The celebrations in North America have barely ended, but attention is already turning towards the 2026-27 Premier League season.
Arsenal finished seven points clear of Manchester City to win the title, with Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Bournemouth completing the top six. The Cherries’ reward was their first qualification for European football.
Here is how the six clubs will prepare for the new campaign.
Arsenal
The champions begin their programme in Spain before playing three matches in the space of eight days. Their final assignment brings an early reunion with Manchester City in the Community Shield.
1 August: Girona, Estadi Montilivi
5 August: Real Betis, Dublin
9 August: Borussia Dortmund, Emirates Stadium
12 August: Como, Emirates Stadium
16 August: Manchester City, Community Shield in Cardiff
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Manchester City
Enzo Maresca’s first pre-season as City manager takes him to Asia. Inter Milan await in Hong Kong before two matches at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
1 August: Inter Milan, Hong Kong
5 August: K League All-Stars, Seoul
9 August: Atletico Madrid, Seoul
16 August: Arsenal, Community Shield in Cardiff
Manchester United
United were the first of the top six to return, suffering a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham in Helsinki. Michael Carrick’s men now face five more opponents across Europe.
18 July: Manchester United 0-1 Wrexham, Helsinki
24 July: Rosenborg, Trondheim
1 August: Atletico Madrid, Stockholm
8 August: Paris Saint-Germain, Gothenburg
12 August: Leeds United, Dublin
15 August: AC Milan, Wroclaw
Aston Villa
Villa have arranged the busiest programme of the six, travelling through Europe and Asia before facing PSG in the UEFA Super Cup.
21 July: Walsall, Bescot Stadium
25 July: Porto, Estadio do Dragao
28 July: Real Sociedad, Bescot Stadium
1 August: Indonesia All-Stars, Jakarta
4 August: BG Pathum United, Pathum Thani
7 August: Bayern Munich, Hong Kong
12 August: Paris Saint-Germain, UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg
15 August: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia-Park
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Liverpool
A new era under Andoni Iraola begins with a three-match tour of the United States. Liverpool then return to Anfield for meetings with Monaco and Como.
25 July: Sunderland, Nashville
29 July: Wrexham, New York
2 August: Leeds United, Chicago
9 August: Monaco, Anfield
16 August: Como, Anfield
Bournemouth
Marco Rose’s first summer with Bournemouth begins with a training camp in Austria. The Cherries will also travel to Spain and Germany as they prepare for their first European campaign.
24 July: St Pauli, Saalfelden
30 July: Augsburg, Saalfelden
4 August: Genoa, behind closed doors
Chelsea and Spurs
Although they failed to make the top six, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have continued to invest heavily as they seek to return to European football next season. The Blues have broken the British transfer record on Morgan Rogers, while Robert de Zerbi’s Spurs have already spent close to £300m.
Chelsea are heading East for their preseason tour, with matches in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia before returning to London ahead of the Premier League season.
28 July: Western Sydney Wanderers, Sydney
1 August: Spurs, Sydney
5 August: Juventus, Hong Kong
8 August: AC Milan, Jakarta
9 August, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Iskandar Puteri
Tottenham Hotspur are also heading East as they prepare for the 2026-27 campaign and have an action packed roster for their three week tour.
22 July: MK Dons, behind closed doors
26 July: Auckland FC, Auckland
29 July: Sydney FC, Sydney
1 August: Chelsea, Sydney
8 August: Getafe, behind closed doors
15 August: Hoffenheim, London
16 August: Hoffenheim, behind closed doors
Photo: Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
