Erling Haaland omitted from Manchester City squad for K-League All Stars pre-season friendly

Erling Haaland was not included in Manchester City's squad for their pre-season friendly against the K-League All Stars ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Norway forward remains on an extended break following his participation at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Manchester City are preparing for the new campaign under new head coach Enzo Maresca after Pep Guardiola’s departure; Maresca began his tenure with a pre-season fixture against Serie A winners Inter Milan. That match, played at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, finished 1-1 and City lost 3-1 in the subsequent penalty shootout; the teams had previously met in the UEFA Champions League in 2024, a game that ended 0-0. City enter the summer having lost the 2025-26 Premier League title to Arsenal.

Maresca named Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal in the side selected to face the K-League All Stars, with the starting XI listed as: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri, Lewis, Kovacic, Reijnders, Semenyo, Foden, Mubama. The lineup also included familiar senior figures such as Phil Foden, Ruben Dias and Joško Gvardiol.

The club’s published matchday selection also included a bench made up of: Bettinelli, Wint, Chabot, Marmoush, Nico, Reis, Savinho, Nunes, Echeverri, Monga, Braithwaite, Mukasa, …. One notable absentee from both the XI and the substitutes list was Erling Haaland, who was not named in the squad.

Haaland finished the World Cup with seven goals as Norway reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 2-1 by England. He has not returned to Manchester City and is taking an extended break after the tournament, a period described as being in line with the club’s reported workload management plan; Rodri is also noted as enjoying time away.

Haaland is expected to rejoin pre-season in a few weeks and resume work under Enzo Maresca. Manchester City continue their 2026-27 pre-season schedule with the fixture against the K-League All Stars.