Pompey made the pre-season trip to Germany to face 2.Bundesliga side Darmstadt in the summer as their Championship preparations ramped up.

Pompey will be ‘considering’ future pre-season friendlies abroad after their Darmstadt success in the summer.

That’s according to sporting director Rich Hughes, who admitted the Germany trip in August was a huge achievement for everyone at Fratton Park.

The Fratton faithful were treated to their first outing to Germany since 2008 to watch the Blues in action as John Mousinho’s men geared up for the 2026-27 Championship campaign.

Pompey visited Germany to play Darmstadt in pre-season. | @Pompey/X

placeholder image — Pompey visited Germany to play Darmstadt in pre-season. | @Pompey/X

Although Pompey played out a goalless draw against the 2.Bundesliga side, the visit represented a massive success for the club, who were backed in their numbers for the trip.

A total of 1,433 supporters descended on Frankfurt and Darmstadt for the weekend, with the travelling fans praised by locals for their good-natured conduct, while many brought Darmstadt scarves and shirts from the club shop.

That was greeted by Andy Cullen, who lauded the behaviour of supporters and believed a ‘strong bond’ has since been created between the two clubs.

Pompey will consider future foreign pre-season friendlies

After the recent success, the Fratton faithful have subsequently called for the Blues to make pre-season friendlies abroad a more regular feature in the diary.

And Hughes has revealed future opportunities away from English soil will be considered as Pompey look to make foreign trips a prominent part of the schedule.

Speaking on September’s Tony Goodall’s Fans’ Conference, the sporting director said: ‘Yes, it was really positive and (we) will be considering this again.’

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Pompey’s week-long training camp in Ireland

Pompey's players take a break during training at Fota Island, Cork. | None

Pompey kick-started pre-season with a week-long training camp to the impressive Fota Island resort in Cork, Ireland - nine years after their previous visit under Kenny Jackett.

The five-star venue boasts highly-regarded football facilities, which were utilised by the Blues in the summer as Mousinho put his troops through their paces ahead of the new Championship campaign.

And Hughes explained the resort’s soaring reputation was a leading factor behind Pompey’s decision to return last July.

‘Yes, we are happy. Pre-season is set by the club, tailoring the needs to facilitate what we are looking for.

‘We picked Ireland, as the climate met those requirements, and facilities, allowing access to training space and equipment along with the boys spending time together.

‘In addition, we had an arranged training ground friendly against a Championship team that was cancelled.’

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