Sport

Road to Victory is all set to turn Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl into the latest World Cup fan zone

We've just got to beat Norway first...

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 10th July 2026

Manchester’s smash-hit Road to Victory is hoping to bring its first-ever open-air World Cup fan zone to the city, as the event is set to take over Castlefield Bowl – on one condition.

It’s just the simple matter of if/when* we make it through.

The famous amphitheatre might be in the middle of their 2026 edition of the annual Sounds of the City festival, but given that England have advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament, they’ve naturally decided to make some changes.

It might not be in time for this next game against Norway, but should we make it past the Scandinavian side, Castlefield Bowl will be welcoming roughly 9,000 fans for the semis and (touch wood) the final.

Announced this week, the Road to Victory (RtV) team – backed by production company and promoters AIX Live, who specialise in multi-sensory, immersive fan experiences – is pledging to move into their latest Manc venue for the upcoming fixture at the very least.

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Having started over at Depot Mayfield before moving to the likes of Diecast and most recently AO Arena, they’re planning to make the most of the ongoing heatwave by securing the beloved Bowl.

With the Manchester Storm ice hockey team returning to the Arena, they’ve had to vacate ahead of preparations, but it could mean that we’re now looking at one of the biggest outdoor supporter parks in the country, let alone the North West.

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Once again, we’ve already had The K’s, Wet Leg and Johnny Marr play the multi-date music series this year, and there are more concerts booked, but some understandable exceptions are now being made.

For instance, The Streets have now rescheduled one of their two gigs at the pavilion to make time for the football this weekend, which has come as a huge relief to many punters.

It’s not the only positive update giving the Three Lions some hope for Saturday, either:

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Obviously, how many Road to Victory dates we get here all depends on whether or not Thomas Tuchel’s side make it past Haaland and co., but it’s sure to be a memorable night nonetheless.

Should the boys make it to the semi-final, tickets for the supporter park right after the match and, unsurprisingly, the demand is expected to be huge. For context, more than 40,000 joined the party for the 2022 World Cup, and the previous Euros final in 2024 sold out the AO Arena. Wow.

With that in mind, we’d say be quick on the draw and get down early with doors from 5pm, as the Road to Victory pre-show will kick things off pronto, alongside live DJs, entertainment and bars – all of which promise to deliver an unparalleled festival-like matchday atmosphere. 

You can get ready to register your interest and grab yours as soon as they go on sale right HERE; in the meantime, if you’re still wondering where the best places to watch England vs Norway in Manchester are, look no further:

Where to watch the 2026 World Cup in Manchester
Don’t get caught out rushing to find somewhere in the lead-up to kick-off.

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Featured Images — Anthony Mooney (supplied via Road to Victory)/The Manc Group

Sport

Location for new Manchester United stadium announced after club secures land for the build

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Man United stadium location Old Trafford confirmed

The location for Manchester United’s brand-new stadium has been officially revealed just over a fortnight on from the football club securing the land after more than a year of disputes.

Man United’s ‘New Trafford’ is set to be a state-of-the-art sporting ground with a roughly 100,000-seater capacity, not only becoming the largest in the UK but rivalling all other industry-leading arenas around the world.

While there’s been plenty of speculation about funding for the redevelopment, the proposed designs, and the aforementioned plot for the massive project, serious forward momentum can finally begin now that the latter has been resolved.

That being said, the INEOS ownership group, board of executives and partnered Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have now confirmed where exactly the site for Old Trafford 2.0 will be situated, not to mention some new CGIs.

Put in the simplest terms, the work will be centred around the Wharfside area, with the native council and Freightliner both having, at long last, greenlit the plans in principle.

The Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation (OTRMDC) and dedicated Taskforce – on which Mayor and seemingly soon-to-be Prime Minister Andy Burnham has served since its inception – are set to create a fresh ‘Stadium District’ across the 150 hectares of space in Stretford.

Revolving not only around the current Metrolink tram stop and other accessible Bee Network routes, but sitting approximately just 350 metres North of the existing ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the blueprints go far beyond just creating newer and bigger stands that are easily reachable.

