Premier League 2025-26 fixtures: Arsenal’s horror start, all the big games

The red smoke from Liverpool’s title celebrations has barely cleared, but already it’s time to turn our attention to next season following the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixture list.

Having defied expectations to clinch a record-equaling 20th league title last term, will Arne Slot’s side have what it takes to go and defend their crown, or will Arsenal — after three consecutive second-place finishes — finally get over the line? The Gunners will certainly need to be at their best to be up there from the start.

Having struggled to hit their usual heights last season, will Manchester City return to the formidable winning machine that has consistently swept all before them over the past decade, or will the departure of the talismanic Kevin De Bruyne prove a significant blow for Pep Guardiola’s side?

Like City, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are competing at the Club World Cup in the United States. Can they use the extra minutes to give them a head start when they return to English soil, or will their extended season take its toll?

A new era begins at Tottenham Hotspur, with former Brentford boss Thomas Frank replacing the sacked Ange Postecoglou. And with Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest all having been in the mix for Champions League qualification last season, the battle for a top-four spot could be more competitive than ever.

There are plenty of questions to be answered in the months ahead, and the release of the match schedule offers the chance for some preseason speculation. Here are the highlights of the 2024-25 Premier League fixture list.

Editor’s note: Dates are subject to change once matches have been selected for live domestic broadcast

Arsenal get tricky start but will be happy with run-in

Arsenal were handed a tricky start to last season, and the upcoming campaign is no different. In their opening six fixtures they face four teams who were fighting for Champions League football last season, two of which are expected title rivals, plus they have to go to Man United.

While facing United at Old Trafford hasn’t been the scariest proposition in recent years, Arteta might well be slightly anxious that his side have to travel to Manchester for their season opener.

Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that their next away game is against Liverpool at Anfield, a venue where they haven’t won in the Premier League since September 2012. Breaking that curse, though, would be a fine way to mark Arsenal out as early title favorites.

Certainly, they will be given the chance to make a statement, with the visit of Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on the weekend of Sept. 13 followed by the visit of Manchester City before then a trip to Newcastle.

Should they get themselves into a strong position, Arsenal have a relatively kind run-in, with their final four games being home clashes with Fulham and Burnley plus trips to West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool handed tough start to title defense

At the start of last season, Liverpool were something of an unknown quantity. With Arne Slot coming in to replace Jurgen Klopp, there were concerns that it would take some time for the Reds to find their feet. Few people predicted that Liverpool would win the Premier League at a canter, but Slot made an exceptional start at Anfield.

Now though, the pressure is on.

Liverpool have marked themselves out as the team to beat; a fact that is only given more credence by the club’s aggressive approach in the transfer market. The champions have already signed Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, with teammate Florian Wirtz also set to join him on Merseyside after a club-record deal was agreed last week.

And it will be straight in at the deep end for Wirtz & Co., with Liverpool’s first away game of the season against Newcastle followed up by that titanic clash with Arsenal at Anfield. The first Merseyside derby of the season will take place when Everton visit Anfield on the weekend of Sept. 20, while the Reds will host bitter rivals Manchester United on the weekend of Oct. 18.

Liverpool arguably have the toughest end to the season of any of the likely title contenders, with Everton, Man United, Chelsea and Aston Villa among their final six opponents. However, if they are as dominant as they were last season, the title could already be wrapped up by then.

Nowhere to hide for Manchester United

Last season was one to forget to Manchester United and, if manager Ruben Amorim was hoping for a favorable run of fixtures to ease him into the new campaign, he’ll surely be disappointed.

United have been handed the marquee fixture of the opening weekend, with title-chasing Arsenal to travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, Aug. 17. A victory over Arteta’s side would be a huge statement of intent from Amorim’s men, however a bruising defeat could set the tone for another difficult season.

United also have a tricky pair of features to navigate in September, with a trip to face Manchester City at the Etihad on the weekend of Sept. 13 followed by the visit of Chelsea. Amorim’s side will have to wait until the weekend of May 2 to welcome champions Liverpool to Old Trafford, with United’s final two fixtures — Nottingham Forest at home on May 17 and Brighton & Hove Albion away on May 24 — potentially decisive in the race for European qualification.

