Arsenal's Summer Tour: Everything You Need to Know

As has been the case in recent seasons, Arsenal will be traveling the world as part of their summer preseason tour.

Last season, the club visited Southeast Asia and Germany, playing Guangzhou Greentown, a Malaysia XI and Lukas Podolski's former club FC Koln.

And this year, it appears that Arsenal have been encouraged by their trips east, as the bulk of the Gunners' travels during the summer will be back to many of the same regions that filled stadia with excitement last year.

In July, the club will fly to Beijing to play a friendly against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the "Bird's Nest" of China's National Stadium, a venue which can seat 80,000 people in a country that is rapidly developing a fondness for football.

I'm sad that this great noncompetitive game isn't coming to my home country of America, but the people of Beijing will certainly be treated to quite an entertaining fixture, even if it is just a friendly.

Later in July, Arsenal will travel to Hong Kong to play local club Kitchee FC, who were founded in 1931 and have one of the most interesting histories of any club in the region.

During the Japanese invasion of World War II, the team was abandoned and their offices literally demolished, but the club arose from the ashes following the conflict and have achieved domestic success recently, winning the Hong Kong First Division in 2011.

From there, the team will head to Malaysia, where Arsenal received a very warm reception last season, and the club was evidently so pleased with fan enthusiasm that they decided to return for a second time in consecutive summers.

There has been no word as of yet on who the Gunners will play in Kuala Lumpur, but it would not be unreasonable to expect a rematch against a similar all-star team that was easily dispatched 4-0 last year.

Finally, the visit that most Arsenal supporters are waiting eagerly for is that to Abuja, Nigeria in August, which will be the final stop on the club's extensive tour.

Before you get ready to lambaste me for labeling Nigeran Gooners as the majority of the fanbase, Arsenal marketing director Angus Kinnear has claimed that the West African nation might just have more Arsenal supporters than anywhere else in the world.

And, if my contingent of followers on Twitter is any indication, these Nigeran fans are extremely vocal and enthusiastic in their support of the club, which is always nice to see from a foreign group.

Arsenal has not yet confirmed who their opponents will be in the Abuja National Stadium, but have said that it "is likely to be a leading African national team," so this rabid group of Gooners should be treated to the quality match that they deserve.

In the end, the plain reality is that these preseason tours are primarily commercial ventures that are aimed at expanding the club's fanbase around the world, and the matches themselves cannot be taken too seriously.

But for the many Arsenal-deprived people who live in far-off lands and struggle to catch games, these journeys are a godsend and a very rare chance to see their favorite players with their own eyes.

Hopefully, the club will realize how lucrative an American tour would be next year, but for now I only get to be jealous of all those who are fortunate enough to have the club brought right to their doorstep.

Follow @charliemelman