The Premier League returns for the 2026/27 season with Arsenal beginning their title defence, three promoted clubs returning to the top flight and a record-equalling nine English teams set to compete in European competitions.

Arsenal enter the new campaign as champions after ending their wait for a first Premier League title since 2003/04. Their triumph also made them the third different champions in three seasons, following Manchester City in 2023/24 and Liverpool in 2024/25.

But with the title race only one part of the Premier League’s appeal, the 2026/27 season also brings another European qualification battle, three newly promoted clubs and a host of individual records to watch.

Here is everything you need to know about the Premier League 2026/27 season.

When does the Premier League 2026/27 season start?

The Premier League 2026/27 season begins on Saturday, August 22, with defending champions Arsenal hosting newly promoted Coventry City.

The opening weekend also features Manchester United’s trip to Hull City, Liverpool travelling to Newcastle United and Manchester City hosting Bournemouth.

The first round of fixtures concludes on Tuesday, August 25, when Fulham take on Chelsea.

Can Arsenal defend their Premier League title?

Arsenal will begin the season looking to become champions for a second successive campaign after winning the Premier League in 2025/26.

Their title was significant for the club, ending a wait dating back to the 2003/04 season and continuing a period of change at the top of English football.

Manchester City won the title in 2023/24, Liverpool followed in 2024/25 and Arsenal then claimed the championship in 2025/26.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal have the ambition, ability and consistency required to challenge for another title, but the club will now have to deal with the pressure that comes with being champions.

“We are very conscious of what it’s going to take to deliver that,” Arteta said. “But I feel the ambition, I feel the desire, and I feel the ability and the conviction around the team that we can do it.”

Which teams have been promoted to the Premier League?

Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town will compete in the Premier League after securing promotion from the Championship.

Coventry return to the top flight for the first time in 25 years after winning the Championship. Their promotion also brings Frank Lampard back into the Premier League dugout.

Lampard, a three-time Premier League champion as a player, has previously managed Chelsea and Everton.

Ipswich Town return to the Premier League after just one season in the Championship. They will begin the new campaign under Gary O’Neil, who has previous Premier League experience with Bournemouth and Wolves.

Hull City are back in the top flight for the first time in a decade after winning the Championship play-off final against Middlesbrough with a last-minute winner.

For all three clubs, the immediate challenge will be to avoid an instant return to the Championship.

How competitive was the Premier League last season?

The 2025/26 season was defined by fine margins, with 142 matches decided by a single goal.

That accounted for 37.3% of all Premier League matches and was higher than the figure recorded in either of the previous two seasons.

Late goals were another major feature of the campaign.

A total of 115 goals were scored in the 90th minute or later, accounting for 11% of all goals scored in the competition.

The competitiveness was also evident among the newly promoted sides.

Sunderland finished seventh immediately after promotion, becoming the best-performing newly promoted team since Wolves also finished seventh in 2018/19.

Their campaign was rewarded with Europa League qualification.

Bournemouth went a step further in their own history, finishing sixth and qualifying for European competition for the first time.

How many Premier League teams will play in Europe in 2026/27?

A record-equalling nine Premier League clubs will compete in European competitions during the 2026/27 season.

Five English clubs will feature in the UEFA Champions League after England finished top of UEFA’s coefficient rankings and secured an additional place.

The Premier League’s European strength was also evident last season, when English clubs reached the finals of all three UEFA competitions.

Aston Villa won the Europa League, while Crystal Palace lifted the Conference League.

Arsenal’s Premier League title, meanwhile, was joined by Manchester City’s FA Cup and EFL Cup triumphs.

Who were the biggest winners and losers from last season?

Sunderland were among the biggest success stories of the 2025/26 campaign.

The newly promoted club finished seventh and secured European football, demonstrating how quickly a promoted team can move beyond a relegation battle.

Bournemouth also made club history by qualifying for Europe for the first time after finishing sixth.

At the other end of the table, West Ham United were relegated despite collecting 39 points.

That was the highest points tally for a relegated team since Birmingham City and Blackpool also went down with 39 points in 2010/11.

Another unusual statistic underlined the competitiveness of the previous campaign: all three promoted clubs took at least a point away at Liverpool, who were the reigning champions at the time.

It was the first time that had happened since the 1980/81 season.

Which players will be among the biggest names in the Premier League?

The Premier League continues to bring together a significant share of the world’s leading players.

Players from 67 countries featured across the 20 clubs during the 2025/26 season, while 128 nationalities have been represented in the Premier League across its history.

The competition also featured 46% of the world’s top 100 players.

English players made up the largest proportion of that global top 100, with 14 players.

Which Premier League records were broken in 2025/26?

Erling Haaland broke the record for the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals.

The Manchester City striker reached the landmark in just 111 appearances, surpassing Alan Shearer’s previous record of 124 matches.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes also set a new Premier League record for assists in a single season.

Fernandes finished the 2025/26 campaign with 21 assists, moving beyond the previous record of 20 held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

How popular is the Premier League in India?

The Premier League’s audience in India continued to grow during the 2025/26 season.

Premier League watch time across the JioStar network surpassed 9.04 billion minutes, while the competition now has 144.5 million followers in India.

Combined linear television and digital reach has grown 2.4 times over the past five years.

The growth has also extended beyond India’s major metropolitan centres.

Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh accounted for nearly 25% of total Premier League views, compared with 12% five years earlier.

Non-metro centres with populations above one million accounted for 55% of mobile and web views and 63% of Connected TV viewing.

The Premier League’s linear television watch time in India was also reported to be three times that of the UEFA Champions League.

What are the key numbers ahead of the Premier League 2026/27 season?

The Premier League enters the new season with several notable numbers:

3 different champions across the last three seasons
9 Premier League clubs competing in Europe
5 clubs competing in the Champions League
142 matches decided by a single goal in 2025/26
115 goals scored in the 90th minute or later
41,753 record average attendance
98.7% stadium capacity
46% of the world’s top 100 players in the Premier League
128 nationalities represented across Premier League history
67 countries represented across the 20 clubs in 2025/26
111 appearances for Haaland to reach 100 Premier League goals
21 assists for Bruno Fernandes in 2025/26
9.04 billion minutes of Premier League watch time in India
144.5 million Premier League followers in India
2.4x growth in combined linear TV and digital reach in India over five years

Premier League 2026/27 opening weekend fixtures

All times are in IST.

What to expect from the Premier League 2026/27 season

The new Premier League season begins with Arsenal attempting to defend their title in a competition that has become increasingly difficult to predict.

Three different clubs have won the championship across the last three seasons, while the European qualification race now stretches further down the table.

The arrival of Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town adds another variable, particularly after Sunderland and Bournemouth demonstrated last season that newly promoted and mid-table clubs can challenge the established order.

With nine English clubs competing in Europe, 20 teams fighting across the table and the 2025/26 campaign producing a record number of late goals and one-goal matches, another season of fine margins awaits.