The 2026/27 Premier League season is officially under way. Arsenal opened the defence of their title with a comfortable 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium on Friday, 21 August 2026, at 20:00 UK time (21:00 SAST), and the rest of the 380-fixture campaign now unfolds across 20 clubs through to May 2027.
According to the Premier League, the 2026/27 campaign was pushed back a week later than usual specifically to give players extra recovery time following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was played mid-year.
The delayed start also means no fixtures are scheduled for 24 December 2026, a break from the traditional festive round, while the season is set to close on 30 May 2027 with all ten final-day matches kicking off simultaneously.
Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard scored the goals as Arsenal matched their joint-biggest home opening-day win in Premier League history. Manager Mikel Arteta was pleased with the tempo his side set early in the campaign.
“It was really positive, that’s what we have been working on and we are going to keep the demands at that level,” he said after full time. Odegaard, who struggled with injuries for large parts of last season, called it the perfect start:
“The perfect start. It’s always good to start with a win. A win at home, three goals and a clean sheet.”
Who is Playing? 2026/27 Premier League Fixtures
The opening round of the 2026/27 Premier League season runs from Friday, 21 August to Monday, 24 August 2026, with all ten matches involving the newly promoted sides, Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City, and the 17 clubs that retained their top-flight status.
Kick-off times below are converted from UK time to South African Standard Time (SAST).
| Date | Kick-off (SAST) | Home | Away | Result / Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 21 Aug | 21:00 | Arsenal | Coventry City | 3-0 (FT) |
| Sat, 22 Aug | 13:30 | Hull City | Manchester United | Upcoming |
| Sat, 22 Aug | 16:00 | Everton | Crystal Palace | Upcoming |
| Sat, 22 Aug | 16:00 | Ipswich Town | Sunderland | Upcoming |
| Sat, 22 Aug | 16:00 | Nottingham Forest | Leeds United | Upcoming |
| Sat, 22 Aug | 18:30 | Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur | Upcoming |
| Sun, 23 Aug | 15:00 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Aston Villa | Upcoming |
| Sun, 23 Aug | 15:00 | Manchester City | AFC Bournemouth | Upcoming |
| Sun, 23 Aug | 17:30 | Newcastle United | Liverpool | Upcoming |
| Mon, 24 Aug | 21:00 | Fulham | Chelsea | Upcoming |
Sunday’s late kick-off between Newcastle United and champions-elect favourites Liverpool is the standout tie of the weekend, while Manchester United face an early away trip to newly promoted Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
Round two, starting Friday, 28 August, throws up Crystal Palace against Manchester City and a London derby between Chelsea and Brighton the following day.
Current 2026/27 Premier League Table
With only one match played so far, the 2026/27 Premier League table is headed by Arsenal on goal difference and points, while Coventry City sit bottom after their opening-day defeat.
The remaining 18 clubs are still to kick a ball and are separated alphabetically until results start to differentiate them.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | AFC Bournemouth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Brentford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Everton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Fulham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Hull City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Ipswich Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Sunderland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Coventry City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
This table will shift quickly once Saturday and Sunday’s fixtures are added, and this hub will be updated as results come in throughout the 2026/27 Premier League season.
2026/27 Premier League Season FAQs
The Premier League has confirmed a set of Laws of the Game changes for 2026/27, most of them mandatory adjustments agreed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) earlier this year and aimed at cutting time-wasting and tightening refereeing consistency.
Below are the questions supporters are asking most, along with the facts on promotion and relegation from last season.
Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City have all been promoted to the 2026/27 Premier League. Coventry City won the Championship title outright under Frank Lampard, Ipswich Town secured automatic promotion by finishing second, and Hull City came up through the play-offs.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and West Ham United were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 season, dropping into the Championship for 2026/27.
Under the new 2026/27 rules, a player receiving on-field medical treatment must leave the pitch for a minimum of one minute, up from the previous 30-second minimum. The change is designed to discourage players from returning to the field too quickly simply to avoid a longer stoppage.
Yes. For the first time, the Video Assistant Referee can now intervene when a player is shown a second yellow card, and therefore a red card, that was clearly the wrong decision. VAR still cannot review a single yellow card shown in isolation.
Under a new trial, if a goalkeeper needs injury treatment, the goalkeeper’s manager must immediately send an outfield player off the pitch, and that player must stay off for at least one minute once play resumes. According to the body representing match officials, Pro Ref, the rule is designed to “address occasions where goalkeeper injuries have been used to disrupt momentum, slow the game down or create opportunities for tactical instruction.”
Players being substituted now have a strict 10-second limit to exit the pitch. If they take longer, the incoming substitute is held back and cannot enter play until the first stoppage after a full minute of play has passed, effectively penalising the team for the delay.
