The 2026-27 Premier League season kicks off on Friday, 21 August, with newly promoted Coventry City travelling to champions Arsenal. It's the Sky Blues' first top-flight match in 25 years, and they face a Gunners side that won their first Premier League title since 2004 under Mikel Arteta.
Hull City, who went up via the play-offs, host Manchester United on Saturday, 22 August. Fellow promoted side Ipswich are at home to Sunderland on the same day.
Manchester City begin life without Pep Guardiola at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, 23 August. The Cherries also start with a new manager, Marco Rose, after replacing Andoni Iraola. Iraola has moved to Liverpool, who face Newcastle away on the same day. He replaces Arne Slot, who was sacked after last season.
Chelsea start under Xabi Alonso away at Fulham on Monday, 24 August. The Cottagers are still looking for a new manager after Marco Silva left.
The season ends on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with the Champions League final six days later. Both dates are later than usual because of the World Cup, which ends on 19 July.
There'll be 33 rounds of weekend fixtures and five midweek rounds. A joint-record nine Premier League teams have qualified for European competition: 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.
During the Christmas period, no two rounds will be within 60 hours of each other, following complaints about fixture congestion. A full round of Boxing Day fixtures returns on Saturday, 26 December — last season only Manchester United's 1-0 win over Newcastle was played that day.
International breaks have been reshuffled: September and October's breaks merge into a three-week break starting after the weekend of 19/20 September. November's two-week break remains.
Referees will handle hair-pulling differently after three players were sent off for it last season via VAR. From now on, not every hair-pull will be a red card. Officials will look for "a clear and deliberate action" with "excessive force and/or brutality". The change gives leeway for accidental contact.
Grappling and holding inside the box during corners and set-pieces will face stricter punishment. Referees will focus on "holding actions that have clear material impact" and players who are "clearly only focused on opponents and making a holding action".
A solution is being discussed to stop goalkeeper "tactical timeouts" — where a keeper sits down, calls the physio, and players rush to the touchline for instructions. Meanwhile, a new law targets general time-wasting by goalkeepers: if a keeper delays a goal-kick restart, the referee can start a five-second countdown. If time runs out, the opposition gets a corner.