Arsenal open their title defence against Coventry as the 2026-27 Premier League fixtures land
The 2026-27 Premier League schedule is out, and it sends champions Arsenal into their title defence at home to newly promoted Coventry on the opening Friday night. These are the fixtures that already stand out.
Jun 19, 2026
The wait is over for anyone who plans their year around the Premier League. The full 2026-27 fixture list landed at 10am UK time on Friday, and it hands champions Arsenal the curtain-raiser: a home date with newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates on Friday 21 August.
It is a fitting way to begin. Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the title last season, sealing a 14th English championship and a first since the Invincibles. Now Mikel Arteta’s side get to raise the curtain in front of their own crowd against a Coventry team that won the Championship under Frank Lampard. For fans in India the opener is a late one, with the 8pm BST start landing at 12:30am IST on Saturday.
A loaded opening weekend
The rest of matchweek one has plenty to chew on. Manchester United open with an awkward Saturday lunchtime trip to promoted Hull City, exactly the kind of banana skin that has tripped them up before. The pick of the weekend is Newcastle United against Liverpool on the Sunday, two sides with European nights to chase meeting before the transfer window has even closed. Manchester City host Bournemouth at the Etihad on the same afternoon.
Saturday also throws up Nottingham Forest against Leeds United, Everton against Crystal Palace, and Ipswich Town marking their return to the top flight at home to Sunderland, with Brentford and Tottenham closing out the afternoon. Chelsea then wrap up the weekend with a Monday night visit to Fulham.
The promoted three and the run to May
Coventry, Ipswich and Hull are the clubs coming up. Coventry went straight through as Championship winners, Ipswich took the other automatic spot, and Hull came up the hard way by beating Middlesbrough in the play-off final. They take the places of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves, who all went down last season.
There is plenty in the calendar to circle already. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday this time, so fans get a full festive programme rather than a staggered one. The season then runs all the way to Sunday 30 May 2027 for the final round, when, as usual, a clutch of clubs will still have something riding on it.
None of this is set in stone. Kick-off dates and times will shift once the broadcasters make their picks and the European fixtures slot in around them. But the skeleton of the season is out, and Arsenal start it with a target on their back from the very first night.