Considering Manchester’s a city obsessed with football, surprisingly, it’s not always the easiest place to find somewhere good to watch the match.
We’ve been inundated with messages asking us where to go this summer, so we’ve knuckled down and done the leg work for you – digging out some of the best spots in Manchester to watch the football outside (and in) this summer.
Keep reading to find out where you should be booking for all the upcoming Premier League fixtures. This piece will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.
Joshua Brooks
Oxford Road
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Image: Joshua Brooks
Image: Joshua Brooks
Kicking off the launch of the Premier League in style, Joshua Brooks is going all out with giant beer pitchers, a massive 3m wide screen and pizzas courtesy of its new kitchen resident Tanto Amore.
With club nights raging on in its basement from early evening, you can even make a whole night of it – going down for the footie, then staying on for a boogie.
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Box
Manchester’s new-ish giant sports bar Box is, of course, screening the football this summer.
The huge venue has screens all over the place, so you’ll never be far from the action if you pick the Deansgate bar to watch all the action.
Barca Bar
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Castlefield
This Castlefield gastropub has it all: canal-side dining, plenty of outdoor seating and loads of big screens for showing the football. With room for 250 outside alone (and that’s not including the balcony), there’ll be plenty of space for fans to watch the action, weather permitting. If the heavens do open, there’s room for another 300 inside.
Binary Bar
Castlefield
Binary Bar is a reliable spot for sports fans in Castlefield, showing all the sports fixtures this summer – footie included. As well as a good selection of pints and a classic cocktail menu, they’ve also got a kitchen service up burgers, pizzas, wings and wraps.
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Hotel Football & Cafe Football
Trafford
With it proudly being Manchester’s “home of the Euros” and also owned by the Class of 92, naturally, you’d expect Old Trafford’s Hotel Football to be showing all the important matches this summer.
The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes
City Centre
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With a couple of tables always left open for walk-ins, this Mount Street sports bar is a decent shout if you’re looking for somewhere to catch the game last minute. Bringing the inside out, all outdoor seating comes with a guaranteed good view of a TV screen. What more do you want?
Walkabout
The Printworks
Aussie sports bar Walkabout is not short of big screens to watch the match on this summer. Whether you support Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or any of the other big boys, Walkabout will be showing all the fixtures live so you don’t miss any of the action.
Yates
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The Printworks
Showing the fixtures all summer, Yates is another solid go-to for sports fans looking for big screen action and affordable drinks. From the Premier League to the World Cup 2022, if there’s a match you want to see you can trust that Yates will be screening it.
O’Neills
Image: Supplied
The Printworks
With BT Sport and Sky Sports access, you can watch all televised Premier League matches and the top European action from UEFA Champions League, Europa League and more at O’Neills. Tables here are available to book in advance, and there’s even a Carling Score Predictor game on its app allowing you to win prizes if you guess correctly.
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Bierkeller
Image: Supplied
The Printworks
Bavarian party bar Bierkeller isn’t just all steins and oompah, it’s also a great place to catch the match. The shooters sports bar boasts a whopping 20 TV screens, plus a massive projector screen and a large LED superscreen – so no matter where you’re sat, you won’t miss a thing.
The Crown and Anchor
Northern Quarter
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This popular family-run pub on Hilton Street will be showing all the football fixtures this summer. Grab a seat in its cute little enclosed courtyard beer garden or up on the roof terrace, and load up on homely grub from the kitchen – washed down with some of the city’s most reasonably-priced bevs.
Gasworks
First Street
This beer bar and microbrewery on First Street has some lush beers on draught, many pumped straight out of the brew tanks in its cellar, and decent grub too. They’ll be showing all the football this summer, but to secure a table you’ll need to book by email.
The Dockyard
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Media City
Offering a strong selection of craft ales, beers and ciders, The Dockyard at Media City will be screening all the Euros fixtures this summer. Advance bookings are recommended.
Manchester
Trafford Council temporarily bans barbecues, fireworks and more at key local attraction after Dovestone fires
Danny Jones
Trafford Council has issued a limited ban on barbecues, fireworks and more at the beloved public attraction and suburban hotspot, Sale Water Park, following the fires near Dovestone Reservoir.
Wildfires and areas of concern remain around the moorland region, which caught fire last weekend.
After a woman was arrested as part of a wider investigation into a group that accidentally caused the ignition, accidental or not, the Greater Manchester borough’s local authority has temporarily restricted BBQs, fireworks, and any other kinds of naked flame.
This is a proactive and preventive measure by the Council in an effort to avoid similar circumstances as those seen in the Saddleworth and Oldham vicinity, with the sight and smell of the smoke still lingering across the region.
Barbecues, fireworks and naked flames are temporarily restricted at Sale Water Park due to the increased fire risk during the hot and dry weather.
Please help us keep the park safe for visitors, wildlife and nearby communities.
As explained in the official update from Trafford Council, while local residents and tourists alike are welcome to bring picnics and cold beverages as they hope to both beat and enjoy the heat, a serious fire risk is still very much present.
