Manchester is home to several football clubs, with Manchester United and Manchester City being the most prominent. Both clubs have a storied history, numerous titles, and a massive global fan base. Additionally, the city boasts a variety of other professional and semi-professional teams contributing to its vibrant football culture.
Key Takeaways
- Manchester United and Manchester City are the two most prominent football clubs associated with Manchester.
- Manchester United are usually the strongest contender for the title of the biggest football club in Manchester because of their historic honours and global appeal.¹⁰
- Manchester City are usually the strongest answer for the best team in Manchester right now because of their recent trophy record and modern dominance.⁷
- Greater Manchester includes several important EFL clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic, Stockport County, Salford City, Oldham Athletic and Rochdale AFC.
- Women’s football is now a central part of Manchester’s football scene, with both Manchester United Women and Manchester City Women competing at elite level.
- Non-league clubs such as FC United of Manchester and Altrincham show that Manchester football culture extends well beyond the Premier League.
Premier League Giants
Manchester is a football city, often compared to passionate football cities like Edinburgh, north of the border. When you think of football in Manchester, there are two obvious teams. Which is bigger? Which is better? That all depends on how far you want to look back, how much of a club's history informs its current status, or simply who's winning right now.
Manchester United
Manchester United are the historic giant of Manchester football, known for their global fanbase, long trophy record and famous home at Old Trafford. The club’s official honours list includes 20 league titles, 13 FA Cups and 3 European Cup or Champions League wins.¹⁰ Forbes also ranked Manchester United above Manchester City in its 2026 list of the world’s most valuable soccer teams.⁵ For readers asking about the biggest football club in Manchester, United are usually the strongest answer.
Manchester City
Manchester City are the modern powerhouse of Manchester football, known for their recent dominance, elite squad-building and success under Pep Guardiola. The club’s official honours list includes 10 top-flight league titles and major European success.⁷ Their expanded Etihad Stadium also reflects the scale of the club’s modern growth.⁹ For readers asking about the best team in Manchester right now, City are usually the strongest answer.
Manchester United
Manchester United
Old Trafford
1878
20 league titles, 13 FA Cups and 3 European Cup or Champions League wins.¹⁰
Few clubs in world football can boast the sort of heritage Manchester United can. The team that is commonly referred to as the Red Devils is globally recognised for its iconic red home kit. The traditional home kit features a red shirt, white shorts, and black socks. This classic colour scheme has become synonymous with the club's identity and global brand. The away and third kits have varied over the years, often incorporating white, black, and blue themes.
An iconic team needs an iconic stadium, and Manchester United play their home matches at Old Trafford, known as the "Theatre of Dreams." Located in the Old Trafford district of Greater Manchester, this historic stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 74,00, making it one of the largest stadiums in the United Kingdom. Old Trafford has been United's home since 1910 and has witnessed numerous memorable moments, hosting domestic and international fixtures.
Manchester United is one of the most successful football clubs in the world, though recent years have not been as trophy-laden as some spells through the club's past. Many football fans associate the club with Sir Alex Ferguson, whose tenure was one of the most successful of any manager in history, winning pretty much everything it was possible to win! Some of Manchester United's greatest achievements include:
English Top Division 🇬🇧
Won 20 times with 13 Premier League titles since 1992
FA Cup ⚽️
Won 13 times
The only club to appear in an FA Cup final in every decade since WW2
Champions League 🏆
Won 3 times in 1968,1999 and 2008
Manchester United also added the UEFA Europa League to their trophy cabinet in 2017. Manchester United’s very recent history has seen something of a lull in its Premier League title challenges, but the club did add the FA Cup to its trophy cabinet once more in 2024.
league titles, making them one of the most successful clubs in English football history.¹⁰
Manchester United are usually the strongest answer when people ask for the biggest football club in Manchester. Their official honours list includes 20 league titles, 13 FA Cups and 3 European Cup or Champions League wins.¹⁰ Forbes ranked Manchester United above Manchester City in its 2026 list of the world’s most valuable football teams.⁵
Manchester City
Manchester City
Etihad Stadium
1880
10 top-flight league titles, recent European success and one of English football’s strongest modern trophy records.⁷
The club was founded in 1880 as St. Mark's before changing its name to Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887. Finally, they took on the name Manchester City in 1894. This is also when they started wearing their iconic Sky Blue kits, which they still wear today.
They play at the Etihad, formerly called the City of Manchester Stadium, but they played at Maine Road between 1923 and 2003. Toward the end of this time, Manchester City struggled to perform or win many titles and were stuck in the lower leagues of English football.
