Man City cracked AmericaGetty

How Man City cracked America: Ted Lasso, WWE and trophies galore leading Pep Guardiola & Co. to become U.S. fans' favourite Premier League team

Manchester City are back in the United States and are set for their biggest reception to date, playing in front of a potential audience of 257,000 fans in the four games that make up their pre-season tour. They will kick off their jaunt against Celtic at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill on July 23, and then take on AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 27.

Next up is a mouth-watering clash with Guardiola’s boyhood club Barcelona at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, and City then round off the tour in style against Chelsea at the Ohio Stadium, which seats 100,000 people.

City have a lot to celebrate on their return to the States. They will be flaunting the Premier League title which they won for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season, while they can also boast of being the most popular team in the country by a number of metrics. They were the most watched Premier League club in the U.S. in the 2022-23 season in all competitions, according to sports data firm Nielsen, as well as being the most recognised Premier League brand and and the most liked club, according to YouGov.

City also made U.S. television history in March when their match with Arsenal was watched by a record 2.6 million people, the highest ever audience in the country for a Premier League game.

Article continues below