Pre-season 2026

[cptaidan88]

Surprised we've not heard (or I haven't anyway) where we're going for the bulk of pre-season yet. Have seen other teams announce games in recent days.

The friendly in Palermo last year was described as the "inaugural Anglo Palermitan Trophy", and I'd very much be in favour of playing there again. Last year it clashes with Oasis for me, so would jump at the opportunity to go if we played again this year, although I believe it was uncomfortably warm.

Reasonable chance of us having to play in the community shield one way or another. I believe it's in Cardiff this year, which at least is more appealing than Wembley.

 

[mr t]

Pre - season should be in our own back yard like it was back in the day. There’s loads of fans who can’t afford to hop on planes and watch City playing friendlies abroad. Games against local teams might not bring in the big bucks or attract foreign interest but it would allow grass roots supporters to watch their idols and open up the door for youngsters to attend the games as well.

 

[Gorbachev]

Pre - season should be in our own back yard like it was back in the day. There’s loads of fans who can’t afford to hop on planes and watch City playing friendlies abroad. Games against local teams might not bring in the big bucks or attract foreign interest but it would allow grass roots supporters to watch their idols and open up the door for youngsters to attend the games as well.

The counter argument to that would be that there are now more fans of City outside of the UK than there is in it.

Plenty of City fans in Asia and America who would love to watch us and their only chance is on a pre-season tournament.

 

[Alfie Budd]

I'd presume that any player that's involved in the knockout stages of the World Cup won't be involved in much of whatever may be planned for pre-season and that's a huge chunk of our squad.
That pretty much applies to all the usual suspects at the top end of the PL.

 

[mr t]

The counter argument to that would be that there are now more fans of City outside of the UK than there is in it.

Plenty of City fans in Asia and America who would love to watch us and their only chance is on a pre-season tournament.

I have to be honest with you - I don’t really care about City fans abroad. It’s bad enough that all our domestic games are scheduled for the appetite of worldwide TV an audiences without having to play friendlies abroad when they could be played here.

I also don’t get why folk in other countries want to support foreign teams.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Playing at Rochdale/Oldham etc is sadly a thing of the past.

Even a full house of 115 charges won't bring those games back.

It's more about exposure and money than gradually bringing players up to fitness and trying out new systems.

 

[SamTheGuru]

Playing at Rochdale/Oldham etc is sadly a thing of the past.

Even a full house of 115 charges won't bring those games back.

It's more about exposure and money than gradually bringing players up to fitness and trying out new systems.

I was there:

City Til I Die

www.citytilidie.com

Just suddenly clicked my memory of Danny Allsopp. The Australian hyped up Oracle! Nothing will ever take Buster Phillips for the creme de la creme but Danny Allsopp was up there.

 

[Alfie Budd]

I have to be honest with you - I don’t really care about City fans abroad. It’s bad enough that all our domestic games are scheduled for the appetite of worldwide TV an audiences without having to play friendlies abroad when they could be played here.

I also don’t get why folk in other countries want to support foreign teams.

Nobody likes the way so many games get moved for TV but it’s not accurate to blame overseas broadcasters.
PL TV games are picked and scheduled by Sky and TNT - the overseas rights holders have no say and they just have to deal with what’s picked by the UK broadcasters.

 

[mr t]

Nobody likes the way so many games get moved for TV but it’s not accurate to blame overseas broadcasters.
PL TV games are picked and scheduled by Sky and TNT - the overseas rights holders have no say and they just have to deal with what’s picked by the UK broadcasters.

I agree with that but my point is that pre-season friendlies don’t have to be played in stadiums thousands of miles from home.
Back in the day pre-season games were mainly against local teams and they gave people the opportunity to see their local teams in the flesh at very little cost. Local people could afford to take their kids along and it was an important way of connecting with local people and increasing the local fanbase.
Instead we are now treated to the annual overseas tournaments that nobody remembers 6 months down the line whatever the outcome is.
Like I said I care more about filling our stadium and selling our shirts to local people and I’m not bothered how many fans we have in New York or Tokyo.

 

[Ric]

I imagine it's going to be a pretty short pre-season, with the World Cup Final on 19th July and the Charity Shield (if we're in it) on 16th August.

 

[jimharri]

I imagine it's going to be a pretty short pre-season, with the World Cup Final on 19th July and the Charity Shield (if we're in it) on 16th August.

"If"?

 

[richards30]

Come back to the Isle of Man!

 

[Ric]

"If"?

Sorry, "when"! More likely than not that one of us or Arsenal win the FA Cup.

 

[Corky]

Half the players won't have a pre-season, in 2024 it was announced "2 weeks ago", and that was a US tour which won't happen this year after the LMS.

They will be looking at a proper rest for some players as much as they can, CFG and bounce games.

 

[jimharri]

Sorry, "when"! More likely than not that one of us or Arsenal win the FA Cup.

You just can't get the staff these days. Standards have slipped in the last couple of months. Not sure why that is, mind.

 

[City of Troy]

Pre - season should be in our own back yard like it was back in the day. There’s loads of fans who can’t afford to hop on planes and watch City playing friendlies abroad. Games against local teams might not bring in the big bucks or attract foreign interest but it would allow grass roots supporters to watch their idols and open up the door for youngsters to attend the games as well.

Couldn’t agree more

 

[aka blue jambo]

Hopefully a Battle of Britain decider at Tynecastle between the respective champions of their country's

 

[117 M34]

Not city but I saw the rags are only playing in europe this pre season.
Bit unusual in these times but presume it's linked to the world cup.
Maybe we will do similar.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

I have to be honest with you - I don’t really care about City fans abroad. It’s bad enough that all our domestic games are scheduled for the appetite of worldwide TV an audiences without having to play friendlies abroad when they could be played here.

I also don’t get why folk in other countries want to support foreign teams.

Many of the supporters from other countries do not have access to top football. I'm sure that they follow their local teams but I see no harm in them being a fan of a top team. Several posters on here follow teams in the NBA and NFL. I don't see any issue with that at all.
That standard is not readily available in the UK.
Its a different situation where you have a top sports team in your area but a lot of people don't have that.

 

[jimharri]

Many of the supporters from other countries do not have access to top football. I'm sure that they follow their local teams but I see no harm in them being a fan of a top team. Several posters on here follow teams in the NBA and NFL. I don't see any issue with that at all.
That standard is not readily available in the UK.
Its a different situation where you have a top sports team in your area but a lot of people don't have that.

Have to be honest, I find fans who have no connection with the area annoying. So, they don't have access to top football. Too bad. Support their local team. "Supporting" two sides is nonsense.

Yes; I know people will accuse me of hypocrisy, given where I live. The big difference is that I spent my first ten years on Claremont Road (near the corner with Broadfield Road). Anyone on here who's familiar with Moss Side will be aware how near that is to Maine Road. I feel like I have a connection with the club. A lot (not all, by any means) of these overseas fans would have a job finding Manchester on a map. But I suppose being a successful team will attract gloryhunters. It's what we've given the rags plenty of stick for down the years. C'est la vie, as the Germans would say.