Premier League 2026/27 opening weekend: TV guide and fixtures

The Premier League returns this weekend for the 2026/27 season, with all clubs in action across four days of top-flight football from Friday, August 21, to Monday, August 24. Arsenal begin their title defence in the opening fixture against Frank Lampard's Championship winners Coventry City.

Opening weekend highlights

Newly-promoted Hull City face Man United in a demanding first test, while Man City's first Premier League outing without Pep Guardiola in the dugout sees them host Bournemouth. The summer has brought considerable turbulence, with a number of high-profile names moving on and nine managers set to make their league debuts.

Matthias Jaissle and Andoni Iraola will go head-to-head for the first time as Newcastle United and Liverpool managers respectively. Enzo Maresca will be eager for his Man City squad to produce an authoritative performance following their 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. A West London derby is also in store as Xabi Alonso's Chelsea make the short trip to Fulham.

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How to watch on TV

Sky Sports remains the Premier League's principal broadcaster in the UK, screening at least 215 matches live throughout the campaign. In total, Sky will air approximately 1,500 fixtures across the Premier League, EFL, Carabao Cup and other competitions this season via its television and digital platforms.

Football fans need a Sky TV and sports package to access coverage, starting from £35 per month for the Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle. This deal for new customers includes full coverage of the Premier League, EFL, F1, darts and golf, representing a £384 saving compared to the standard price (£51). The package includes roughly 100 standard channels alongside complimentary subscriptions to Netflix Standard with Ads and discovery+. Alternatively, the £44 Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle offers all of the above benefits plus free Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu subscriptions.

Making its debut this season is Your Multiview, Sky's feature launching on 21 August, which allows supporters to watch up to four live Sky Sports events simultaneously on a single screen. There is also a new Sports Hub, displaying scores, statistics, league tables and additional information alongside the screen during live matches.

Current Sky customers can add Sky Sports channels for £22 per month on a fresh 24-month contract. Sky Sports channels are part of selected Virgin Media packages, many discounted in the provider's 'Summer of Sport' sale. The flagship Sport bundle has returned to its 'lowest ever price' of £52.99 (was £56.99) and includes nine Sky Sports channels, over 200 standard channels and complimentary Netflix access. Both Sky and Virgin subscribers face a price rise around March and April annually.

Selected Premier League matches will also be broadcast exclusively on TNT Sports, which typically holds the rights to one fixture per gameweek, beginning with Hull vs Man United. TNT has confirmed it will broadcast two complete rounds of midweek fixtures in February and March 2027. These can be viewed on TNT Sports, HBO Max or Prime Video's TNT Sports channel, with subscriptions beginning at £25.99 monthly when committing to a year, or £30.99 on a rolling monthly basis.