Manchester United officially win 2026 Snapdragon Cup

Michael Carrick has got his hands on his first trophy as Manchester United head coach.

The Red Devils played Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, and came out on top despite going behind early.

In the fifth minute of the match, 24-year-old striker Arnau Ortiz opened the scoring for Diego Simeone’s side.

Going in behind at half-time, Manchester United made sure to strike back.

Bryan Mbeumo got the Red Devils level with a penalty minutes into the second half.

With 15 minutes to play, the Cameroonian struck again, arriving first in the box after Atletico gave the ball away while attempting to play out from the back.

The Red Devils held on, and in turn won themselves the Snapdragon Cup for a third year running.

In 2024, United won the Snapdragon Cup by beating LaLiga team Real Betis 3-2 in a thrilling match in San Diego. Erik ten Hag’s side took a 3-1 lead just thirty minutes into the match through goals from Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Casemiro, and held on to collect the trophy.

In 2025, Ruben Amorim’s team drew 1-1 with Serie A side Fiorentina, taking the game to penalties. It was the only trophy success experienced by the Portuguese head coach at the club, before being replaced in the season that followed by Michael Carrick.

As he enters his first full season at the helm at Manchester United, Michael Carrick will be hoping to see his way to another Snapdragon Cup game next summer, something his recent predecessors could not. That will require him to balance both domestic and European Football well at Old Trafford, as the club are set for a long season of action.

With just three weeks to go until the Red Devils’ first Premier League game against newly-promoted Hull City, current pre-season preparation will be crucial.