Newly promoted Coventry City will begin their first Premier League campaign in 25 years with a Friday night trip to the champions, Arsenal, on 21 August — the 2026-27 season’s curtain raiser. The Sky Blues, who won the Championship last season, last played top-flight football in 2001. Now they face Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, who ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title last month.
Hull City, who went up via the play-offs, host Manchester United on Saturday 22 August, while fellow promoted side Ipswich entertain Sunderland on the same day. That weekend also sees Andoni Iraola take charge of Liverpool for the first time away at Newcastle on 23 August, and Manchester City begin life without Pep Guardiola at home to Bournemouth — who also have a new manager in Marco Rose. Xabi Alonso starts his Chelsea tenure at Fulham on Monday 24 August.
“Coventry City travel to Arsenal in their first top-flight match in 25 years on the opening weekend of the 2026-27 Premier League season.”
The season kicks off 34 days after the World Cup final in the United States, pushing back both the start and end dates. The campaign will conclude on Sunday 30 May 2027, with the Champions League final six days later. There will be 33 rounds of weekend fixtures, with the remaining five played midweek. The Premier League said the schedule would “avoid domestic competition clashes with Uefa competition dates, wherever possible.” A joint-record nine league teams have qualified for European competition next season: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool in the Champions League; Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the Europa League; and Brighton in the Conference League.
To address congested schedules, no two rounds of matches over Christmas and New Year will take place within 60 hours of each other. A full round of fixtures returns on Boxing Day, 26 December — last season only Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle was played that day. Instead of three two-week international breaks in the opening months, there will be two: September and October’s breaks merge into a single three-week window starting after 19 September, while November’s two-week break remains.
Other standout early fixtures include the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on 12 September, Liverpool hosting Manchester United on 21 November, and Arsenal hosting City on 28 November. The north London derby at Spurs is set for 5 December. Coventry’s manager, Frank Lampard, faces a Boxing Day trip to his former club Chelsea. Liverpool travel to United on 23 January, and City visit Arsenal a week later. On the final day, 30 May, Arsenal host Brighton, City travel to Sunderland, Liverpool host Bournemouth, and Chelsea and United finish at home to Brentford and Fulham respectively.