Ireland’s biggest stadium set for 17-year first as Premier League plan revealed

Manchester United will face Leeds United in a pre-season friendly at Dublin’s Croke Park this summer.

The match will mark the first time a football match has been played at the Republic of Ireland’s biggest stadium for 17 years.

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Croke Park will host the meeting between the Premier League sides on Wednesday, August 12, according to the Irish Independent.

It will be the first time English top-flight clubs have played at the home of GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association).

Meanwhile, Croke Park has not hosted ‘soccer’ since November 2009, when the Republic of Ireland were beaten 1-0 by France in a World Cup play-off clash.

Sport at Croke Park

Prior to 2005, non-Gaelic sports were banned from being played at the 82,300-capacity stadium.

Although no longer prohibited, it remains rare for sports other than Gaelic football and hurling to be played at Croke Park.

The ground became the temporary home of the national football and rugby teams between 2007 and 2009 during the construction of the Aviva Stadium.

During that time, the Boys in Green played 13 matches at the venue, with their loss to France the only competitive defeat.

However, Croke Park has not previously hosted a match between two club sides since it was built in 1884.

The venue has been used for matches in the European Rugby Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship in recent years.

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Leinster have played five fixtures at Croke Park since 2024, setting several attendance records in the process.

Croke Park also hosted the first regular season NFL game to be played in the Republic of Ireland last year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Minnesota Vikings in September as part of the NFL International Series.

United vs Leeds friendly clashes

As for United and Leeds, it will not be the first time the two clubs have met during pre-season.

They previously played out a 0-0 draw in Stockholm last summer prior to the current Premier League campaign.

United also secured a 2-0 win over Leeds in Norwegian capital Oslo prior to the 2023/24 season.

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The news of their upcoming friendly clash comes ahead of their league meeting at Old Trafford on Monday, April 13.

Both sides have also played friendlies in the Republic of Ireland in the past due in part to their considerably followings on the Emerald Isle.

Leeds played in Dublin as recently as last year, drawing 1-1 with AC Milan at the Aviva Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils last played in the Irish capital three years ago, when they were held by Athletic Bilbao.