Premier League teams will jet off to destinations around the world next month for their respective pre-season tours.
The trips, which have been hampered in recent years due to Covid, allow clubs to connect with fans outside of the United Kingdom, grow their global brand and boost their revenue streams. Yet the trips can often be tough, especially for teams with new managers.
All 20 Premier League managers are dreaming of a productive pre-season as they aim to get their players ready for a gruelling campaign. It's perhaps more important than ever this term as the World Cup in Qatar is scheduled for the winter. Some top-flight footballers could play as many as 79 games for club and country during the 2022-23 term.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will be hoping for minimal distractions as he gets to know his players. Yet his squad face one of the toughest pre-season tours. The Red Devils will jet off to Thailand and Australia for four games against challenging opposition.
The Red Devils take on Liverpool in Bangkok on July 12 before heading to Australia for games against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. United's penultimate pre-season fixture is against Atletico Madrid in Oslo on July 30 - taking their total travel to 22,648 miles. They then return home to Old Trafford for a friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
Speaking of Villa, they will clock-up the most miles of any Premier League team during pre-season - 22,755 to be precise - when they head to Australia and France. As well as United, Steven Gerrard's side will face Leeds, Brisbane Roar and Rennes before the new season gets underway.
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Leeds (21,600 miles) and Palace (21,194) are also set for exhausting trips this summer. "It’s not only a great opportunity for Leeds to play three exciting games in front of our fans Down Under, it’s also a great opportunity to visit a wonderful country which I know loves their sport and is extremely knowledgeable about football," said Leeds boss Jesse Marsch.
Premier League champions Manchester City will travel nowhere near as far as United on their pre-season tour to the United States to face Club America and Bayern Munich, covering 9,507 miles.
Pep Guardiola's side will finish their pre-season campaign by facing Liverpool in the Community Shield on July 30. The game will be played at Leicester's King Power Stadium due to Wembley being prepared for the Women's Euro 2022 final, set to be held on July 31.
The Reds will clock-up 13,719 miles when they travel to Bangkok to face United. They've also got a game against Crystal Palace in Singapore on July 15. Chelsea, meanwhile, are heading to the US to play Club America, Charlotte FC and Arsenal.
The Gunners will cover 9,784 miles this summer. After a trip to Germany to face Nuremberg on July 8, Mikel Arteta's side will face Orlando City on July 20 and the Blues on July 23. Their pre-season tour will end with the Emirates Cup, playing Sevilla on July 30.
Arsenal's bitter rivals Tottenham are off to South Korea to face a K-League XI on July 13 and Sevilla three days later. Spurs will also play Rangers at Ibrox on July 23 and Jose Mourinho's Roma in Israel on July 30.
