This Monday, March 27, it was officially announced that Manchester United and Wrexham AFC will play a friendly game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on July 25, 2023.

There were previously several reports of this match about a month ago, but now the game between the British sides in Southern California is a reality. Landon Donovan, Andy Cole, and Wrexham co-chairman Rob McElhenney held a press conference at Snapdragon Stadium to make the official announcement.

Donovan was there in representation of the San Diego Loyal as he gifted both Andy Cole and Rob McElhenney a Loyal jersey with their names on it.

Snapdragon Stadium is no stranger to soccer events as it is the home of the San Diego Wave, which recently broke a NWSL attendance record with 30,854 fans in its season-opener against the Chicago Red Stars. This past Sunday, March 26, Snapdragon also hosted a friendly match between the Tijuana Xolos and Club America that brought in well over 20 thousand fans in the seats.

This game between Manchester United and Wrexham is expected to be a sellout, given the enormous popularity of both teams. Manchester United is one of the most successful clubs in the history of the sport, while Wrexham has a dedicated cult following due to a docuseries of the club on Hulu and due to its owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The game will be a part of both team’s preseason as Manchester United prepares to possibly compete in the UEFA Champions League next season, while Wrexham will compete in the EFL League Two. The Red Devils have plenty of stars like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Casemiro, but there is the heavy posibility that they will add some other star players to their roster.

Wrexham put out an official statement about the match that said, “We’re looking forward to being able to play in the United States for the first time in the Club’s history. The match against Manchester United is sure to be a memorable occasion at the Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego.” Manchester United put out a video to announce the game that featured Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and legendary Red Devils’ manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

🍿 The collab you didn’t know you needed…

Starring: @VancityReynolds, @RMcElhenney and The Boss 😎

🏟️ Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
🗓️ 25 July
🧠 The mind games have begun#MUFC || #MUTOUR23

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 27, 2023

Both teams are offering pre-sale tickets to fans as the tickets go on sale to the public this Wednesday, March 29, on Ticketmaster. The match definitely opens the door to more European clubs playing friendlies at Snapdragon Stadium, as it will be interesting to see if any other soccer events are announced in the near future.

There are already CONCACAF Gold Cup games officially announced at Snapdragon, but it is unclear as to which national teams they will be. Until then, there will be plenty of top-quality soccer offered at Snapdragon Stadium with the San Diego Wave NWSL season underway.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.