Man United vs Wrexham: Time, MUTV Stream, and Team News

Manchester United open their 2026/27 pre-season campaign against Wrexham AFC at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland on Saturday, 18 July 2026, with kick-off at 4pm BST, Michael Carrick's first pre-season fixture as the club's permanent head coach.

The match takes place at 6pm local Finnish time, which converts to 11am ET for viewers in the United States and 8:30pm IST for those following in India. Stadium gates opened at 4pm local time.

How to Watch and Stream

MUTV is the confirmed official broadcast route for UK and Republic of Ireland viewers. A subscription costs £7.99 per month or £29.99 per year, with coverage beginning at 3pm BST, an hour before kick-off. The channel is accessible via the MUTV website, the official Manchester United app, and through platforms including Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV.

Viewers outside the UK have an alternative. Wrexham's official website is offering a worldwide single-match streaming pass for £4.99, giving fans globally a straightforward way to watch without a long-term subscription. MUTV's broadcast is geofenced to the UK and Ireland, making the Wrexham AFC Player the practical option for anyone elsewhere.

Fans in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines can also access the match via beIN SPORTS CONNECT.

No major free-to-air broadcaster is carrying the fixture in any territory.

Squad News: Carrick Blends Youth and Experience

Carrick named a 25-man squad for Helsinki, one shaped heavily by World Cup absences. Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Cunha, Noussair Mazraoui, Altay Bayindir, Amad Diallo, Senne Lammens, and Lisandro Martinez, United's 2026 World Cup finalist, all remain unavailable while tournament recovery time continues.

The headline name in the travelling party is Andrey Santos, a 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder who joined from Chelsea earlier in the week in a deal that could reach £50 million. Santos became Carrick's first permanent signing and has already trained at Carrington. A debut on Finnish soil looks likely.

The confirmed matchday squad includes:

• Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton, Radek Vitek, and Dermot Mee

• Defenders: Harry Amass, Dan Armer, Patrick Dorgu, Ayden Heaven, Jaydan Kamason, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Leny Yoro

• Midfielders: Toby Collyer, Jacob Devaney, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Dan Gore, Mason Mount, Andrey Santos, and Jim Thwaites

• Forwards: Shea Lacey, Bryan Mbeumo, Chido Obi, Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Williams, and Joshua Zirkzee

Karl Darlow, who joined this week on a free transfer from Leeds, has not travelled, he is still in the final stages of recovering from a procedure at the end of last season. Benjamin Sesko is also absent, managing a shin injury carried over from 2025/26. JJ Gabriel, the 15-year-old who featured in United's FA Youth Cup final defeat to Manchester City, has not been named in the squad.

Youri Tielemans, United's other summer signing, is resting after representing Belgium at the World Cup.

Wrexham's Side: Parkinson Assesses Pre-Season Fitness

Phil Parkinson's Wrexham side have already been active in pre-season, drawing with Wisła Kraków before flying to Finland. The Championship side, who finished seventh in 2025/26 on 71 points, two points behind Hull City's 73 will use this tour to prepare for what they hope is a third successive promotion push.

Josh Windass and Max Cleworth did not travel with the squad due to minor fitness concerns. Parkinson has said the squad is in good shape overall but acknowledged a couple of players carrying niggles from last season.

Parkinson described his priority for Helsinki: "The main thing for both teams is the game has got the right intensity level, and there's a competitive element to it."

Wrexham's EFL Championship campaign opens against Cardiff City on 17 August, with an EFL Cup first-round tie against Middlesbrough on 7 August.

What Happened Last Time These Two Met

The Helsinki fixture is not the first time these clubs have crossed paths in a pre-season setting. In July 2023, Wrexham, then a League Two club, beat a young Manchester United academy side 3–1 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, with goals from Elliot Lee, Aaron Hayden, and Sam Dalby, the goals came in front of a crowd of nearly 35,000. Marc Jurado scored United's consolation.

That result, played on United's US tour while the senior squad trained in Houston ahead of a game against Real Madrid, carries an asterisk given the youth-heavy nature of the lineup, but Parkinson has referenced it as context for his side's ability to handle Premier League opposition on the big stage.

Carrick's group in Helsinki, by contrast, includes a handful of senior first-team regulars. This match carries more weight as a genuine fitness and tactical assessment.

The Bigger Pre-Season Picture

Manchester United finished third in the 2025/26 Premier League with 71 points, a run driven largely by Carrick's impact after taking over in January, winning 12 of his first 17 matches in charge. The club returns to the Champions League next season for the first time in recent seasons, adding to the competitive load Carrick will need to manage from the start.

The Helsinki fixture opens an extensive summer schedule. United then face Rosenborg in Trondheim on 24 July, Atlético Madrid at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm on 1 August, and PSG at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg on 8 August, before closing pre-season against Leeds United in Dublin on 12 August and AC Milan in Wrocław on 15 August. The Premier League opener follows against Hull City on 22 August.

For Wrexham, the US leg of the tour follows Finland: Leeds United in Tampa on 25 July, Liverpool in New York on 29 July, and Sunderland AFC in Philadelphia on 2 August, all as part of their summer schedule.

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