Manchester United is reportedly exploring the possibility of a mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia to make up for lost revenue.
The Premier League club is in early talks with relevant stakeholders, as reported by The Athletic. While the publication stresses there is no guarantee a game will be played, the idea aligns with previous reports about the club exploring overseas fixtures.
Last month, United celebrated record revenues of $909.1m (£666.5m) for 2025, boosted by a 16.9% rise in matchday income to a record $218.7 m (£160.3m). This increase reflected five additional home games, including Europa League quarter-final and semi-final fixtures.
Despite this, the league campaign was a disaster. United finished 15th, its worst-ever Premier League finish, missing out on Champions League qualification and reportedly losing up to $115m (£85m) in potential revenue.
Looking to bolster next year’s results, the club is searching for ways to offset some of that shortfall, leading to the mid-season friendly idea.
Friendly fixtures mid-season?
United has no scheduled midweek league matches until December against West Ham, opening the door for potential friendlies. While mid-season friendlies aren’t uncommon for clubs out of cup competitions, overseas matches arranged primarily for commercial gain are a modern football development.
Marc Armstrong, United’s Chief Business Officer, has prior experience with this approach. While at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), he helped organise a friendly against a Saudi Pro League XI in Riyadh in January 2023.
Despite such games becoming more common, the proposal could still face criticism. Fans have been increasingly vocal about pre-season friendlies abroad rather than domestic matches.
However, United has already embraced international fixtures as part of its global strategy. Ahead of the current season, the club played games across three continents, including two in Asia shortly after the league ended, reportedly generating around £8m.
This being said, playing mid-season matches abroad remains rare and controversial. Any fixtures would need to comply with Premier League rules, which require clubs not to schedule in-season friendlies until league match dates are fixed and to ensure they don’t negatively impact competitive games.
If approved, such games could help United recover revenue, maintain player fitness and continue its international commercial expansion, but the concept is likely to cause a debate among supporters.
