'More Than Just a Warm-Up: Why Preseason Matters'

Every Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., I sit on the sofa at my dad’s house, watching the Premier League. We eat together, usually steak, talk football, history, and life. My siblings drift in and out of the room, the TV always on in the background, the sound of football filling the house. It always starts the same way: a match kicks off, and within minutes, my dad drops a comment. A debate begins. And suddenly we’re down the rabbit hole of football talk. Before long, he’s telling one of his stories, a long, winding anecdote about a player, a moment in history, or the time he had a kickabout with Pelé in the ’70s. It’s been our ritual for as long as I can remember. And somehow, every single week, I learn something new about my dad, all because of football.

For many, football is more than just a game. It’s a bond, a constant, a shared language between generations. And for international fans like me, who’ve grown up loving clubs thousands of miles away, preseason is our moment. It’s not just about warm-ups and transfers; it’s a chance to finally see the team you’ve supported from afar, live and in your own city. As a Swede who lived in England, the motherland of football, for three years, I’ve seen firsthand how differently preseason is perceived. In England, it’s often viewed simply as preparation: fitness, tactics, and transfers. The real games are in the league and cup competitions. But from the outside looking in, the emotional weight of preseason is massive. Take the FA Cup, for example, it’s beloved for allowing underdog clubs to face giants, for letting players stand on the same pitch as those they idolised as children, and even for giving fathers like Ashley Young the hope of one day playing against their sons. That same sense of magic, of something bigger than the sport itself, exists in preseason, especially for international fans.

The Premier League isn’t just a domestic competition. It’s a global phenomenon. It’s reached across borders, into homes around the world, and become a Sunday tradition not just in the UK, but in Sweden, Nigeria, Singapore, Brazil, everywhere. Just as a Brit might take their family to the stadium every weekend, fans in other countries gather around the TV at the same time, week after week, building memories, debates, and rituals.

Preseason brings those rituals to life. It gives fans who’ve only ever seen their team through a screen the chance to experience it live. When we found out that Manchester United, my dad’s team, are coming to Sweden for a preseason match against Leeds United on July 19, 2025, it brought our living room Sundays to life. The chance to see his club, in our city, is something we never imagined. It’s more than just a match, it’s a memory, a milestone, a shared moment we’ll never forget.

Clubs might not always see it this way. For them, these matches are friendly fixtures. But for us? These are the games we circle on the calendar, the ones we count down to, the ones that remind us why we fell in love with football in the first place. Preseason is a thank you to the fans whose hearts beat for a club they’ve never physically visited, but who still feel every win and loss like it’s their own.

The games some might overlook are often the ones that mean the most. Because sometimes, the moments that stay with us forever aren’t the ones with trophies, but the ones that make us feel like we’ve finally come home.