Due to the World Cup, MU must do something rarely seen in the past 30 years.

Manchester United is getting ready for their initial pre-season trip to Scandinavia after almost 30 years.

Manchester United is planning to play friendly matches in Helsinki (Finland) and Gothenburg (Sweden) in the summer of 2026, which could mark the debut of the team under the new head coach. Discussions are ongoing, but MU is finalizing plans for an “unconventional” tour, given that the World Cup will be hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The final match of the 2026 World Cup will take place on July 19th — the latest date since 1966 — which directly impacts MU’s pre-season schedule.. The English club toured the USA for three consecutive summers but cannot continue due to the country co-hosting the World Cup.

This has led MU to shift focus to Scandinavia, a region with one of their largest fan bases outside the UK and Ireland. In their last four pre-season campaigns, MU played three times in Norway and once in Sweden to engage with these significant supporter communities.

The last time MU played in Helsinki’s capital was in 1965 when they faced HJK Helsinki in the European Cup. Gothenburg also holds many memories, as MU were eliminated from the Champions League there in 1994. Later, the Red Devils returned to the city for friendlies against Barcelona in 2012 and Galatasaray four years later.

Previously, MU regularly toured Scandinavia but rarely played more than one match in the region during a single pre-season since 2012, when they faced Valerenga (Norway) and Barcelona (Sweden). One challenge is the smaller stadium capacities in Scandinavia, which limit ticket revenue.

Since 2016, MU has played a total of five matches in Norway and two in Sweden. Four of those games took place at Ullevaal Stadium (Oslo) and one at Lerkendal Stadium (Trondheim). Last summer, MU began their pre-season with a 0-0 draw against Leeds United in Stockholm, following a 2016 meeting with Galatasaray in Gothenburg.

The most recent proper Scandinavian tour by MU was in 1998 — also a World Cup year, just before the season they won the historic treble.. At that time, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team faced Valerenga, Brondby, and Brann after the World Cup in France concluded.