As per an official MUFC statement, “the vision is for a diverse neighbourhood creating 48,000 local jobs and 15,000 new homes, with the new stadium as the catalyst. Together, the mixed-use developments across 150 hectares have the potential to offer a £7.3bn-per-annum boost to the UK economy.”

Promising to maintain key aspects of nearby heritage, traditions and matchday rituals, be a walk from Pomona to a favourite food truck, or supporters making their way down the Quays and the River Irwell, they’ve even put together a video of what they hope this next chapter for Trafford will look like.

Safe to say, the GMCA, United and everyone involved have pretty ambitious ideas when it comes to a fresh era for the borough and the surrounding section of Stretford and bordering Salford.

Local Council Leader Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said of this most recent update: “We are delighted to introduce the masterplan which starts a long journey to piece together what could happen where, to bring this world-class cultural and sporting destination to life.

“We want to create a great place to be, not just on matchdays but every day – and we’re looking for as many residents and businesses as possible to help us to shape this vision, through our forthcoming consultation process.

“Wharfside will become a network of attractive neighbourhoods in which to live, work, wander, explore, relax with family, enjoy nature and wildlife, meet friends, eat out, have a drink, shop and be entertained.”

He goes on to add that besides the obvious additions to the matchday experience, this will effectively become the city region’s latest neighbourhood, delivering new parks and waterside spaces, housing including affordable options, and even new health and educational facilities.

Twinned with the obvious transport links and proximity to other key parts of Greater Manchester, this could be one of the biggest overhauls the North West has seen in decades; you can see more down below. What do you make of it all?

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures via Manchester United Football Club

Sport

Prime Minister set to announce extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 World Cup

Danny Jones Danny Jones PM to announce extra bank holiday if England win 2026 World Cup final

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to announce an extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

What a way to sign off from the highest office in Great Britain, eh?

According to Sky News journalist Beth Rigby, the outgoing PM is expected to reveal an extended period of celebration across the country if/should/WHEN (you’ve got to believe) the Three Lions reach this year’s World Cup final and lift the biggest prize in global sport.

Starmer may be gearing up to leave No. 10 Downing Street soon, but he can certainly earn himself a few more points in the pros column should this familiar rumour come to fruition.

As Rigby states in her post on X, this decision would fall just before the transition in leadership, with Greater Manchester’s own Mayor Andy Burnham all but confirmed at the head of the table already within the Labour Party cabinet.

The incumbent announced he would resign last month, with Burnham declaring himself in the running not long after, winning the Makerfield seat and marking his return as an MP after nearly a decade away from Parliament.

Regarding the still only potential bank holiday – Thomas Tuchel’s side still need to make it through the quarter-final and the semis, remember – the Sky reporter states that the following Friday, 24 July, is the most likely date.

Understandably, plenty on social media are already rejoicing over the prospect, but some aren’t content with waiting a week to carry on the post-trophy lift party, with many arguing that it should be the Monday morning immediately after the final next Sunday (19/2/2026).

Let’s be honest, there’ll be lots of people pulling sickies regardless of whether or not their bosses are left to grant a day off.

Many have already rightly argued that such decisions should have been made in the past after the Lionesses won not just one but two back-to-back European Championships; we’re willing to forgive and move on if the powers that be make it happen this time.

Once again, all of this is still yet to be verified by Starmer himself, though both he and Burnham have hinted at a bank holiday previously.

Starmer recently said that despite always believing England will “go all the way”, he didn’t want to jinx anything, simply telling the BBC’s Chris Mason: “Ask me again if we make the final.”

Either way, the general jubilation should England end 60 ‘years of hurt’ will be nothing short of colossal, and it would only feel right given the sheer gravity of the would-be achievement.

We’re even getting excited merely by the idea of some additional and, at present, strictly hypothetical pre- and post-match entertainment…

Liam Gallagher says he’s ‘ready’ to make a surprise appearance at the World Cup final
We never thought we’d get an Oasis reunion – but we did.

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Featured Images — No. 10 Downing Street (via Flickr)/Ank Kumar (via Wikimedia Commons)

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