Italian soccer's traditional curtain-raiser, the Super Cup, will next year be played in Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium, the Italian soccer league said Tuesday.

The Super Cup is played by the winners of the Serie A title and the Italian Cup.

AS Roma is the current Super Cup holder, having beaten Serie A champs Inter Milan three years running.

The match will be played on August 8, exactly a year after the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

The Bird's Nest is the fourth overseas venue for the Super Cup after Washington (1993), Tripoli (2002) and New York (2003).

The 2009-2010 Serie A season will start on August 23, the league said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2008)