2026 World Cup to impact Manchester United financials

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a year away, and as such, the world’s top footballers are all fighting to secure a spot at the finals set to take place in North America next summer.

Already USA, Mexico and Canada are set to play as the hosts of the tournament, with top teams like England, Brazil, Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, and Uruguay already qualified for the tournament.

However, the World Cup is set to impact Manchester United who are facing financial struggles after failing to secure European football for this season, with commercial revenue being even more important for the club for financial stability.

Now, The Daily Mail are reporting that the World Cup is likely to have an impact on Manchester United’s summer, with no time between the season’s conclusion on 24th May and the World Cup beginning on 11th June to embark on a mini tour.

Last season, The Red Devils headed to Hong Kong and Malaysia on their post-season tour of Asia, earning United £10 million in revenue.

United have already set out plans for a midseason friendly in Saudi Arabia to make up for their lost revenue from a lack of European football, missing out on £100 million that would have come with Champions League qualification.

Simply by not retaining their position in the Europa League for another year, United have also lost £40 million, with the loss of revenue all mounting up.

As such, there are further decisions to be made by United as there is uncertainty about whether the World Cup would help or hinder ticket sales should Ruben Amorim’s men do another pre-season tour of the USA as they have for the last three years.

The World Cup final is set to take place on 19th July at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the Red Devil’s tour set to begin not long after to prepare for the 2026/27 season.

Whilst no decisions have been made as of yet, given their extended run in the USA over the last three years, as well as the Club World Cup this summer and the World Cup next summer all taking place in the States, a further exploration of the Asian market might be more fruitful.