Premier League 2025/26: Every Opening Weekend Match
Get ready! The new Premier League season kicks off on Friday, August 15, 2025, and it’s starting with a bang. Defending champions Liverpool will play the first match at home against AFC Bournemouth in a Friday-night game.
Man United vs Arsenal: Big Match on Sunday
One of the biggest games of the weekend is on Sunday, August 17, when Manchester United hosts Arsenal at Old Trafford. It’s a tough start for Arsenal, who are trying to win the league title for the first time in over 20 years. Arsenal hasn’t had much luck at Old Trafford either — they’ve only won there twice in the past 18 years!
Even though Man United finished 15th last season, they’ve already made moves to improve. They signed forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and their new coach, Ruben Amorim, is hoping for a fresh start. United also has the best record on opening weekends in Premier League history!
Arsenal hasn’t signed anyone yet, but their coach Mikel Arteta says this summer will be very important for the team. After playing Leeds at home in Matchweek 2, Arsenal’s schedule gets even tougher with games against top teams.
Liverpool Starts at Anfield
Liverpool begins their title defense at Anfield against AFC Bournemouth. They’ve always done well against Bournemouth at home — they’ve won 7 out of 8 matches there, including a huge 9-0 win in 2022.
But Liverpool’s next few games are challenging. They play Newcastle, Arsenal, Everton in the Merseyside derby, and Chelsea — all within the first two months!
The new season starts here.
2025/26 🔜 pic.twitter.com/VmoxPb8dbu
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 18, 2025
Thomas Frank’s First Spurs Match
Tottenham Hotspur has a new head coach — Thomas Frank — and his first Premier League game is at home against Burnley. Burnley had a great defense last season, only letting in 16 goals as they returned to the Premier League.
The two other promoted teams are also in action at home:
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Sunderland plays West Ham United
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Leeds United hosts Everton on Monday night at Elland Road, which should be full of energy!
Everton’s first home game at their brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium will be in Matchweek 2 against Brighton.
Man City Travels to Wolves
Manchester City, who lost the title to Liverpool after winning it four years in a row, starts the season away at Wolves. Wolves have been strong since hiring coach Vitor Pereira and will be tough to beat.
More Exciting Matches
There are a few other great matchups in Matchweek 1, especially between teams that did well last season:
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Aston Villa vs Newcastle kicks off Saturday’s games. They played on the first weekend two years ago, and Newcastle won 5-1.
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Brighton hosts Fulham
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Brentford visits Nottingham Forest — it’ll be Brentford’s first game without former coach Thomas Frank.
And on Sunday, there’s a big London derby! Chelsea will face Crystal Palace, who just won the FA Cup.
Full List: 2025/26 Matchweek 1 (Times in UK Time – BST)
Friday, 15 August 2025
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20:00 — Liverpool vs AFC Bournemouth
Saturday, 16 August
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12:30 — Aston Villa vs Newcastle United
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15:00 — Brighton & Hove Albion vs Fulham
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15:00 — Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
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15:00 — Sunderland vs West Ham United
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15:00 — Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley
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17:30 — Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City
Sunday, 17 August
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14:00 — Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
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16:30 — Manchester United vs Arsenal
Monday, 18 August
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20:00 — Leeds United vs Everton
The 2025/26 season will have 33 weekends of action and five midweek rounds, ending on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when all matches will kick off at the same time.
