The schedule for the 2026-2027 English Premier League season, which begins on August 21, 2026, has been confirmed.
Premier League reigning champions Arsenal will kick off the new season against promoted Championship champions Coventry City, who return to the top flight for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
Elsewhere across the opening matchday, fellow promoted clubs Hull City and Ipswich Town make their Premier League bows with home matches against Manchester United and Sunderland, respectively.
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In other selected opening weekend matches, Brentford will welcome Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City will host AFC Bournemouth, and a London derby has been scheduled between Fulham and Chelsea.
As usual, the 2026-2027 Premier League will have 380 matches, with each of the 20 teams playing home and away over 38 matchdays. The vast majority of matches will be played over weekends (also including some Friday and Monday games), and there will be five matchdays played in midweek.
The season will conclude on Sunday, May 30, 2026, with all 10 matches being played simultaneously.
All fixtures are subject to change.
Opening Matchday Fixtures
The opening matchday fixtures for the 2026-2027 Premier League season are:
Saturday 22 August
Hull City v Manchester United
Everton v Crystal Palace
Ipswich Town v Sunderland
Nottingham Forest v Leeds United
Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday 23 August
Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa
Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth
Newcastle United v Liverpool
Monday 24 August
Fulham v Chelsea
The match schedule for the entire season, which remains subject to change, can be found at this link.
Match schedules can be modified due to a variety of reasons, including TV fixture selections, European schedule commitments, and for safety or security measures.
The fixture list also takes into account other events that may be taking place near to the stadium on matchdays, rival teams’ matches (to ensure that they do not both play at home on the same day), and travel distances, especially if matches are taking place over the busy traditional Christmas period.
(Credit: The Premier League)
Promoted Teams
Coventry City, managed by former England midfielder Frank Lampard, secured the Championship title just nine years after it had been demoted as far down as the fourth tier (Sky Bet League Two). Back then, the Sky Blues had faced a series of financial issues and a legal dispute with previous owners SISU Capital which saw the club relocate to two other stadiums to play “home” matches.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town, currently without a manager, made an immediate return to the first tier by finishing in second place behind Coventry City. They were previously relegated in the 2024-2025 season after only one season back in the top flight.
Finally, Hull City are back after a 10-year absence from English football’s top table. The Tigers defeated Middlesbrough in a play-off final at Wembley Stadium, after previously-scheduled opponents Southampton were removed for illicit spying on Middlesbrough training sessions prior to their play-off semi-final first leg fixture.
New Venues
There will be no new stadium inaugurations during this coming season’s Premier League, although Everton will be playing its second season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.
However, Premier League fans can look forward to visiting the stadiums of all three promoted teams: Ipswich Town’s Portman Road, Hull City’s MKM Stadium and Coventry City’s Coventry Building Society Arena.
New Managers
Seven Premier Leagues will go into this coming season with new managers / head coaches:
AFC Bournemouth have hired former Leipzig Head Coach Marco Rose to replace outgoing Andoni Iraola
Chelsea have brought in former FIFA World Cup winner Xabi Alonso to replace Liam Rosenior
Crystal Palace announced that Frenchman Pierre Sage would take over from Oliver Glasner
Fulham Manager Marco Silva left to join Portuguese giants Benfica but are yet to announce his replacement
Promoted Ipswich are still seeking a new manager to succeed Kieran McKenna
Liverpool hired AFC Bournemouth Manager Andoni Iraola to replace Arne Slot
Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola stepped down last month, and the club is expected to appoint Enzo Maresca as his successor
The transfer window, which allows teams to both sell and buy new players, opened on June 15 and will remain open until September 1.
