Chelsea kick off their pre-season campaign in Australia this week, facing A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday.
There are plenty of new faces in the Chelsea squad, with Marco Palestra and Dastan Satpayev looking forward to their first-team debuts after sealing transfers this summer.
It is also the first match of Xabi Alonso’s tenure with the club, giving fans a first opportunity to see his brand of football.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Chelsea is scheduled for a 10.45am BST kick-off on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at Accor Stadium.
How to watch
In the UK, the game will be televised live on CFC+, Chelsea’s in-house video streaming service. An annual subscription costs £15, while pay-per-view passes worth £9.99 are also available.
Team news
Chelsea will be without summer signings Emanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda after they were left in London with knocks. Morgan Rogers has yet to join up with his new club. Also absent are Pedro Neto, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez, who competed into the late stages of the World Cup.
Palestra is expected to make his debut, as will a number of academy players on the trip. Estevao, Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Levi Colwill are all back fit and expected to feature.
Prediction
Alonso will not be preoccupied with the result but will be confident against a vastly inferior side. The aim is to get minutes into as many players as possible, avoid injury and score goals. We expect them to do exactly that: Chelsea to win 4-1.
Head to head and odds
This will be the first meeting between the two teams. Odds: Western Sydney to win 11/2, Chelsea to win 1/4, draw 6/1.
