First ever Manchester derby to be held outside of the UK between United and City confirmed

The pair will meet in Houston in front of 72,000 fans

Jack Austin
Tuesday 16 May 2017 08:24 BST
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The first Manchester derby to be held outside of the UK will take place this summer as United face City in Houston, Texas on July 20.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will renew their rivalry at the 72,220-seater NRG Stadium in the International Champions Cup.

The two sides were due to play the first ever derby overseas last summer in Beijing but it was called off at the last minute due to torrential rain in the Chinese capital.

Both Manchester clubs are touring the United States this summer as part of their preparations for next season, with United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward looking forward to exploiting the American market once again.

“The game in Houston gives our large US family of fans another chance to see the team play live,” he said.

“The last time we played in Houston, over 70,000 packed the stadium and we are looking forward to entertaining them again.”

City chief executive Ferran Soriano called the game one of the “world’s most iconic games”.

“The Manchester derby is one of the world's most iconic games,” he said. “We are very excited to play it in front of our passionate American fans. There are so many great memories from this game in history and we can't wait to create some new ones in Houston.”

As well as facing City, United will also take on LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake before finishing their tour with games against La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona on July 23 and 26 respectively.

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