The summer training period has finally drawn to a close for every club in England's top flight, and the teams are now poised to begin the official campaign on August 21. Below is a comprehensive recap of the friendly fixtures and tournament outings each of the twenty Premier League sides took part in over the past few weeks, along with a brief look at what fans can expect from the upcoming season. Arsenal kicked off their preparations with a series of high‑profile matches. After a comfortable 3‑0 win over MK Dons at their own training ground on July 25, the Gunners travelled to Spain for a 4‑1 defeat at Girona on August 1.
They then faced Real Betis in Dublin, losing 3‑1 on August 5, before a narrow 3‑2 loss to Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates on August 9. A dramatic penalty shoot‑out saw Arsenal edge Como 4‑3 after a 1‑1 draw on August 12, and the season officially began for them with a 3‑0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield at Cardiff on August 16. Aston Villa’s itinerary was equally globe‑trotting. The club opened with a 5‑0 thrashing of Walsall at the Bescot Stadium on July 21, then suffered a 2‑1 loss to Porto in Portugal on July 25.
A high‑scoring 4‑2 defeat to Real Sociedad followed on July 28, before Villa travelled to Jakarta for a 3‑1 win over an Indonesia All‑Stars side on August 1. They then beat BG Pathum United 3‑1 in Thailand, lost narrowly 2‑1 to Bayern Munich in Hong Kong, and were edged out 2‑1 by PSG in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on August 12. Their final warm‑up match was a 2‑1 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach on August 15.
Bournemouth’s summer featured a blend of domestic and continental fixtures. After a 4‑1 victory over St Pauli in Saalfelden on July 24, they thumped Augsburg 5‑2 on July 30. The club then posted a staggering 10‑1 win against Genoa behind closed doors on August 4, before a 2‑2 draw with Real Betis in Seville and a 2‑1 defeat to Mainz at the Mewa Arena on August 15. Brentford’s schedule was more modest but productive.
They began with a 3‑2 win over AFC Wimbledon behind closed doors on July 15, followed by a 4‑2 away victory against Rennes on August 8, and capped the pre‑season with a dominant 7‑0 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Gtech Community Stadium on August 15. Brighton & Hove Albion travelled extensively across Europe. After a 4‑1 win over Wycombe at their training ground on July 18, they beat Annecy in France on July 25, then secured a 4‑3 away win over Strasbourg in Austria on August 1.
The Seagulls continued their run with a 3‑0 victory over Roma at the Amex on August 8 and a 1‑0 win against Bologna at the same venue on August 15. Chelsea’s pre‑season itinerary spanned three continents. The Blues opened with a 6‑4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia on July 28, then lost 2‑1 to Tottenham in Sydney on August 1.
A 1‑0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong followed on August 5, before they beat AC Milan 3‑0 in Jakarta on August 8. Their final friendly was a 3‑1 victory over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on August 15.
Coventry City’s preparation was largely domestic. After a 3‑2 win over AFC Wimbledon behind closed doors on July 11, they drew 0‑0 with Northampton at Sixfields on July 18. The Sky Blues then beat Espanyol 3‑1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena on August 8 and secured a 2‑0 win over Monaco at the same ground on August 14.
Crystal Palace mixed short‑format games with a full‑length test against Freiburg. They began with a 5‑1 win over Swindon at their training ground on July 18, suffered a 3‑0 loss to Lens on July 28, and drew 0‑0 with Famalicão in another 45‑minute match the same day. After a 3‑1 win over Al Ula on July 31, Palace lost 3‑0 to Freiburg in the Europa‑Park Stadion on August 15.
Everton’s summer featured a series of trips across Europe. Starting with a 4‑0 win over Dundee at Dens Park on July 18, they then drew 0‑0 with Bolton, lost 1‑0 to Stoke, and suffered a 2‑1 defeat to Hamburg. Subsequent fixtures saw Everton beat Stuttgart 3‑1, Newcastle 3‑1 at Murrayfield, and finish with a 1‑1 draw against Lille on August 15.
Fulham’s schedule included a 1‑1 draw with Al Ahli in Portugal on July 28, a 2‑1 loss to Crystal Palace at their training ground on August 7, and a 1‑0 win over Stuttgart at Craven Cottage on August 15. Hull City travelled to Slovenia for a 3‑0 win over Konyaspor on July 25 and a 2‑1 victory against Çaykur Rizespor on July 28.
