Hundreds of diehard football fans, braving sweltering heat, have already begun lining up outside Hong Kong's soccer stadium for tickets to see Real Madrid play late next week.

Some arrived as early as Sunday to stake out prime locations, and by noon on Tuesday the queue had swelled to more than 400 people. Many holed up in tents or huddled under umbrellas seeking relief from the harsh sun.

Real, whose popularity has soared since they signed England captain David Beckham, will play a local squad on August 8 as part of a series of pre-season matches in Asia.

The Hong Kong Football Association will not announce when ticket sales will begin until July 30, but that was no deterrence for some fans.

Chan Ka-ho, a 17-year-old student, said he and his friends have been taking turns standing in line for days for a chance to see their favourite players.

"I've been taking the night shifts, it's very tough and I've been sleeping badly," Chan told Reuters.

"But it's worth it. It's so rare to have such a team here, people like (Zinedine) Zidane and Ronaldo."

Some mothers who were standing in line for their children had even brought along mahjong tables and were planning to gamble away their time while waiting for ticket booths to open.

Tickets will start from HK$500 (US$64) and go as high as HK$1,500, but nearly half of the stadium's 40,000 seats are reserved for the Hong Kong Football Association, its affiliate clubs and corporations.

Ever true to Hong Kong's punting spirit, scalpers are already said to be charging over HK$2,000 for some of the better seats.

In recent days, fans have been snapping up scarves, mugs and posters carrying Beckham's pictures, especially Real jerseys with the midfielder's new number "23".

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