Manchester United visit Finland for the first time in 61 years during a pre-season program featuring familiar opponents, as Michael Carrick prepares for his first full season as head coach.
Having made United the standout side in the Premier League since arriving on an initial caretaker basis in January, Carrick’s first international challengers as permanent manager will be 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.
Below is a breakdown of the team United will face during the 2026/27 pre-season, as well as details on start times and stadiums.
Manchester United pre-season matches 2026/27
Following their trip to Helsinki, United head to Norway, Sweden and Ireland for matches during July and August.
Here’s the full list.
| date | Opponents | place | Start time is GMT | at | Pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 18 July | Wrexham | Olympic Stadium (Helsinki, Finland) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Friday 24 July | Rosenburg | Lerkendal Stadium (Trondheim, Norway) | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 |
| Saturday 1 August | Atletico Madrid | Strawberry Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) | 14:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 |
| Saturday 8 August | Paris Saint-Germain | New Olive (Gothenburg, Sweden) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Wednesday 12 August | Leeds United | Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) | 19:30 | 14:30 | 11:30 |
Why did Manchester United choose their opponents in the pre-season round?
United have large fan bases in Scandinavia and Dublin, making the tours commercially significant and an opportunity for fans in those regions to see the team.
They played at Solna’s Strawberry Arena, where they will face Atleti this summer, drawing 0-0 with Leeds in 2025.
There could be a large crowd for the match at Croke Park, which is the fourth largest stadium in Europe after Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Wembley and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, with 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 started a successful World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland by winning the first leg.
Director of football Jason Wilcox suggested that United had “the best fans in the world” and would be able to “connect” with them as they rigorously tested their squad against strong teams.
Manchester United’s pre-season opponents: Wrexham, Atletico, Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds
Wrexham’s run of three consecutive promotions ended in 2025/26, but the club – whose profile and financial strength were transformed by the investment of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McIlhenny – impressed in the Championship, finishing just outside the play-off places.
A very inexperienced United side lost 3-1 to Wrexham in a friendly match at 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 appeared in European competition since 2019, when they were part of the Europa League group stage.
United visited Rosenborg Lerkendaal 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 thanks to a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Diego Simeone’s side did not mount a title challenge in the 2025/26 La Liga but did reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Brugge and Tottenham during the knockout stage before being eliminated by Arsenal.
Paris Saint-Germain and United have taken markedly different paths since the French giants crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 at Old Trafford in 2019, losing on the now-defunct away goals rule via Marcus Rashford’s 94th-minute goal for the hosts.
The match takes place at the Ulivi Stadium, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking four minutes to score his first goal for United after the striker’s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, helping his new club beat Galatasaray 5-2 in a match that also featured a brace from the Red Devils’ all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney.
Manchester United pre-season friendlies: how to buy tickets
Ticket details are available at United matches page.
When do the Premier League matches end?
The 2026/27 Premier League fixtures will be announced on Friday 19 June at 10:00 GMT (05:00 ET / 02:00 GMT).
When does Manchester United’s 2026/27 season start?
2026/27 Premier League The season begins on the weekend of August 22, 2026 and ends on May 30, 2027.
