After being on Top No. 1 seven weeks along with single 4 Minute Ft Justin Timberlake, Madonna announces the upcoming tour and will begin August 23 in Cardiff, Wales, Billboard.com has learned.

Billed as the Sticky and Sweet tour, Madonna's trek in support of her chart-topping Warner Bros. release "Hard Candy" which debuted Wednesday on May 7 in the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 will play stadiums in the United Kingdom and Europe through the end of September.

Arenas and a "handful" of stadiums in 16 North American markets will follow in October and November, with the period from late November through December devoted to stadiums in Mexico and South America.

Madonna's last three world tours grossed almost $400 million combined. Her 2006 Confessions tour is, at $194 million, the top-grossing tour ever by a female artist.

The upcoming tour is the first major manifestation of the multifaceted 10-year deal between Madonna and Live Nation, valued in published reports at $120 million.