The summer training period has finally drawn to a close for every club in England's top flight, and the squads are now ready to embark on the competitive season that kicks off on August 21. Below is a comprehensive recap of the friendly fixtures, exhibition matches and cup showdowns that each of the twenty Premier League teams played during the pre‑season window, along with a brief look at what lies ahead for the league and related competitions.
**Arsenal** Arsenal used a mixture of home‑based and overseas fixtures to sharpen their squad. They opened the month with a 3‑0 victory over MK Dons at their own training ground on July 25. A week later they travelled to Spain and suffered a 1‑4 defeat against Girona, before returning to Dublin for a 1‑3 loss to Real Betis on August 5.
The Gunners then faced Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium on August 9, losing 2‑3 in a tightly contested match. A day later they drew 1‑1 with Como, prevailing 4‑3 on penalties at the Emirates. The season’s first official trophy arrived on August 16 when Arsenal beat Manchester City 3‑0 in the Community Shield at Cardiff, securing silverware before the league even begins. **Aston Villa** Villa’s itinerary was globe‑spanning.
They began with a dominant 5‑0 away win over Walsall at the Bescot Stadium on July 21, then travelled to Portugal to edge Porto 2‑1 on July 25. A high‑scoring 4‑2 loss to Real Sociedad followed on July 28, and the team later featured in a friendly against an Indonesia All‑Stars side in Jakarta, winning 3‑1 on August 1. Their Asian tour continued with a 3‑1 win over BG Pathum United in Pathum Thani and a narrow 2‑1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on August 7. The season finale for Villa was a 2‑1 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Borussia‑Park on August 15.
**Bournemouth** The Cherries started with a 4‑1 win over St Pauli in Saalfelden on July 24, then posted a 5‑2 triumph against Augsburg on July 30. Their most eye‑catching result came on August 4 when they thrashed Genoa 10‑1 behind closed doors at their training ground, a match that lasted two full hours. Subsequent fixtures saw a 2‑2 draw with Real Betis in Seville and a 2‑1 defeat to Mainz at the Mewa Arena on August 15.
**Brentford** Brentford’s pre‑season began with a 3‑2 win over AFC Wimbledon behind closed doors on July 15. They travelled to France for a 4‑2 victory against Rennes on August 8, before returning to the Gtech Community Stadium to deliver a crushing 7‑0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt on August 15. **Brighton & Hove Albion** The Seagulls opened with a 4‑1 win over Wycombe at their training ground on July 18.
After a brief stop in France against Annecy, they beat Strasbourg 4‑3 in Austria on August 1. Brighton then enjoyed a 3‑0 win over Roma at the Amex on August 8 and capped the month with a 1‑0 victory against Bologna at the same venue on August 15. **Chelsea** Chelsea’s summer schedule took them to three continents.
They started with a 6‑4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney on July 28, then suffered a 1‑2 loss to Tottenham in the same city on August 1. A 1‑0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong followed on August 5, but the Blues rebounded with a 3‑0 win over AC Milan in Jakarta on August 8.
Their final friendly was a 3‑1 triumph over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on August 15. **Coventry City** Coventry began with a 3‑2 win over AFC Wimbledon behind closed doors on July 11 and drew 0‑0 with Northampton on July 18.
They then travelled to Spain, beating Espanyol 3‑1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena on August 8, before securing a 2‑0 victory over Monaco at the same ground on August 14. **Crystal Palace** Palace’s pre‑season featured a 5‑1 win over Swindon at their training ground on July 18, a 3‑0 loss to Bromley on July 25 and two short 45‑minute fixtures against Lens (0‑3) and Famalicão (0‑0) on July 28. They later beat Al Ula 3‑1 on July 31 and suffered a 0‑2 defeat to Fulham on August 7.
Their final friendly was a 3‑0 loss to Freiburg on August 15. **Everton** Everton travelled widely, starting with a 4‑0 win over Dundee at Dens Park on July 18. They then drew 0‑0 with Bolton on July 25, lost 0‑1 to Stoke at the bet365 Stadium on July 28, and beat Hamburg 2‑1 in Germany on August 1.
A 3‑1 win over Stuttgart at the MHP Arena on August 8 was followed by a 3‑1 victory against Newcastle at Murrayfield on August 12, before ending pre‑season with a 1‑1 draw against Lille on August 15. **Fulham** Fulham’s summer began with a 1‑1 draw against Al Ahli in Portugal on July 28.
They then faced Crystal Palace in a behind‑closed‑doors match on August 7, losing 1‑2, before securing a 1‑0 win over Stuttgart at Craven Cottage on August 15. **Hull City** Hull started with a 3‑0 win over Konyaspor in Slovenia on July 25, followed by a 2‑1 victory against Çaykur Rizespor on July 28.
