Manchester City are looking forward to making a fresh start in the upcoming 2025/26 season, especially after their disappointing run in the last campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side had to settle for a third-place finish in the Premier League in the 2024/26 without lifting any major trophies and having to count their qualification to the Champions League for the next season as a win.
City missed out on another shot at triumph in the campaign with their recent elimination from the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup.
Now, Guardiola & Co. will be preparing to make their upcoming season a success.
Manchester City’s 2025/26 preseason schedule
After their last match of the 2024/25 Premier League in May, Man City’s pre-season break was cut down as they made the trip to the United States for the Club World Cup, which started on June 14.
Along with an interruption in their time of rest ahead of a new campaign, Man City also did not have as many pre-season friendly games lined up.
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Their first and only preseason match is against Italian club Palermo, who compete in the Serie B, on August 9 at Renzo Barbera Stadium.
| Opponent | Date | Location |
| Palermo | Sat, Aug. 9 | Palermo, Italy |
Manchester City’s 2025/26 transfer, latest rumours
Man City legend Kevin De Bruyne parted ways with the club after a decade-long tenure there, at the end of the previous season, and has now joined Serie A side Napoli.
Another of their veterans, Kyle Walker, also took his leave from the Etihad and has signed a two-year deal with newly promoted Premier League side Burnley.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson has left Man City following his contract expiry at the end of last month.
Jack Grealish, whose current contract is valid until June 2027, has been heavily linked with a move away from Man City this summer, while James McAtee’s future at the English club also remains uncertain.
Man City have made four major signings in the ongoing summer transfer window so far. The new faces on Guardiola’s squad are Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, Rayan Cherki from Lyon, Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves, and Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea.
Several reports have suggested that Man City have Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White on their transfer list as well.
Manchester City’s 2025/26 squad
Guardiola will need to name a 25-player squad as per Premier League rules before the campaign starts, and below is his current first team list.
| Position | Player | Squad No. |
| GK | Ederson | 31 |
| GK | Stefan Ortega | 18 |
| GK | Marcus Bettinelli | 13 |
| DEF | Ruben Dias | 3 |
| DEF | John Stones | 5 |
| DEF | Nathan Ake | 6 |
| DEF | Rayan Ait-Nouri | 21 |
| DEF | Vitor Reis | 22 |
| DEF | Josko Gvardiol | 24 |
| DEF | Manuel Akanji | 25 |
| DEF | Abdukodir Khusanov | 45 |
| DEF | Issa Kabore | 78 |
| DEF | Rico Lewis | 82 |
| DEF | Josh Wilson-Esbrand | 97 |
| MID | Kalvin Phillips | – |
| MID | Tijjani Reijnders | 4 |
| MID | Mateo Kovacic | 8 |
| MID | Jack Grealish | 10 |
| MID | Nico Gonzalez | 14 |
| MID | Rodri | 16 |
| MID | Ilkay Gundogan | 19 |
| MID | Bernardo Silva | 20 |
| MID | Matheus Nunes | 27 |
| MID | Rayan Cherki | 29 |
| MID | Claudio Echeverri | 30 |
| MID | Maximo Perrone | 32 |
| MID | Phil Foden | 47 |
| MID | Oscar Bobb | 52 |
| MID | Nico O’Reilly | 75 |
| MID | James McAtee | 87 |
| FWD | Omar Marmoush | 7 |
| FWD | Erling Haaland | 9 |
| FWD | Jeremy Doku | 11 |
| FWD | Savinho | 26 |
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