Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that sports stadiums are likely have all capacity restrictions lifted from July 19th, meaning Manchester United and Manchester City can welcome back crowds for the start of the Premier League season.
The announcement is provisional for now but it is hoped to be confirmed on July 12 pending a review of the latest coronavirus data.
City and United fans have only been allowed into their home stadiums once since February 2020 due to the measures designed to limit the spread of the covid-19 pandemic.
But after trial events at the end of last season and limited crowds being allowed back into stands throughout Euro 2020 this summer, Johnson has revealed that restrictions will be lifted entirely on July 19th when England moves to Step 4 of their exit plan.
Fans will not be forced to issue proof of their COVID-19 status or any vaccine passport, though clubs may implement their own mandatory systems if they so wish.
The ruling means that Manchester United will be able to welcome a full 75,000 capacity crowd for their opening Premier League game of the season when they take on Leeds United on August 14th at Old Trafford.
City fans will have to wait an extra week for their first home game, although they will be able to take an allocation of away fans to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the opening game of the season on August 15th. City's first home game is against Norwich on August 21st.
