Man Utd requested to play first Premier League game of 2026-27 season away from home

The Premier League granted a request from Manchester United to play their first game of the 2026-27 season away from Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick's side will face newly-promoted Hull City at the MKM Stadium on August 22, a game that will mark their first opening away game since 2016.

For the first time in 14 years, the Old Trafford turf is being dug up and stripped back to its foundation in a bid to improve player welfare and water drainage.

Steps are being taken to improve safety around the surface as well, with the grass being extended to provide a consistent surface at pitchside.

A layer of protection will also be added to the brickwork at the foot of Old Trafford’s infamous slope, although the slope itself will remain.

As a result of the work, United requested to play their first home game of the Premier League season away from Old Trafford, according to a report from The Sun.

They now have ten weeks to complete the project ahead of their clash against Ipswich Town on August 29.

The Old Trafford pitch is being completely dug up. Image credit: Manchester United

The iconic pitch is being regrown from scratch for the final time at the current Old Trafford, with their move to a brand new stadium in the pipeline.

Man Utd unveiled design for new 100,000-seater stadium last year

Back in March last year, United announced plans to build a new 100,000-capacity stadium in the Old Trafford area, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe stating it would be a “truly state-of-the-art stadium” that could be a “catalyst” for change.

Conceptual images and scaled models designed by the architect Lord Norman Foster were unveiled at Foster + Partners' headquarters in London.

The stadium and wider regeneration project has the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion per year to the UK economy, bringing large-scale social and economic benefits to the community and wider region.

The plan also includes the possible creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes and additional 1.8 million visitors annually.

Image credit: Man Utd & Foster + Partners

READ MORE: Man Utd make major change to 'New Trafford' plans after backlash

In terms of a timeline for the build, United proposed in 2025 that it would be completed within five years, according to a report from the Mail, which claimed it would become the largest covered space in the world featuring their own version of Wembley Way.

Norman Foster, who is the architect behind the plans, gave a further insight into the 100,000-capacity stadium.

“The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district, which is completely walkable, served by public transport, and endowed by nature,” Foster said.

“It is a mixed-use miniature city of the future – driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination that Mancunians can be proud of."