MANCHESTER UNITED’s first pre-season fixture has been revealed with a unique twist.
The Red Devils will take on rivals Leeds United in their first preparation game for the 2026/27 season.
The match will not take place at either Old Trafford or Elland Road as they will instead face off in Dublin, Ireland.
The Irish Independent has reported the game will be held at the iconic Croke Park – which has not hosted a football match for 17 years.
The last time a game was played at the historic ground was back in 2009 when Ireland were beaten 1-0 by France.
Both United and Leeds have made recent trips across the Irish Sea.
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The Red Devils are currently enjoying a mid-season break at Carton House in Kildare.
They also played a 2023 pre-season friendly at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium against Athletic Bilbao.
The Whites also played at the 51,700-capacity ground in the summer of 2025 against AC Milan.
Croke Park did host some international fixtures following the Rule 42 Referendum in 2005.
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It allowed foreign football and rugby games to take place there while the Aviva Stadium was constructed.
The massive 82,300-capacity stadium is the headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Association.
It is the home of Ireland’s indigenous sports such as Gaelic football and hurling.
The friendly between United and Leeds is reported to take place on August 12.
This comes after the men’s Gaelic football and hurling championships finish in July.
United faced Leeds in their pre-season opener in 2025 as they played out a goalless draw in Stockholm, Sweden.
The match saw Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon make their first appearances for the club.