Manchester City’s global appeal and following have grown since their takeovers in the 2000s. First, a former Thai Prime Minister bought the club, but eventually the City Football Group, a company that effectively represents the Abu Dhabi United Group, took over. Since then, Manchester City have had significant funds to spend in the transfer market.
Pep Guardiola's years have transformed the way Manchester City play football and brought them the most successful spell in their history. He became manager in 2016/17 and is known for his attractive and dominant football. Playing this way, Manchester City have won many trophies and become one of the greatest teams the Premier League has ever seen.
Manchester City’s modern stadium is easy to reach from many locations, and fans come from football hubs like London and Birmingham.
top-flight league titles, reflecting both their long history and their recent period of dominance.⁷
The best team in Manchester depends on whether you mean history or recent performance. Manchester United have the deeper historic trophy record, while Manchester City’s official honours list reflects their modern dominance, including 10 top-flight league titles and recent European success.⁷
Women's Football in Manchester
Women's football is now part of Manchester's football identity. Manchester United Women and Manchester City Women now give both elite men's clubs a major women's team, even if United were slower to establish their current side. Now, Manchester is one of the best football cities in the UK for fans who want to watch top-level women's football.¹⁷
Manchester United Women
Manchester United Women have grown quickly since the current team began competing at Leigh Sports Village in 2018/19.⁶ Their first Women’s FA Cup win in 2024 gave the club a major milestone in its short modern history.¹⁷ For readers interested in a fast-rising women’s team with a strong connection to the wider United identity, they are one of Manchester’s key clubs to follow.
Manchester City Women
Manchester City Women are one of Manchester’s leading elite women’s football teams. The club presents its women’s team as a major part of the wider Manchester City football structure.⁸ They give the city another top-level team to follow and help make women’s football central to Manchester’s modern football culture.
Manchester United Women
Manchester United Women
Leigh Sports Village
2018
Began their current era at Leigh Sports Village in 2018/19.⁶ They won their first Women’s FA Cup in 2024.¹⁷
One of the biggest women’s clubs out there today has grown over a relatively short period of time. Manchester United Women has two million followers on Instagram, showing just how well-known they are in terms of their current iteration. We say "current iteration" because there was a women’s team affiliated with Manchester United in 2001-2005, but it was quickly disbanded and largely ignored until 2018. This is when the current Manchester United Women was formed. It is not as old as some of the Scottish football teams in this respect. They play in the same colours as the male team, but they play at the Leigh Sports Village rather than playing their games at Old Trafford like Manchester United’s men’s team.
In a bit of symmetry with the men’s team, on 12 May 2024, United defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4–0 in the 2024 Women's FA Cup final, and both teams won this year’s edition of the cup.
In only six years of history, it is not too much of a surprise that there is only one major trophy in the women's cabinet, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more to come. The club has become much more competitive in recent years and has finished in higher positions in the league. Some England products have come out of the academy, too.
Manchester United have made a few attempts to launch women’s teams and were not as quick as some London football teams in doing so, but they do have a team now.
Manchester City Women
Manchester City Women
Joie Stadium
1988
One of Manchester’s leading elite women’s football teams and a major part of the wider Manchester City football structure.⁸
Manchester City’s women's team has been in existence longer than rivals Manchester United, but they are far from being the oldest team in the country. In London, Birmingham, and other parts of the country, there are older women’s teams. The club was founded in 1988, and they play at the Joie Stadium, which is much smaller than the men's ground, but it is still an impressive facility.
Of course, they wear the iconic light blue that their male counterparts also sport on matchdays. Manchester City women are one of the “big four” in the game, and though they aren’t in the kind of spell of dominance the men’s team are, they’re one of the more impressive professional outfits in the WSL, a league now watched by a huge number of spectators around the world.
