Newport County prepares to welcome Italian giants Roma


Newport County are finalizing plans to host Italian giants Roma in a pre-season friendly at Rodney Parade. The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 4, as part of preparations for the 2026-27 League Two campaign which begins at the end of the month. It has been reported that Cardiff City could also host Roma - possibly in the first weekend of August - before returning to the Championship. This would suit Cardiff as they currently have no friendly matches scheduled for the first week of August. Roma have confirmed on their website that they will travel to Wales at the end of July for an eight-day training camp at the same complex where the Bluebirds are based, the Hensol resort in the Vale of Glamorgan. The Italian club said their players will spend more than a week at Hensol, playing three friendlies during their time in Wales before returning to Rome on August 8. A friendly at home to Roma would certainly be a huge success for County, who are preparing for another season in League Two after just avoiding relegation on the final day of the 2025-26 season. In contrast, Roma are preparing for a return to the Champions League for the first time in eight years after finishing third in Serie A last season. The opening round of the new Football League season takes place from 14 to 16 August, with fixtures announced on 25 June.