Manchester United considering Saudi Arabia as venue for mid-season friendly

Manchester United are exploring the possibility of playing a mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia.

Talks with relevant stakeholders are at an early stage and there is no guarantee a game will be arranged, but United are considering ways to raise revenue and, given they have several free midweeks, travelling to the Middle East is seen as an option.

Riyadh Season, an annual entertainment and sports festival which hosts major events, typically runs from October to March. But it can go beyond those months and outside of Saudi Arabia. The recent super-fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford came under the Riyadh Season banner in September in Las Vegas.

Taking part in a match in Saudi Arabia could be lucrative for United and, secondarily, provide warm weather to train in during the winter months. Criticism might also be drawn due to Ruben Amorim’s stated appreciation of the extra time he has this campaign to work with his team at Carrington. Typically though, United fly abroad several times per season, doing so on eight occasions in the last campaign.

United missed out on as much as £85million ($115m; €98m) by failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, after losing the Europa League final and finishing a disastrous 15th place in the Premier League last term.

The decision to scrap an access-all-areas documentary — as revealed by The Athletic in July — also curtailed what could have been a valuable source of income.

United’s debt stands at around £750m, with the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claiming United were in danger of “going bust by Christmas” had they not carried out a range of cost-cutting measures, including up to 450 redundancies. United did recently post record annual revenues of £666.5m for 2024-25, but also a sixth consecutive loss, this time £33m.

With no European football or further Carabao Cup fixtures following the exit at the hands of League Two Grimsby Town in August, United do not have a midweek fixture again until they host West Ham United at Old Trafford in early December. There are three European matchday weeks between now and then. There could also be scope for a friendly in later December or January.

Marc Armstrong, who became United’s chief business officer in February, has experience of being involved in similar opportunities with his former club Paris Saint-Germain facing a Saudi Pro League XI in Riyadh in January 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo, having just left United, scored twice in that game, with Lionel Messi also getting a goal. The prospect of facing Ronaldo’s Al Nassr side would hold appeal for United two years on, but it is unclear whether schedules would allow.

United are looking into potential dates and opponents.

United would need to adhere to Premier League rules on in-season friendlies. The Premier League Handbook states a club shall not arrange to play a friendly during the campaign until the league match dates have been fixed and published, or so that it doesn’t adversely affect a league match. Dialogue between the club and governing body is anticipated.

Under Erik ten Hag, United had a training camp in Spain in December 2022 during the Qatar World Cup, facing Cadiz and Real Betis.

In a club first, United ended the 2024-25 campaign with a two-game post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong, which was estimated to have generated $10m in revenue.

After defeat to Brentford on Saturday, United have won two, drawn one and lost three of their six Premier League fixtures so far this season. They are next in action against Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday.

(Photo of Manchester United players: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

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