City’s first summer under Enzo Maresca has been shaped as much by the World Cup as by the transfer market.
A large chunk of the first-team squad — including Marc Guehi, Rodri and Rayan Cherki — went deep into the tournament with England, Spain and France, forcing a staggered return to training and leaving Maresca with a reduced group to work with in the opening weeks.
Players not involved in the World Cup reported back on 20 July, with those who went furthest in the tournament given extra time off before rejoining. That timeline means Maresca’s first look at a fuller squad won’t come until City’s pre-season tour of Asia begins in August.
Notably, there’s no domestic or European warm-up fixture on the calendar before that — City go straight from training at the Etihad to Hong Kong.
It’s a departure from what several rivals are doing this summer: Man United face Wrexham in Helsinki on 18 July and Rosenborg six days later, while Aston Villa and Arsenal have both fitted in single fixtures against Championship or League One opposition before their own tours begin.
Two factors likely explain City’s approach. The staggered World Cup return leaves a tighter window than usual to fit in an extra game beforehand, and City have increasingly used the Asia tour itself as the commercial and footballing centrepiece of their pre-season in recent years, rather than splitting the season’s build-up.
The tour itself features three matches in eight days — Inter Milan in Hong Kong, then a rematch of the 2023 double-header in Seoul against a K League All-Stars XI and Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid. The Community Shield against Arsenal follows at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, before the Premier League season opens at home to Bournemouth.
Pre-season schedule:
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Kick-off (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 August | Manchester City v Inter Milan | Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong | 12:30 |
| Wed 5 August | K League All-Stars v Manchester City | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul | 13:00 |
| Sun 9 August | Manchester City v Atlético Madrid | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul | 13:00 |
| Sun 16 August | Manchester City v Arsenal (Community Shield) | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | 15:00 |
| Sun 23 August | Manchester City v Bournemouth (Premier League) | Etihad Stadium | 14:00 |
The Inter meeting doubles as a rematch of the 2023 Champions League final and will be Maresca’s first game in the dugout since replacing Pep Guardiola, who departed at the end of last season after ten years and 20 trophies.
The Seoul leg revives a fixture that sold out in 2023, when City lost 2-1 to Atlético at the same stadium — this time as part of the newly expanded, two-match Coupang Play Series.
With key figures still working their way back from international duty, expect City’s fringe players and academy prospects to get an extended look during the Asia leg, before a more recognisable first XI starts to take shape by the time Arsenal visit Cardiff.