Question remain over new-look Man City

Manchester City head into next season in an unusual position. Of course, only a fool would bet against Guardiola’s side winning the Premier League again — they had won four in a row before Liverpool stole their crown last season — but they are perhaps not the strong favorites they used to be.

After a busy January transfer window, City have further bolstered their squad this summer, with forward Rayan Cherki and midfielder Tijjani Reijnders among their new signings. But, with De Bruyne having left the club and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri still getting back up to speed after his ACL injury, there is a degree of uncertainty about how this new-look City side will fare.

Their first taste of Premier League action will come away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Aug. 16, before they host Tottenham the following week.

The first Manchester derby of the season will take place at the Etihad on the weekend of Sept. 13, while City will host Liverpool on Nov. 8 and travel to Arsenal at the Emirates on Sept. 20.

Chelsea have a great opportunity

Chelsea ended last season with the first trophy of the Maresca era by beating Real Betis in the Conference League final, but the club will no doubt have their sights set on more prestigious honors this time.

And the fixture list has given the club the chance to make a really strong start to the campaign with Chelsea’s opening clash at home to Crystal Palace on Aug. 17 set to be followed by matchups with West Ham, Fulham and Brentford.

While there are no easy games in the Premier League, Chelsea have been handed a fairly kind start to the season — though it is packed with London derbies.

With the Club World Cup offering teams the chance to build up some preseason momentum, Maresca’s side could mark themselves out as the team to watch by hitting the ground running in the top flight.

Tottenham could make bright start to Frank era

It’s the dawn of yet another new era for Tottenham Hotspur. Despite guiding to the club to their first trophy in 17 years by beating Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final, Postecoglou was sacked following a dismal campaign in the Premier League.

The appointment of Frank as his replacement is, on paper, a shrewd one. The Dane consistently allowed Brentford to punch above their weight during his seven years at the club and is a dynamic, tactically astute coach.

While managing a club like Tottenham comes with added pressure, Frank does have the opportunity to make a fine start to the campaign, with Spurs to host newly promoted Burnley at home on the opening weekend.

In fact, Manchester City — who host Tottenham at the Etihad on the second weekend — are the only Big Six side Spurs face before November.

The platform is there for the club to start their new era with a bang, although it should be noted that Postecoglou made an excellent start to his own Spurs tenure before things started to unravel.

When are the biggest games?

The beauty of the Premier League is that nearly every game has the potential to be a thriller, but there are some match-ups that particularly catch the eye.

Manchester United vs Arsenal is the first marquee fixture on the opening weekend, while the visit of United to Anfield on the weekend of Oct. 18 always whets the appetite.

In terms of the title race, Liverpool will host Arsenal on the weekend of Aug. 30 before Arteta’s side welcome the champions to the Emirates on the weekend of Jan. 7.

Manchester City and Liverpool will face off on the weekends of Nov. 8 and Feb. 7, while Arsenal and City will meet on the weekends of Sept. 20 and April 18.

The North London derby — on the weekends of Nov. 22 at the Emirates and Feb. 21 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — is always tasty, while the Merseyside derby will take place on the weekends of Sept. 20 at Anfield and April 18 at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Where will the Premier League trophy be lifted?

While it seems much too early to start pontificating on the destination of the Premier League trophy, we’re going to do it anyway.

Should Liverpool defend their crown, they will celebrate in front of their home fans when they welcome Brentford to Anfield on the final day. If Arsenal manage to end their 21-year wait for the league title, they will lift the trophy at Selhurst Park where they will take on Crystal Palace.

Manchester City will harbor ambitions of wrestling back their crown and are at home to Aston Villa on the closing weekend, while Chelsea finish their season away to Sunderland.

Of course, the title could end up elsewhere, with the competitiveness of the Premier League growing stronger by the year. Let the games begin.