Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City

Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City this summer after 10 years in charge, the club said on Friday. Manchester City said Guardiola, who joined in July 2016, will step down as manager at the end of the 2025-26 season. The club said he will leave as the most successful manager in its history, with 20 major trophies. City also said the newly expanded North Stand at Etihad Stadium will be renamed “The Pep Guardiola Stand.” ### When is Guardiola actually leaving? Friday’s club statement said Guardiola will leave this summer, with his final game in charge set for Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa. Manchester City said the North Stand will be fully open for the first time for that match, the concluding game of the season. The timing marks a sharp change from November 2024, when Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension through June 2027. In that announcement, City said the new deal would take him beyond a decade in charge. ### What did Manchester City say he achieved? Manchester City said Guardiola won 20 major trophies during his decade at the club. The haul includes six Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and five FA Community Shields, according to the club’s Friday statement. (mancity.com) The 2023 Champions League completed the treble season that delivered City’s first European Cup. Premier League records cited by the league after Guardiola’s 2024 contract extension also noted that City became the first side in English top-flight history to win four consecutive league titles. ### What did Guardiola say in the announcement? Manchester City’s announcement said Guardiola described the period as “an incredible decade” and thanked players, staff, supporters and the club’s hierarchy. (mancity.com) The club also published a separate feature under the headline “Guardiola: What a time we have had together!” on its website on Friday. City did not, in the material reviewed, announce a successor on Friday. (premierleague.com) The club’s statements focused on Guardiola’s departure, his record and plans to honor him at the stadium. ### Why is the North Stand being renamed now? Manchester City said the newly developed and expanded North Stand will be named “The Pep Guardiola Stand.” The club said the stand will be fully open for the first time for Guardiola’s final game in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday. (mancity.com) The North Stand expansion has been part of a wider Etihad Stadium project. (mancity.com) In updates published this month and earlier this season, City said the expansion would increase the stadium’s matchday capacity and form part of a broader entertainment and hospitality development at the Etihad campus. ### What happens next for City? (mancity.com) Sunday’s match against Aston Villa is the next fixed date in City’s announcement, and the club said it will be Guardiola’s final game in charge. Manchester City’s fixtures page lists kickoff at 16:00 BST on May 24. Manchester City had not named Guardiola’s replacement in the official statements reviewed on Friday. (mancity.com) The club’s immediate public plans are centered on the Aston Villa match and the opening of “The Pep Guardiola Stand” at the Etihad Stadium. (mancity.com 1) (mancity.com 2)