DISCLAIMER: This article has been published for April Fool’s Day (April 1) and the news of Manchester United and Manchester City sharing a stadium is false.
Manchester is undoubtedly a football city, and with huge rivalry between Red and Blue, our two biggest teams could likely never see eye to eye. Now, though, with plans surging forward for both Manchester United and Manchester City respective new stadiums, the controversial decision has been made for the two teams to share one stadium.
The construction race is on and whoever completes the works the quickest, will be the team to still be able to play at their home ground. And the added twist is that the winning stadium will be temporarily named ‘The City United Stadium‘, for obvious reasons. Developers had previously suggested building a temporary stadium in a spot as equally between Old Trafford and the Etihad Campus as possible – and be part of the Strangeways regeneration project, however there were concerns on traffic and who doesn’t like a healthy bit of competition?
In a joint team statement, spokespersons for Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs said: “Given the rivalry between City and United, of course this was a difficult decision to make. Ultimately, the joint stadium decision may come as a shock to fans, but we hope that in time everyone will come to understand why we have brought these two incredible clubs together.
“As much as this may feel like a step back, we believe the sharing of a stadium will provide the ultimate experience for both Manchester United and City fans, and of course makes much more financial sense for both clubs. We look forward to working together, though with a fiercer rivalry than ever.”
You, like us, may be left with many questions on trying to take in this news, so we’ll try our best to answer some FAQs…
How will the shared stadium work?
As far as we can see, fixtures will be tweaked to make sure the clubs are not playing at the same time. The change shouldn’t affect the women’s or youth teams, as they play matches at different grounds – the Manchester United and City women will remain at their current respective grounds – but fans can expect alternating home games to be shifted slightly either by time or day.
What happens when Manchester United and City play each other?
Simple: they play at the same ground together! The situation may be slightly more complicated for fans, though, as capacity will have to be split evenly. This could mean there will likely be double the fans needing tickets for the Manchester Derby twice per season, which is set to be decided in a ticket draw (50/50 for each club’s season ticket holders).
When will Manchester United and City start sharing a stadium?
The teams are set to start using the stadium from the start of the 2026/27 season, giving fans enough time to get their heads around the change (hopefully).
Where will the shared Manchester United and City stadium be?
As previously mentioned, the race is on as to whose stadium will be completed first. But with work on the Etihad stadium already receiving planning permission and plans already underway on the expansion of the North Stand, the result could be in favour of Manchester City…
A timescale on the new Manchester United stadium as part of the Old Trafford regeneration is still to be determined but it’s game on nonetheless! Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to penalties…
DISCLAIMER: This article has been published for April Fool’s Day (April 1) and the news of Manchester United and Manchester City sharing a stadium is false.