Tommy Fury and Liam Payne confirmed to face off at Soccer Aid after confusing cryptic post | Boxing | Sport

Tommy Fury has confirmed that he will be taking part in this year’s Soccer Aid alongside former One Direction star Liam Payne after sending fans into overdrive with a cryptic Instagram post on Wednesday evening. The pair sparked rumours of a potential boxing contest when a mock-up fight poster was published on social media, which suggested that a surprise bout may have been on the cards following Fury’s recent victory over Jake Paul.

It has since been confirmed that the poster was simply a ploy to promote Soccer Aid, with both men set to join a host of celebrities and former players at the event later this year at Old Trafford. They will be poised to go up against each other on the pitch, though, with Fury having signed up to play for World XI and Payne expected to feature for England after captaining the Three Lions last time around.

“I’m taking off my boxing gloves and lacing up my football boots,” said Fury on Good Morning Britain. “The big match is taking place at Old Trafford, Manchester. I’ll see you there.”

This year’s Soccer Aid event is scheduled to take place on June 11, with the match again expected to raise plenty of money for struggling children around the world as it has done in previous years. Payne has declared that he will be hoping to lead England to glory later this year after missing out on the grand prize in 2022, although the 29-year-old went on to reveal that he will be handing over the captain’s armband to Jill Scott.

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“After losing last year, I had to come back for Soccer Aid for UNICEF and have one more crack at winning that trophy,” said Payne. “I’ve handed over my captain’s armband to Jill Scott, because I’m not going to mess with the Lioness.”

Payne will be joined by a host of high-profile names in this year’s England squad, which will also consist of Paddy McGuinness, Jermaine Defoe, Karen Carney, Gary Cahill, Jack Wilshere, Bugzy Malone, Tom Grennan, Sir Mo Farah, Alex Brooker, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Chunkz, Joel Corry, Eni Aluko, David James, Scarlette Douglas and Nicky Butt.

Fury, meanwhile, will link up with a number of Soccer Aid regulars on the pitch for World XI including Usain Bolt, Lee Mack, Steven Bartlett, Kem Cetinay, Mo Gilligan, Masie Adam, Heather O’Reilly and Kaylin Kyle.

“I used to watch Usain in all the Olympics and to be playing alongside him on a football pitch will be absolutely incredible,” added Fury. “I think for the first 10 or 15 seconds I’ll be a little bit starstruck until he tells me to get in position, but I’ll try and do him proud.”

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