A look at how tough each Premier League team’s pre-season plans are
With the new Premier League season just around the corner, teams are traveling far and wide to make sure their players are ready physically, tactically, and mentally for the opener next month.
Pre-season isn’t just about building match fitness—it’s also a chance for teams to get their new summer signings settled in.
For example, Arsenal will kick off their Premier League title defense on August 21, hosting Coventry City in the first game of the 2026-27 season. But before that Friday night match, they have five games lined up where fans might get to see some fresh faces. Earlier this month, goalkeeper Illan Meslier joined Arsenal on a free transfer after his Leeds contract ended. More recently, Arsenal made a £33.8 million deal to sign highly-rated Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Belgian club Club Brugge, who will likely replace Leandro Trossard.
Manager Mikel Arteta is also eager to strengthen his midfield, with Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes being a strong transfer target this summer.
So, how will the defending champions and the other 19 Premier League teams prepare for the 2026-27 season? Below is each team’s pre-season schedule, along with a look at how tough their fixtures are.
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**Difficulty rating: 7.5**
– 1 Aug – Girona (Away)
– 5 Aug – Real Betis (Dublin)
– 9 Aug – Borussia Dortmund (Home)
– 12 Aug – Como (Home)
– 16 Aug – FA Community Shield vs Man City
**Difficulty rating: 9.5**
– 21 Jul – Aston Villa 5-0 Walsall (Away)
– 25 Jul – Porto (Away)
– 28 Jul – Real Sociedad (vs Walsall)
– 1 Aug – Indonesia All-Stars (Jakarta)
– 4 Aug – BG Pathum United (Pathum Thani)
– 7 Aug – Bayern Munich (Hong Kong)
– 12 Aug – UEFA Super Cup vs PSG (Salzburg)
– 15 Aug – Borussia Monchengladbach (Away)
**Difficulty rating: 7**
– 24 Jul – St. Pauli (Saalfelden)
– 30 Jul – Augsburg (Saalfelden)
– 4 Aug – Genoa (Behind closed doors)
– 8 Aug – Real Betis (Seville)
– 15 Aug – Mainz (Mewa Arena)
**Difficulty rating: 6**
– 15 Jul – Brentford 3-2 AFC Wimbledon
– 8 Aug – Rennes (Away)
– 15 Aug – Eintracht Frankfurt (London)
**Difficulty rating: 7**
– 18 Jul – Brighton 4-1 Wycombe Wanderers
– 25 Jul – Annecy (Behind closed doors)
– 1 Aug – Strasbourg (Behind closed doors)
– 8 Aug – Roma (Home)
– 15 Aug – Bologna (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 8**
– 28 Jul – Western Sydney Wanderers (Sydney)
– 1 Aug – Spurs (Sydney)
– 5 Aug – Juventus (Hong Kong)
– 8 Aug – AC Milan (Jakarta)
– 9 Aug – Johor Darul Ta’zim (Johor)
– 15 Aug – Real Sociedad (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 6**
– 11 Jul – Wimbledon 3-2 Coventry (Behind closed doors)
– 18 Jul – Northampton Town 0-0 Coventry (Away)
– 8 Aug – Espanyol (Home)
– 14 Aug – Monaco (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 6.5**
– 18 Jul – Crystal Palace 5-1 Swindon (Crystal Palace Academy)
– 25 Jul – Bromley (Hayes Lane)
– 28 Jul – Lens (Lake Como)
