Man United confirm first pre-season friendly as summer plans take shape
Man Utd have announced their first pre-season friendly of the summer as part of a string of games to take place around Europe.
United will play Leeds at Croke Park in August
Manchester United will travel to Dublin in August for a pre-season friendly against Premier League rivals Leeds United, with the game one of six being planned for Europe during the summer.
United will face their cross-Pennine rivals at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium on Wednesday, August 12 (7.30pm), with the fixture set to be the fifth game of the club’s pre-season plans.
The match marks the return of football to the historic Croke Park venue and it will be the first fixture played at the home of Ireland’s Gaelic games since the Republic of Ireland played France in a World Cup play-off in November 2009, drawing 79,000 fans.
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The stadium has a capacity of 82,300, and it recently hosted an NFL regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings.
With United and Leeds both enjoying sizeable support in Ireland and having a rich history of Irish players, organisers are hoping to attract a big crowd.
Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, said: “We’re excited to be heading to Dublin to face Leeds United as part of our pre-season preparations ahead of a big campaign.
“Playing an important fixture against one of our biggest rivals gives us a fantastic opportunity to connect with our supporters in Ireland. Their passion and energy will be invaluable as we build momentum and ensure the squad is in the strongest possible shape for the start of the 2026/27 season.”
Pre-sale tickets for the game go on sale today (Thursday) to Croke Park Premium and Suite members and to United and Leeds season ticket holders and members, before going on general sale from 10am on Friday, April 10. Tickets start at €50 for adults €25 for under-16s.
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Peter McKenna, Croke Park stadium director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome two of football’s most iconic clubs to Croke Park for what promises to be a very special occasion. Following the success of hosting the NFL in 2025, this is another opportunity to bring world-class sport to Dublin and Irish fans.
“We know there is a huge following for both clubs in Ireland and look forward to delivering a special experience in Croke Park Stadium.”
The game against Leeds is the first friendly to be officially confirmed by United, but their schedule has now taken shape. They will begin pre-season with a game against Wrexham in Helsinki on July 18, before playing Rosenborg in Trondheim on July 24.
There is then a double header in Sweden, with Atletico Madrid the opponents in Stockholm on August 1 and Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8.
The Leeds fixture takes place on August 12, before United finish their preparations for the new campaign against AC Milan in Wroclaw on August 15.