Croke Park will stage a pre-season friendly between Premier League giants Manchester United and old rivals Leeds United this August.

It has been confirmed that the two sides will meet on August 12th in what is set to be the first soccer match played at GAA headquarters since November 2009, when France defeated Ireland in a World Cup play-off.

Last September saw Croker hosting the first ever NFL regular season game to be played in Ireland between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.

Last summer saw Leeds and AC Milan drawing a sell-out crowd at the Aviva Stadium for a pre-season friendly, with the Yorkshire club’s chief business officer Morrie Eisenberg stating that they were “excited at the prospect” of returning to Dublin in summer 2026.

It has now been confirmed that the two Premier League clubs will play at Croke Park on Wednesday, August 12th, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm and tickets priced at €50 for an adult ticket and €25 for under-16s, plus booking fees. A pre-sale opens today (Thursday), while general sales will commence on April 10th at 10am. 

“We’re excited to be heading to Dublin to face Leeds United as part of our pre-season preparations ahead of a big campaign,” said Manchester United’s director of football Jason Wilcox.

“Playing an important fixture against one of our biggest rivals gives us a fantastic opportunity to connect with our supporters in Ireland.

“Their passion and energy will be invaluable as we build momentum and ensure the squad is in the strongest possible shape for the start of the 2026/27 season.”

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 MAN ✈️ DUB 🇮🇪

We'll face Leeds at Dublin's Croke Park as part of #MUTOUR26, presented by @Snapdragon 🤝

Find out when you can get tickets, plus further info on this summer's fixtures ➡️ https://t.co/N0COH32uUH pic.twitter.com/CfZZcjxg84

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 2, 2026

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