Women’s football is now central to Manchester’s football identity. Manchester United Women play at Leigh Sports Village.⁶ They won their first Women’s FA Cup in 2024.¹⁷ Manchester City Women remain one of the city’s leading elite teams.⁸
| Club | Area | Team | Level | Stadium | Known For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | Trafford | Men | Premier League | Old Trafford | Historic honours, global fanbase and 20 league titles |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Men | Premier League | Etihad Stadium | Modern dominance, major trophies and the Pep Guardiola era |
| Manchester United Women | Leigh | Women | WSL | Leigh Sports Village | Rapid growth and a first Women’s FA Cup win in 2024 |
| Manchester City Women | Manchester | Women | WSL | Joie Stadium | One of Manchester’s leading elite women’s football teams |
| Bolton Wanderers | Bolton | Men | Championship | Toughsheet Community Stadium | One of Greater Manchester’s most prominent EFL clubs |
| Wigan Athletic | Wigan | Men | League One | Brick Community Stadium | A Greater Manchester club with modern cup history |
| Stockport County | Stockport | Men | League One | Edgeley Park | Strong local support and a traditional EFL identity |
| Salford City | Salford | Men | League Two | Peninsula Stadium | A club known for its rapid modern rise |
| Oldham Athletic | Oldham | Men | League Two | Boundary Park | A historic Greater Manchester football club |
| Rochdale AFC | Rochdale | Men | League Two | Crown Oil Arena | A local club returning to the EFL for 2026/27 |
Other Notable Football Clubs in Greater Manchester
If you look really closely at Manchester, you'll see United and City. However, once you start looking around Greater Manchester and the wider region, you'll see this area isn't home to just two clubs. There are long-established EFL clubs in Bolton, Wigan, Stockport, Salford, Oldham and Rochdale, each with its own local identity and supporter base. Manchester's football culture is both regional and global.²
Sadly, Bury is one nearby location whose team went into liquidation, and this has led the club to start again as a “phoenix club” in the lower tiers of English football. The success of the teams in Manchester is often compared to that of the Scottish teams, and the rivalry between City and United is similar to the Celtic-Rangers rivalry in Glasgow.
Manchester United and Manchester City may dominate the global picture, but Greater Manchester has a much wider football scene. Bolton Wanderers enter 2026/27 as a Championship club.² Wigan Athletic are also part of the wider Greater Manchester EFL picture.¹⁸ Stockport County add another important League One club to the regional football map.¹⁶ Salford City add further local depth to the Greater Manchester football map.¹⁵ Oldham Athletic strengthen the region’s League Two presence.¹³ Rochdale AFC returned to the EFL for 2026/27.¹⁴
Emerging and Semi-Professional Clubs
Smaller clubs offer a different way to enjoy and even participate in football. With semi-professional and non-league teams, there are cheaper matchdays, closer connections with supporters, and a stronger neighbourhood feel than at Premier League giants. FC United of Manchester shows how community ownership and local grounds shape the non-league scene.⁴ Altrincham's 2026/27 Enterprise National League place also makes them one of the area's most visible non-league clubs.¹ The Northern Premier League's 2026/27 clubs also feature semi-professional football clubs below the EFL.¹²
Non-league football gives Manchester’s football culture a more local and accessible side. FC United of Manchester’s Broadhurst Park shows how community identity, affordable matchdays and supporter culture still shape the game away from the Premier League.⁴
Manchester's Football Culture and Rivalries
Manchester is a city whose footballing rivalries run deep. The Manchester Derby between United and City is now a headline fixture. However, Manchester also has rivalries with nearby rivals like Liverpool. Manchester is one of England's great footballing cities, and the teams look to prove it constantly.
- Manchester United vs Manchester City: The Manchester Derby is the city's headline rivalry, pitting United's historic dominance against City's modern success.
- Manchester United vs Liverpool: Not a city derby, but one of English football’s biggest regional rivalries because of the clubs’ history, success and North West identity.
- Manchester City vs Liverpool: A modern rivalry shaped by recent title races, elite managers and high-stakes Premier League matches.
- Bolton Wanderers vs Wigan Athletic: A major Greater Manchester and Lancashire-area rivalry, listed by the EFL among the biggest derbies to look forward to in 2026/27.³
- Oldham Athletic vs Rochdale AFC: A close local rivalry between two historic Greater Manchester clubs, strengthened by geography and shared lower-league history.
- Stockport County vs Oldham Athletic: A Greater Manchester fixture with strong local interest when both clubs meet in league or cup competition.
- Salford City vs Stockport County: A newer Greater Manchester rivalry shaped by Salford’s rise and Stockport’s strong local following.
