On August 21, the Premier League kicks off again. After a summer marked by the World Cup in North America, the season starts a week later than usual.
That gives the players 89 full days from the end of the previous league season and 33 days from the World Cup final on July 19 until the new season begins.
The opening match will be played at the Emirates Stadium, where reigning champions Arsenal will host newly promoted Coventry City.
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The entire opening round
Friday 21 August
21.00: Arsenal – Coventry City
Saturday 22 August
13.30: Hull City – Manchester United
16.00: Everton – Crystal Palace
16.00: Ipswich Town – Sunderland
16.00: Nottingham Forest – Leeds United
18.30: Brentford – Tottenham
Sunday 23 August
15.00: Brighton – Aston Villa
15.00: Manchester City – Bournemouth
17.30: Newcastle – Liverpool
Monday 24 August
21.00: Fulham – Chelsea
The times are stated in Norwegian time and are correct as of 30 July 2026. Premier League matches can later be rescheduled due to TV broadcasts, cup games and other schedule changes.
The Friday game
Arsenal open the season as champions for the first time in 22 years. Mikel Arteta has finally won the title the club has been chasing for several seasons. Now it will be defended.
The opponent is Frank Lampard’s Coventry City, who won the Championship and are back in the top division after a 25-year absence.
For Coventry supporters, this is a night many have been waiting for a long time. The fact that the return comes at the Emirates Stadium does not make the task any easier. At the same time, it is difficult to imagine a more symbolic opening for a club that will once again measure itself against the biggest.
Three newly promoted teams in action
Saturday starts with Hull City against Manchester United at 13:30.
Hull took the third promotion spot through the play-offs and will have one of the league’s biggest clubs visiting already in the first round.
At 16:00, three matches will be played at the same time. Everton host Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Nottingham Forest face Leeds United at the City Ground, and Ipswich Town play their first game back in the Premier League against Sunderland.
Ipswich were only away from the top flight for one season. Sunderland retained their place, while Leeds are entering their second season after promotion.
Saturday concludes with the London derby between Brentford and Tottenham at 18:30.
Sunday with Haaland in focus
For Norwegian viewers, Manchester City’s home game against Bournemouth is one of the biggest draws of the round.
The match kicks off at 15:00 at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Braut Haaland in charge of the home side. The Norwegian striker won the Premier League’s top scorer title in 2025/26 after 27 goals and enters the new season as one of the favourites to do it again.
At the same time, Brighton will host Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium.
Sunday’s final match is one of the opening round’s most high-profile matches. Newcastle face Liverpool at St. James’ Park at 5:30 p.m.
The match will also be Andoni Iraola’s first meaningful fixture as Liverpool manager. The Anfield club have changed management this summer, and their debut comes on one of the league’s most difficult away grounds.
Monday match
The round concludes on Monday 24 August at 21:00, when Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage.
Fulham-Chelsea will be the second London derby of the opening round, after Brentford – Tottenham on Saturday night.
For Chelsea, the match marks the start of the club’s first league season under Xabi Alonso. The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach took over the team on July 1 and thus gets a local clash as his first Premier League game.
The season in numbers
The Premier League 2026/27 consists of 33 weekend rounds and five midweek rounds.
The season ends on Sunday 30 May 2027. All ten matches are scheduled to start at the same time at 17:00 Norwegian time.
The later start of the season is linked to this summer’s extended World Championships. The league chose to add 89 full days from the end of last season and 33 days from the World Cup final.
There is still a short break for the players who went far in the championship, especially when holidays, pre-season and friendly matches are also to be accommodated. At the same time, the longer period between league seasons is a clear attempt to take into account the strain in an increasingly dense football calendar.
The transfer window opened on June 15. According to the Premier League’s dated announcements, it will close on September 1 at 23:00 UK time, i.e. at midnight Norwegian time.
This means that teams can still trade players after the first two league rounds have been completed. Several of the clubs in the opening round may therefore look different when the transfer market closes.
The Community Shield comes first
Although the league starts on August 21, the first counting game of the English domestic season is played a few days earlier.
The Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City takes place on Sunday 16 August at 16:00 Norwegian time.
Arsenal participate as the reigning league champions, while Manchester City qualified as FA Cup winners.
The match will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Wembley is not available due to concerts already scheduled at the arena on the weekend in question.
It will thus be an unusual setting for the traditional opening of the English football season.
A season many have been waiting for
The World Cup gave us football in other time zones, late nights and a championship that for many Norwegian viewers could feel far away.
The Premier League is something else. The league has a fixed rhythm and returns every weekend throughout the autumn, winter and spring.
For Norwegian football enthusiasts, it is precisely this regularity that has made the league so tenacious. English football on Saturday afternoons has been an institution in Norwegian homes for several generations, ever since Tippekampen came on the screens in 1969.
Now it will soon be back again.
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