– 28 Jul – Famalicao (Lake Como)
– 15 Aug – Freiburg (Europa-Park Stadion)
**Difficulty rating: 7.5**
– 18 Jul – Dundee 0-4 Everton (Away)
– 25 Jul – Bolton (Away)
– 28 Jul – Stoke (Away)
– 1 Aug – Hamburg (Away)
– 8 Aug – Stuttgart (Away)
– 12 Aug – Newcastle (Edinburgh)
– 15 Aug – Lille (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 6**
– 25 Jul – Norwich City (Away)
– 28 Jul – Al-Ahli (Away)
– 1 Aug – Farense (Home)
– 7 Aug – Crystal Palace (Home)
– 15 Aug – Stuttgart (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 6.5**
– 25 Jul – Konyaspor (Slovenia)
– 28 Jul – Caykur Rizespor (Slovenia)
– 1 Aug – Kasimpasa (Istanbul)
– 8 Aug – Eintracht Frankfurt (Away)
– 15 Aug – OGC Nice (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 6.5**
– 29 Jul – Osasuna (Colchester)
– 1 Aug – Oxford United (Away)
– 1 Aug – Wycombe (Away)
– 4 Aug – Le Havre (Home)
– 8 Aug – Rayo Vallecano (Home)
– 15 Aug – Union Berlin (Berlin)
**Difficulty rating: 8.5**
– 25 Jul – Wrexham (Tampa)
– 30 Jul – Sunderland (New Jersey)
– 2 Aug – Liverpool (Chicago)
– 8 Aug – RB Leipzig (Home)
– 12 Aug – Man Utd (Dublin)
**Difficulty rating: 8**
– 25 Jul – Sunderland (Nashville)
– 29 Jul – Wrexham (New York)
– 2 Aug – Leeds (Chicago)
– 9 Aug – Monaco (Anfield)
– 16 Aug – Como (Behind closed doors & Anfield)
**Difficulty rating: 7.5**
– 1 Aug – Inter Milan (Hong Kong)
– 5 Aug – K-League All-Stars (Seoul)
– 9 Aug – Atletico Madrid (Seoul)
– 16 Aug – FA Community Shield vs Arsenal (Cardiff)
**Difficulty rating: 8.5**
– 18 Jul – Man Utd 0-1 Wrexham (Helsinki)
– 24 Jul – Rosenborg 0-5 Man Utd (Trondheim)
– 1 Aug – Atletico Madrid (Stockholm)
– 8 Aug – Paris Saint-Germain (Gothenburg)
– 12 Aug – Leeds (Dublin)
– 15 Aug – AC Milan (Wroclaw)
**Difficulty rating: 8**
– 18 Jul – Newcastle 3-0 Darlington (Behind closed doors)
– 25 Jul – Gateshead (Away)
– 29 Jul – Bristol City (Away)
– 8 Aug – Valencia (Away)
– 12 Aug – Everton (Edinburgh)
– 15 Aug – Bayer Leverkusen (Home)
– 16 Aug – Strasbourg (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 8.5**
– 18 Jul – Notts County 0-2 Nottingham Forest (Away)
– 22 Jul – Nottingham Forest 3-0 Blackburn (Albufeira)
– 26 Jul – Vitoria (Behind closed doors)
– 31 Jul – Sporting (Faro)
– 8 Aug – Udinese (Udine)
– 8 Aug – Barcelona (Udine)
– 12 Aug – Bayer Leverkusen (Home)
– 16 Aug – Brest (Home)
**Difficulty rating: 8**
– 18 Jul – York City 1-5 Sunderland (York)
– 25 Jul – Liverpool (Nashville)
– 30 Jul – Leeds (New Jersey)
– 2 Aug – Wrexham (Philadelphia)
– 8 Aug – Lens (Behind closed doors & Lens)
– 15 Aug – Rennes (Stadium of Light)
**Difficulty rating: 8**
– 22 Jul – MK Dons (Behind closed doors)
– 26 Jul – Auckland FC (Auckland)
– 29 Jul – Sydney FC (Sydney)
– 1 Aug – Chelsea (Sydney)
– 8 Aug – Getafe (Behind closed doors)
– 15 Aug – Hoffenheim (Home)
– 16 Aug – Hoffenheim (Behind closed doors)
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It’s an exciting time for all clubs as they get ready for a fresh season full of new challenges and opportunities!