift a specially commissioned Cork Super Cup trophy, designed by former Cork GAA legend Ger McCarthy.

The fixture is expected to bring a significant boost to the local economy and hospitality trade, with an anticipated sell-out crowd.

The organisers of the Cork Super Cup 2025 will be engaging with local businesses to create a unique atmosphere for visitors to the city, and it’s estimated that the economic return from the fixture could be in the region of €6million.

Speaking at the launch, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “The Cork Super Cup will be a wonderful showcase of sport for the city, and of SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh as a host of major events.

"I would like to commend Cork GAA for their ongoing vision for the stadium, and wish both teams and all the supporters well this summer.”

Kevin O’Donovan, CEO of Cork GAA said: “This is another opportunity to share our stadium with the world, and help show Cork as an excellent destination for sports tourism.

"We are fortunate that one of the world’s most successful soccer teams has agreed to return to Cork, and we have been engaging with Cork City FC to ensure that both sets of fans really enjoy the experience.

"Every event such as this generates funding streams that we can reinvest in the stadium, and in our own games, so everyone wins.”


Celtic have played Cork City in friendlies on Leeside before, including a famous 2-0 victory for the home side during a visit in 1992, while a team of Celtic and Manchester United legends played a team of Ireland legends at the stadium in 2018, in memory of the late Liam Miller.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: “We are delighted to be travelling to Cork to play in this fantastic match in the summertime. We will be visiting a great stadium in a fine city and we are sure the game will be a wonderful occasion.

"Celtic’s Irish connections are very important to the Club and we are sure there will be huge interest in the match. From my own perspective it will be great to be going home to Ireland but also from a footballing side we are really looking forward to the match against Cork City, which will be an important part of our preparations for next season.”

Cork City manager, Tim Clancy said: “We are lucky to have such an incredible fanbase at City, and know they will turn out in force to show Celtic what the Rebel Army is capable of.

"We have enjoyed incredible support since the start of the League of Ireland Premier Division season, and the opportunity to place a fantastic team in Celtic at an iconic setting is one that both the team and the fans can look forward to.”

 

I remember a friendly between Celtic and Cork City all the way back to when I was in college at Cork in the early 90's. Cork City actually won it 2-0 and I remember I was sitting right behind the Celtic bench and having great banter with Charlie Nicholas while he was on the bench. Who knew he would go on to become such a * when he finished playing. One of my team mates in what passed for an academy at the time got called up to play for the Cork City first team and Fergal even managed to score one of the Cork City goals that day too.

 

Just got tickets, last time I was in Cork was 94 World Cup and the whole of Cork was on the streets celebrating Houghtons winner against Italy, I'm trying to reconnect with old friends in Cork, I CANNOT WAIT.

 

You will have a blast I have no doubt. I have so many happy memories from my time in college in Cork and still have great friends there that I stay in touch with.

 

https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/march/07/celtic-v-cork-city--tickets-on-general-sale-now/

Tickets for the Cork Super Cup are on general sale now, so don’t miss out on your chance to be at the match on Tuesday, July 8 (KO 6pm).

The Bhoys will take on Cork City FC at the SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the inaugural Cork Super Cup, which will be the first competitive men’s game played at the historic grounds.

It’s also the perfect opportunity for supporters to spend some time in the beautiful city of Cork this summer.

• East Terrace: * €28, Child €18
• South Stand Upper: * €35, Child €20
• South Stand Lower: * €45, Child €25, Family €115