Visiting Manchester's Football Stadiums
Want to visit the famous grounds that these teams play in? You'll find stadium tours a great way to get behind the scenes. Of course, there are opportunities to buy merch, too.
it remains one of the largest club stadiums in the UK.¹¹
with the new Pep Guardiola Stand forming part of the club’s modern stadium development.⁹
Old Trafford is the strongest choice for visitors interested in Manchester United history.¹¹ The Etihad Stadium is ideal for fans interested in Manchester City’s modern era and expanded home ground.⁹ For a more local experience, visitors can also look beyond the Premier League to women’s football and lower-league grounds across Greater Manchester.
| Stadium | Club | Area | Best For | Visitor Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Trafford | Manchester United | Trafford | Football history and trophies | Best for visitors who want a famous stadium, club history and a traditional Manchester football landmark |
| Etihad Stadium | Manchester City | East Manchester | Modern elite football | Best for fans interested in Manchester City’s recent era and expanded stadium experience |
| Joie Stadium | Manchester City Women | East Manchester | Women’s football | Best for watching one of Manchester’s leading women’s teams |
| Leigh Sports Village | Manchester United Women | Leigh | Family-friendly WSL matchdays | Best for seeing Manchester United Women in their regular home setting |
| Edgeley Park | Stockport County | Stockport | Traditional local football | Best for an EFL matchday beyond the Premier League |
| Broadhurst Park | FC United of Manchester | Moston | Supporter-owned football | Best for a non-league matchday with a strong community feel |
Learn More About Football With Superprof
Whether your goal is to become a professional or you just want to become a better amateur player, you can learn more about football in the Manchester area here on Superprof. We connect aspiring stars from Bristol's football clubs to Norwich with potential tutors and coaches. Superprof has tutors to work with all sorts of age groups and ability levels, helping to improve your performance on the pitch and even boost your fitness levels. If you’re based in the South West, you can work with a personal football trainer to build those fundamentals.
References
- Altrincham Football Club. “The Enterprise National League 2026/27.” Altrincham FC, 22 May 2026, https://altrinchamfc.com/blogs/news/the-enterprise-national-league-2026-27. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Bolton Wanderers FC. “2026/27 Fixture Hub.” Bolton Wanderers FC, https://www.bwfc.co.uk/club/202627-fixture-hub. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- English Football League. “Five of the Biggest EFL Derbies to Look Forward to in 2026/27.” EFL, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.efl.com/news/2026/june/25/five-of-the-biggest-efl-derbies-to-look-forward-to-in-2026-27/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- FC United of Manchester. “Broadhurst Park.” FC United of Manchester, https://fc-utd.co.uk/grounds/broadhurst-park. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Forbes. “The World’s Most Valuable Soccer Teams 2026.” Forbes, 29 May 2026, https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinteitelbaum/2026/05/29/the-worlds-most-valuable-soccer-teams-2026/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Leigh Sports Village. “Manchester United Women.” Leigh Sports Village, https://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk/matchdays/manchester-united-women/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Manchester City Football Club. “Man City Team Honours.” Manchester City FC, https://www.mancity.com/club/honours/team. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Manchester City Football Club. “Man City Women.” Manchester City FC, https://www.mancity.com/manchester-city-women. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Manchester City Football Club. “The Pep Guardiola Stand.” Manchester City FC, https://www.mancity.com/ticketing-and-hospitality/the-pep-guardiola-stand. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Manchester United Football Club. “Manchester United Honours.” Manchester United FC, https://www.manutd.com/en/club/history/trophy-room. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Manchester United plc. “History.” Manchester United Investor Relations, https://ir.manutd.com/company-information/history.aspx. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Northern Premier League. “Club Allocations Confirmed for 2026/27 Season.” The Pitching In Northern Premier League, 14 May 2026, https://www.thenpl.co.uk/articles/club-allocations-confirmed-for-202627-season. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Oldham Athletic AFC. “2026/27 Fixtures Released!” Oldham Athletic AFC, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2026/june/25/2026-27-fixtures-released-/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Rochdale AFC. “Dale’s Fixtures for EFL Return Revealed.” Rochdale AFC, 26 Jun. 2026, https://rochdaleafc.co.uk/dales-fixtures-for-efl-return-revealed/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Salford City FC. “2026-27 League Fixtures Announced.” Salford City FC, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.salfordcityfc.co.uk/news/2026/june/25/2026-27-League-Fixtures-Announced/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Stockport County FC. “County’s 2026/27 Fixtures Revealed.” Stockport County FC, 25 Jun. 2026, https://www.stockportcounty.com/news/2026/june/25/2026-27-fixtures-revealed. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- The Football Association. “Lucia Garcia Double Leads Manchester United to Adobe Women’s FA Cup Glory.” The FA, 12 May 2024, https://www.thefa.com/news/2024/may/12/manchester-united-win-adobe-womens-fa-cup-20240512. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
- Wigan Athletic FC. “2026/27 Sky Bet League One Fixtures Released!” Wigan Athletic FC, 25 Jun. 2026, https://wiganathletic.com/news/2026/june/25/2026-27-sky-bet-league-one-fixtures-released--/. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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