They may, in the main, be of a certain vintage but the significant following that Leeds United retain in Ireland will be very excited at the news that ‘their’ club will take on Serie A giants AC Milan in Dublin on Saturday, August 9.

The Aviva Stadium will play host to Leeds’ final pre-season friendly before their return to the Premier League only a week later.

The fixture will serve as an international friendly for AC Milan ahead of the Serie A season, which kicks off on the weekend of 23 August.

It will be the first time the two sides have met since the UEFA Champions League group stages in the 2000/2001 season, having only ever met three times in all competitions previously.

Leeds, who return to Dublin after nine years have always had a strong connection with Ireland, having had many Irish legends pass through their ranks in the form of Johnny Giles, Robbie Keane, Ian Harte and Gary Kelly.

“It’s going to be an exciting game and certainly a great test for this Leeds side before their Premier League campaign kicks off,” said Kelly, who played 462 times for Leeds and amassed 52 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

“I have great memories of the last time we played Milan, captaining the side against them in the Champions League. Obviously as a proud Irishman I am delighted this fixture is coming to Dublin, which I know the locals will welcome, packing out the Aviva stadium and creating a great atmosphere.”

AC Milan haven’t played in Dublin since their Europa League tie against Shamrock Rovers in the 2020/21 season and the Rossoneri’s Brand Ambassador Daniele Massaro added that “We’re thrilled to return to Dublin after all these years and face Leeds once again.”

“I’m sure the Irish fans will enjoy the match, and it will provide an excellent opportunity for both teams to fine-tune ahead of the new season.”

The game kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, 9 August 2025. Tickets for the match went on pre-sale to Club fans on Tuesday, May 27 before going on public sale tomorrow Thursday, May 29 at 10am. Ticket prices start at €35 for Adults and €20 for Under-16s (booking fees apply). Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.

 

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SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

With Celtic coming to Cork in July, this is a second major pre-season friendly in Ireland over the summer, helping ease the pain of not being part of the Euro Championship Finals.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

The game takes place on August 9th at the Aviva Stadium.

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