Manchester City announce pre-season friendly against sister club | OneFootball

Manchester City will meet fellow City Football Group (CFG) side Palermo in a pre-season fixture this summer.

The two clubs are set to compete for the newly created Anglo Palermitan Trophy, in what will also mark their the first-ever on-pitch meeting between the sides and forms part of both clubs’ final preparations ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Palermo, who currently compete in Italy’s Serie B, joined the CFG network in 2022 and have since developed close operational and technical ties with Manchester City.

The newly-announced fixture further reflects CFG’s continued efforts to connect its clubs beyond boardroom strategy, extending into competitive and cultural exchange.

Since their takeover by CFG, Palermo have undergone a significant rebuild on and off the pitch, drawing on the experience and expertise of clubs like Manchester City.

For City, the fixture adds a unique dimension to a summer schedule that already included a FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the United States ending with a 3-4 defeat to Al Hilal in the last-16 stage of the tournament, while reinforcing the group’s global footprint.

The match between Palermo and Manchester City is scheduled to take place on Saturday 9 August at 8PM (UK time) at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Sicily — a historic venue in Italian football and home to one of the country’s most storied regional clubs.

The announcement was accompanied by comments from CFG Global Football Technical Director Riccardo Bigon, who described the occasion as “a historic meeting” that offers value both technically and culturally.

He added that the match represents a new example of the “vast possibilities” unlocked through CFG collaboration and heritage-sharing.

Although officially a friendly, the match has broader implications. For City, it comes just one week before their Premier League opener against Wolves and will likely serve as a final chance for Pep Guardiola to assess fitness levels and tactics. For Palermo, it’s a high-profile test against one of Europe’s elite ahead of their Serie B campaign and push for Serie A promotion.

The fixture also taps into Palermo’s English roots — the club was founded in 1900 by British expatriates, and its early footballing philosophy was shaped by the sport’s growth in England. Framing the match within that legacy adds depth and narrative interest to what would otherwise be a routine pre-season game.

As CFG’s global model continues to evolve, cross-club encounters like this may become more regular. But for now, the Anglo Palermitan Trophy offers fans of both clubs a rare and symbolic occasion: a celebration of heritage, footballing progress, and the increasingly connected world of the modern game.