Manchester City

Manchester City were founded in 1880 as St Mark's in West Gorton, took the current name in 1894, and have played at the Etihad Stadium since 2003, having moved in after the venue was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. A North Stand expansion completed in May 2026 raised capacity to 61,470 and renamed that end the Pep Guardiola Stand.

Ten English league titles, eight of them in the Premier League era, tell the story of the club's transformation after the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover. Guardiola's ten years in charge, from 2016 to his final match in May 2026, brought six of those titles and the 2023 treble, which included the club's only European Cup.

City finished second in 2025/26 with 78 points, and the end of the Guardiola era makes this the most closely watched transition in European football.

City coverage here follows the squad rebuild, the transfer strategy and the stadium project, three stories that will run alongside each other for years.

‍