The Premier League fixture list for the 2026-27 season dropped on Thursday, and the defending champions Arsenal will start at home against newly promoted Coventry City on August 21. On paper it looks like a soft opening. But the computer did them no favors after that.
Mikel Arteta’s side ended a 22-year wait for the league title last season, and the fixture schedule gives them a chance to build early momentum. A trip to Aston Villa comes in week two. Then it’s Chelsea at the Emirates on September 5. That’s the first real heavyweight showdown between any of last season’s top contenders, and it lands before the leaves change color.
The contenders all got different treatment
Manchester City opens against Bournemouth, then faces Crystal Palace and Coventry. Nothing scary there. Liverpool’s first big test is immediate — a trip to Newcastle on opening weekend. Chelsea travels to Fulham before the Arsenal visit in week three. Manchester United’s standout early fixture is the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on September 12.
But the real story is what happens in the middle of the season for Arsenal. From late October through early February, Arteta’s crew plays Liverpool twice, Manchester City twice, Tottenham and Manchester United. That stretch runs from the end of October to early February. If they’re still top of the table after that, they’ll have earned every point.
The fixtures that could decide the title
Liverpool hosts Manchester City on October 10 in the first meeting between last season’s biggest challengers. Arsenal goes to Anfield on October 31. Then comes what everyone is already circling: Arsenal vs. Manchester City at the Emirates on November 28. That game sits dead center in the hardest run any title contender faces this year.
The holiday schedule is no joke either. Boxing Day has Arsenal at Crystal Palace, Liverpool at Hull City, Chelsea visiting Coventry and Manchester City heading to Newcastle. That’s a brutal day for the champions.
The run-in is where it gets spicy
The standout fixture in the final stretch might be Manchester City vs. Liverpool on May 8. Only three matches remain after that. It has the feel of a potential title decider, and the league knew exactly what it was doing when it penciled that one in.
Arsenal’s closing run includes Aston Villa, Tottenham (at the Emirates on May 1 in the north London derby), Everton and Brighton. Chelsea drew the short straw — Xabi Alonso’s side plays Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham in the final weeks. That’s about as rough a finish as any team has seen in recent seasons.
For now though, everything starts with Arsenal vs. Coventry under the lights at the Emirates. The road to May runs through that one first.
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