They then drew 1‑1 with Kasımpaşa in Istanbul, lost 2‑0 to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, and finished with a goalless draw against Nice at the MKM Stadium. Ipswich Town’s pre‑season was busy with matches in Spain and England.
They lost 2‑1 to Osasuna in Colchester, beat Oxford 2‑0 at the Kassam Stadium, lost 2‑1 to Wycombe at Adams Park, and then recorded wins over Le Havre, Rayo Vallecano and Union Berlin, the latter a 4‑2 triumph at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei. Leeds United combined domestic friendlies with a transatlantic tour. After a 3‑2 loss to Wrexham on July 26, they beat Sunderland 1‑0 in New Jersey, thrashed Liverpool 4‑2 in Chicago, and won a 2‑0 game against RB Leipzig at Elland Road.
The season‑ending pre‑season match was a 4‑0 victory over Augsburg on August 15. Liverpool’s summer featured a mix of North American and European fixtures. They opened with a 4‑2 win over Sunderland in Nashville, then beat Wrexham in New York, drew 2‑2 with Leeds in Chicago, lost 3‑2 to Monaco at Anfield, and concluded with a 2‑0 win over Como.
Manchester City’s pre‑season highlighted a dramatic Community Shield win. They began with a 1‑1 draw against Inter Milan in Hong Kong, followed by a 3‑1 win over Atletico Madrid in Seoul, and capped their preparations by defeating Arsenal 3‑0 in the Community Shield at Cardiff on August 16. Manchester United travelled extensively, starting with a 1‑0 loss to Wrexham in Helsinki, a 5‑0 thrashing of Rosenborg in Trondheim, a 2‑1 win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm, a 1‑1 draw with PSG in Gothenburg, a penalty‑shootout defeat to Leeds in Dublin, and a 4‑2 loss to AC Milan in Wroclaw.
Newcastle United’s schedule featured matches in England, Spain and Germany. After a 3‑0 win over Darlington behind closed doors, they drew 1‑1 with Gateshead, beat Bristol City 4‑1, lost 2‑1 to Valencia, beat Everton 3‑1 at Murrayfield, lost 2‑1 to Bayer Leverkusen, and drew 1‑1 with Strasbourg. Nottingham Forest’s pre‑season included games in Portugal and Italy. They began with a 2‑0 win over Notts County, beat Blackburn 3‑0 in Portugal, drew 1‑1 with Vitória, beat Portimonense 2‑1, lost 1‑0 to Udinese, suffered a 1‑0 defeat to Barcelona, then beat Bayer Leverkusen 2‑1 and Brest 2‑0 at the City Ground.
Sunderland’s summer was a whirlwind of fixtures across the globe. They opened with a 5‑1 loss to York City, beat Liverpool 4‑2 in Nashville, lost 1‑0 to Leeds in New Jersey, beat Wrexham 1‑0 in Philadelphia, recorded a 4‑1 win over Lens in a training‑ground match, then beat Lens 2‑0 in France before a 2‑1 victory over Rennes at the Stadium of Light. Tottenham Hotspur mixed domestic friendlies with overseas tours. After a 1‑0 win over MK Dons at their training ground, they beat Auckland FC 2‑0, drew 1‑1 with Sydney FC (winning on penalties), defeated Chelsea 2‑1 in Sydney, drew 1‑1 with Getafe behind closed doors, and secured a 3‑0 win over Hoffenheim at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Sky Sports highlighted its upcoming coverage, confirming that it will broadcast more than 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, Women’s Super League, EFL and Scottish Premiership in the 2026/27 season, including a minimum of 215 Premier League games. Subscribers will be able to stream every live fixture via the Sky Sports app, while non‑subscribers can upgrade or opt for the contract‑free NOW TV service. Key dates to mark on the calendar: the Premier League season kicks off on August 21, the Champions League group‑stage draw follows on August 27, the group‑stage runs from September 8‑10, the FA Cup third round begins on January 9, the Champions League group phase concludes on January 27, the knockout stage starts on February 16, the Carabao Cup final is slated for March 21, the Premier League season ends on May 30, and the Champions League final takes place on June 5 at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Additionally, fans can enter the Super 6 competition for a chance to win £1 million, with free entry available.