They drew 1‑1 with Kasımpasa in Istanbul on August 1, lost 0‑2 to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany on August 8 and finished the pre‑season with a 0‑0 stalemate against Nice at the MKM Stadium on August 15. **Ipswich Town** Ipswich’s itinerary included a 2‑1 loss to Osasuna in Colchester on July 29, a 2‑0 win over Oxford at the Kassam Stadium on August 1, and a 2‑1 defeat to Wycombe at Adams Park the same day. They then beat Le Havre 1‑0 at Portman Road on August 4, thrashed Rayo Vallecano 3‑0 on August 8 and recorded a 4‑2 away win against Union Berlin on August 15. **Leeds United** Leeds kicked off with a 3‑2 loss to Wrexham on July 26, then travelled to the United States where they beat Sunderland 1‑0 in New Jersey on July 31.
The club’s North‑American tour continued with a 4‑2 win over Liverpool in Chicago on August 2, a 2‑0 victory against RB Leipzig at Elland Road on August 8 (a 120‑minute encounter), a 1‑1 draw with Manchester United in Dublin on August 12 (losing 4‑5 on penalties), and a 4‑0 triumph over Augsburg at Elland Road on August 15. **Liverpool** Liverpool’s pre‑season featured a 4‑2 win over Sunderland in Nashville on July 25, a 1‑0 victory against Wrexham in New York on July 30, a 4‑2 win over Leeds in Chicago on August 2, a 3‑2 loss to Monaco at Anfield on August 9, and a 2‑0 win over Como at Anfield on August 16.
**Manchester City** City began with a 1‑1 draw against Inter Milan in Hong Kong on August 1, losing 1‑3 on penalties. They then beat a K‑League All‑Stars side 3‑1 in Seoul on August 5 and defeated Atletico Madrid 3‑1 in the same city on August 9.
Their pre‑season culminated with a 3‑0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield at Cardiff on August 16. **Manchester United** United suffered a 1‑0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki on July 18, then enjoyed a 5‑0 win over Rosenborg in Trondheim on July 24. They beat Atletico Madrid 2‑1 in Stockholm on August 1, drew 1‑1 with PSG in Gothenburg on August 8, lost a penalty shoot‑out to Leeds after a 1‑1 draw in Dublin on August 12, and were beaten 4‑2 by AC Milan in Wroclaw on August 15. **Newcastle United** Newcastle opened with a 3‑0 win over Darlington at their training ground on July 18, drew 1‑1 with Gateshead on July 25 and thrashed Bristol City 4‑1 at Ashton Gate on July 29.
They then beat Valencia 2‑1 at the Mestalla on August 8, lost 1‑3 to Everton at Murrayfield on August 12, were edged 1‑2 by Bayer Leverkusen at St James’ Park on August 15, and drew 1‑1 with Strasbourg at the same venue on August 16. **Nottingham Forest** Forest began with a 2‑0 win over Notts County on July 18, followed by a 3‑0 victory against Blackburn in Portugal on July 22. They drew 1‑1 with Vitoria on July 26, beat Portimonense 2‑1 on July 31 and overcame Sporting 4‑1 later that day. After a 1‑0 loss to Udinese in Udine on August 8 and a 1‑0 defeat to Barcelona in the same city, Forest turned the tide with a 2‑1 win over Bayer Leverkusen at the City Ground on August 12 and finished with a 2‑0 victory over Brest on August 16.
**Sunderland** Sunderland’s pre‑season started with a 5‑1 loss to York City on July 18, then they beat Liverpool 4‑2 in Nashville on July 25. They lost 1‑0 to Leeds in New Jersey on July 31, beat Wrexham 1‑0 in Philadelphia on August 2, suffered a 1‑4 loss to Lens at their training ground on August 8 and a 0‑2 defeat to Lens at Stade Bollaert‑Delelis later that day, before securing a 2‑1 win over Rennes at the Stadium of Light on August 15. **Tottenham Hotspur** Spurs began with a 1‑0 win over MK Dons at their training ground on July 22, then beat Auckland FC 2‑0 on July 26. They drew 1‑1 with Sydney FC on July 29 (winning 4‑2 on penalties), defeated Chelsea 2‑1 in Sydney on August 1, drew 1‑1 with Getafe at the Spurs training ground on August 8 (a shortened 70‑minute match), and secured a 3‑0 win over Hoffenheim at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 15, before drawing 2‑2 with the same German side behind closed doors on August 16.
Beyond the friendlies, Sky Sports highlighted its extensive coverage plans for the upcoming season, promising over 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, Women’s Super League, EFL and Scottish Premiership. The broadcaster will feature at least 215 live Premier League games in the 2026/27 campaign, with multiple 2 pm Sunday fixtures each weekend. Subscribers can stream every match via the Sky Sports app, while non‑subscribers are encouraged to upgrade or consider the contract‑free NOW TV options.
Key dates to remember: - 21 August – Premier League season opener - 27 August – Champions League group‑stage draw - 8‑10 September – Champions League group‑stage matches begin - 9 January – FA Cup third round - 27 January – End of Champions League group stage - 16 February – Start of Champions League knockout rounds - 21 March – Carabao Cup final - 30 May – Final Premier League match of the season - 5 June – Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid Fans are also invited to join the Super 6 competition for a chance to win £1 million, with free entry available.