Implementing the ban across Sale Water Park in an effort to protect native visitors, wildlife and nearby communities, increased police patrols will be dispatched across the 152-acre patch of grasslands and artificial lake.
While the Manc nature reserve and popular slice of countryside just beyond the outskirts of the city centre will still be open from “dawn until dusk” throughout the week, security staff will also be on site, ready on standby with water and sand available to safely extinguish any fires.
The Council has also reminded people to park responsibly and avoid blocking access routes in and around the parkland, as recent busy periods during the ongoing UK heatwave have led to congestion in and around the park, which can also delay emergency vehicles.
Visitors are encouraged to walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport where possible.
A Trafford Council spokesperson said in an official statement: “We want everyone to enjoy Sale Water Park safely. However, the current hot and dry conditions mean there is an increased risk of fire, particularly from barbecues, fireworks and naked flames.
“This temporary restriction is a proportionate step to protect people, wildlife and the park itself. Visitors are very welcome to bring cold picnics, but we are asking everyone not to bring or light barbecues while the restriction is in place.
“We’re also asking visitors to park considerately, keep access routes clear and take litter home if bins are full. To avoid the busiest times, people could consider visiting before 9am or later in the evening.”
As for the Dovestone and Tintwistle Moor blaze, the latest is that a suspect’s identity has now been revealed; you can find out more down below.
Featured Images — Namiras1 (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
Manchester
Meet the team that reimagined The Horse and Jockey into a gastropub masterpiece
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The Horse and Jockey is a historic neighbourhood pub that has forever been a cornerstone in the heart of Chorlton, with its iconic Tudor exterior and outdoor seating looking out onto The Green.
Since the team behind the well-known and loved The Black Friar and Leo + Roobs in Salford, headed by Managing Director Neil Burke and Executive Chef Ben Chaplin, reopened the pub in October 2025, we have since seen some significant changes.
Positioning themselves as Chorlton’s first-ever proper gastropub, they’ve expertly balanced maintaining the pub’s character and restoring the cosy indoors while catering for Manc foodies, with an ever-evolving menu consisting of fresh local produce as well as a wide selection of Joseph Holt award-winning beers.
They’ve even helped spearhead the Boddingtons revival across their sites.
Credit: Bigger Boat Hospitality
We’re not the only ones who have noticed the hard work these two have put in – the transformation has led to the Horse and Jockey being crowned as one of the best local boozers at the Pub and Bar Awards.
Today, we had a chance to talk with Ben, who is the mastermind behind their delicious dishes and makes it all possible…
For anyone who doesn’t know you, give us a little bit of background on your career as a chef thus far?
“I started in the kitchen when I was 15 and worked my way up through different kitchens. Ended up working for Aiden Byrne, who remains the youngest person ever to achieve a Michelin star at 22. I worked for him for about nine years, ran one of his pubs for him and helped develop Manchester House.”
“I then went off and worked as head chef at Australasia for two years and 20 Stories for another three years before meeting Neil. Together we opened The Black Friar in 2021, Leo + Roobs in 2024, now the Horse and Jockey and are 100% looking for more venues.”
How would you sum up the Manc food scene at the minute?
“Very diverse. Within the industry side of it, it’s difficult with a lot going on with VAT and wages, but there are some great venues doing some great food even just in Chorlton alone, and there is a lot of choice – I actually think it rivals London.”
This has become a staple of their annual calendar of events. See more from this year’s edition HERE.
We already know you’ve worked wonders bringing The Black Friar back to life and taking it beyond just a pub – what lessons have you taken from that experience to the Horse and Jockey?
“I think not just the Horse and Jockey but one of our values as a company for Bigger Boat is we are ‘yes people.’ So trying new things and not just saying no to something because we don’t want to do it, saying yes first and trying to find a way to achieve it.”
“It’s something that we don’t just do here, but we do it at the cafe, The Black Friar, and we’re going to do it going forward, opening more and more places.”
If you could describe how the approach is different between the two venues, what would you say?
“The spaces in The Black Friar allow us to do a lot more events; we obviously have a bigger outdoor area, so that leads to us being able to sell different areas for different events. We don’t have that as much here, and this is more of a neighbourhood, local pub, serving gastro-style food.
“The Black Friar we can go from events to weddings pretty seamlessly – we do a lot more there as there’s space for it and even more to come.”
They’ve even started doing a picnic basket offer. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
What is your favourite dish on the menu?
“We change the menu so often here (the Horse and Jockey) following the seasons, often changing a dish a week. However, right now my favourite is probably our lamb rump with a red pepper and harissa hummus with a hazelnut and sesame seed dhukka.”
And if you could sum up the food in three words, what would they be?
“Evolving, tasty and bold.”
These two truly know what they’re doing with these restorations, and we can’t wait to experience what else they take over in the future.
Don’t believe us? Go on down and try it for yourself.
You can read our full review of the food and drink from when they first reopened the gorgeous suburban, village-style spot down below.