JuicyTalk
Manchester United are visiting Finland for the first time in 61 years during a pre-season programme featuring familiar opponents as Michael Carrick prepares for his first full campaign as head coach.
Having made United the form team in the Premier League since his arrival on an initial temporary basis in January, Carrick’s first international opponents as permanent boss will include Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
United had a mixed pre-season under Ruben Amorim last year, drawing with Leeds United, Everton and Fiorentina and beating West Ham and Bournemouth.
Here’s the lowdown on who United will face during pre-season 2026/27, as well as details on start times and stadiums.
Manchester United pre season fixtures 2026/27
After their trip to Helsinki, United head to Norway, Sweden and Ireland for fixtures during July and August.
Here’s the full list.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | BST start time | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, July 18 | Wrexham | Olympiastadion (Helsinki, Finland) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Fri, July 24 | Rosenborg | Lerkendal Stadion (Trondheim, Norway) | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 |
| Sat, August 1 | Atlético Madrid | Strawberry Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) | 14:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 |
| Sat, August 8 | PSG | Nya Ullevi (Goteborg, Sweden) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Weds, August 12 | Leeds United | Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) | 19:30 | 14:30 | 11:30 |
Why have Man United chosen their pre season tour opponents?
United have large fanbases in Scandinavia and Dublin, making the tours commercially important and a chance for supporters in those areas to see the team.
They played at Solna’s Strawberry Arena, where they will encounter Atleti this summer, in a 0-0 draw with Leeds in 2025.
There could be a vast crowd for the fixture at Croke Park, which is the fourth-largest stadium in Europe behind Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Wembley Stadium and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, offering a capacity of 82,000.
The last football match at Croke Park was in November 2009, when former Manchester City striker Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal as France began a successful FIFA World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland by winning the first leg.
Director of football Jason Wilcox suggested United have “the best fans in the world” and would be able to “connect” with them while giving their squad stern tests against strong teams.
Manchester United pre season opponents: Wrexham, Atleti, PSG, Leeds
Wrexham’s run of three successive promotions ended in 2025/26 but the club – whose profile and financial strength has been transformed by investment from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – impressed in the Championship, finishing immediately outside the play-off places.
A very inexperienced United side lost 3-1 to Wrexham in a friendly at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego in July 2023.
Rosenborg are the most successful team in Norwegian football but have not won their domestic title since 2018 and have not featured in European competition proper since 2019, when they were part of the Europa League group stage.
United visited Rosenborg’s Lerkendal Stadium in July 2024, losing 1-0 under Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag.
Eleven-time Spanish champions and three-time Europa League winners Atleti beat United in a friendly in Oslo in July 2022 and knocked them out of the 2021/22 Champions League, winning 2-1 on aggregate courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Diego Simeone’s side did not mount a title challenge in the 2025/26 Liga but reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Brugge and Tottenham during the knockout phase before being ousted by Arsenal.
PSG and United have taken markedly different trajectories since the French giants exited the Champions League in the last 16 at Old Trafford in 2019, losing on the now-defunct away-goals rule via a 94th-minute Marcus Rashford goal for the hosts.
The game is at the Ullevi Stadium, where Zlatan Ibrahimovic took four minutes to score his first United goal following the striker’s arrival from PSG in 2016, helping his new club beat Galatasaray 5-2 in a contest also containing two goals by Red Devils all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney.
Man United pre season friendlies: How to buy tickets
Ticket details are available on United’s fixtures page.
When are the Premier League fixtures out?
The 2026/27 Premier League fixtures will be announced on Friday, June 19 at 10:00 BST (05:00 ET / 02:00 BT).
When does Man United’s 2026/27 season start?
The 2026/27 Premier League season starts on the weekend of August 22, 2026 and ends on May 30, 2027.
