Hull City vs Manchester United will kick off on 22 Aug 2026 at 07:30 EST and 12:30 GMT.
Tigers meet the Red Devils on matchday 1
Hull City returns to the Premier League on Saturday after a nine-year spell in the lower leagues, and their reward is an opening day clash with giants Manchester United.
How did Hull get here?
Hull got back into the promised land of the Premier League after qualifying for last season's Championship play-offs on the final day of the regular season, followed by wins over Millwall in the semi-finals and Middlesbrough in the final. They've been busy in the transfer market, bringing in 14 new players to help them with the rigours of elite football. The Tigers started last season as Championship relegation favourites and conceded 66 league goals, the fourth-highest, along the way. To say it was a surprise that they reached the playoff final, and then won it, would be an understatement.
Much will depend on playoff final hereo Oli McBurnie, the scorer of 19 goals last season.
Getty ImagesHull's recruits
Hull have made wholesale changes to their squad. So far 11 – Jack Butland, Hidemasa Morita, Matt Targett, Óscar Zambrano, Jens Hjertø-Dahl, Elliot Stroud, Konstantinos Tzolakis, Lucas Herrington, Joe Gelhardt, Lucas Gourna-Douath and the club record buy, the central defender Nobel Mendy, who has arrived from Rayo Vallecano for just over £20m – have arrived.
Getty ImagesCan Carrick pick up where he left off?
In the second half of the 2025-26 season, United were one of the best sides in Europe under caretaker boss Michael Carrick. The former United midfielder transformed their fortunes after a dismal first half of the campaign under Ruben Amorim. The 44-year-old inherited a squad that sat 10th in the table and turned it into a side capable of beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City in the space of four months. That run of 12 wins, three draws and two defeats from 17 Premier League matches earned him a permanent two-year deal.
Getty ImagesExtra workload for United's squad
A net spend of £55m in the summer has seen midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans join from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively. United will be playing Champions League football for the first time in three years and that will undoubtedly place extra pressure on their playing personnel. Rasmus Hojlund was sold to Napoli for £38m while Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia all left on free transfers. Marcus Rashford returns after a loan spell with Barcelona, but it remains unclear whether he'll still be at Old Trafford for the new season. 18-year-old wonger Tynan Thompson has arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in a £8m deal. United has stiff competition for places in attack with Amad Diallo, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheas Cunha all proven at this level. Central defence is a concern for United, with Matthijs de Ligt and Lenny Yoro both dealing with persistent injuries. Bruno Fernandes is still the club's talisman. The Portuguese playmaker broke the single-season Premier League assists record last term, creating 21 goals for teammates.
Getty ImagesLikely XIs
Hull (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Mendy, Targett; Slater, Crooks; Belloumi, Morita, Stroud; McBurnie.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Tielemans, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Sesko.
Team news & squads
Hull City vs Manchester United Probable lineups
Manager
- S. Jakirovic
Hull City head into the match with a significant number of players unavailable. Jakirovic is without goalkeeper Jack Butland, defenders John Egan, Cody Drameh, Charlie Hughes, and Jens Hjertø-Dahl, midfielders Darko Gyabi, Paddy McNair, Matty Jacob, and Oscar Zambrano, and forwards Liam Millar and Enis Destan. No probable starting XI has been confirmed, and updates will be added closer to kick-off.
Manchester United are also dealing with injury concerns ahead of the trip north. Carrick cannot call on Manuel Ugarte, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Kobbie Mainoo, Benjamin Sesko, Karl Darlow, Mason Mount, or Tom Heaton. No confirmed lineup has been released, and further team news is expected as the match approaches.
Form
Hull City's last five results show three wins, one draw, and one loss. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in a friendly on August 8, while their previous competitive result was a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship on May 23. They also beat Konyaspor 3-0 and Rizespor 2-1 in pre-season, scoring seven goals across their five matches while conceding five.
Manchester United's last five matches produced three wins, one draw, and one loss. Their most recent fixture was a 1-1 draw with Leeds United on August 12, which United won on penalties. They also drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain and beat Atletico Madrid 2-1, while a 5-0 thrashing of Rosenborg was the standout result of their pre-season. United scored nine goals across those five games and conceded four, though the loss to Wrexham earlier in pre-season remains a notable blemish.
Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head
The most recent meeting between these two clubs came in February 2017, when the sides played out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League at Old Trafford. Across the last five recorded meetings, United hold the stronger record, winning two, with Hull claiming one victory and two matches ending level. Hull's sole win in that run came in the Carabao Cup in January 2017, a 2-1 home victory, while United won the first leg of that tie 2-0.