Why is there no Premier League football this weekend?
If you have opened the fixture list expecting Premier League football this weekend, you have not missed anything: the 2026/27 season has not started yet. Anyone looking through UK betting bonuses will instead find the EFL and Sunday’s Community Shield taking centre stage before the top flight returns next week.
The Premier League’s first match is Arsenal v Coventry City at 20:00 BST on Friday 21 August, with the rest of the opening round running through to Fulham v Chelsea on Monday 24 August.
So why the unusual wait?
Why is there no Premier League this weekend?
The short answer is the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Premier League deliberately moved the beginning of its 2026/27 campaign back by one week to give players additional recovery time after an exceptionally busy summer. Its scheduling leaves 89 clear days from the end of the previous Premier League season and 33 days from the World Cup final.
The World Cup final took place on Sunday 19 July 2026, while the previous Premier League campaign finished on Sunday 24 May.
That matters because players from Premier League clubs were involved deep into a 48-team World Cup stretching across June and July. Rather than immediately compressing the domestic summer even further, the league prioritised a longer gap before competitive club football resumed. The 2026 calendar, however, is anything but simple.
When does the Premier League start in 2026?
The 2026/27 Premier League begins on Friday 21 August 2026.
Champions Arsenal host newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium in the opening match.
Premier League opening weekend fixtures
| Date | Fixture | UK time |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 21 Aug | Arsenal v Coventry City | 20:00 |
| Sat 22 Aug | Hull City v Manchester United | 12:30 |
| Sat 22 Aug | Everton v Crystal Palace | 15:00 |
| Sat 22 Aug | Ipswich Town v Sunderland | 15:00 |
| Sat 22 Aug | Nottingham Forest v Leeds United | 15:00 |
| Sat 22 Aug | Brentford v Tottenham | 17:30 |
| Sun 23 Aug | Brighton v Aston Villa | 14:00 |
| Sun 23 Aug | Manchester City v Bournemouth | 14:00 |
| Sun 23 Aug | Newcastle United v Liverpool | 16:30 |
| Mon 24 Aug | Fulham v Chelsea | 20:00 |
The published opening-round schedule has Arsenal–Coventry, Hull–Manchester United and several other matches selected for live television. One extra week also means one extra week to compare opening-weekend prices rather than betting into the first market you see.
Why has the EFL already started?
This is the part likely to cause confusion. The Premier League may be waiting, but the EFL league season starts this weekend, from 14 to 16 August. Wolves v Blackburn opens the programme on Friday night.
In fact, the wider EFL season has already begun: the first round of the Carabao Cup was scheduled for 7–9 August, before the Championship, League One and League Two league campaigns.
| Competition | 2026/27 start |
|---|---|
| Carabao Cup | 7–9 August |
| Championship | 14–16 August |
| League One | 14–16 August |
| League Two | 14–16 August |
| Premier League | 21 August |
There is no contradiction. The Premier League and EFL operate separate competition calendars, and the Premier League chose an additional week of recovery in response to the expanded international schedule.
Is there any top-level football on this weekend?
Yes, and there is a particularly obvious substitute for Premier League viewers. Arsenal face Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday 16 August at 15:00 BST. Arsenal qualified as 2025/26 Premier League champions, while Manchester City won the FA Cup.
The Shield is traditionally staged the weekend before the Premier League campaign and has moved away from Wembley this year because the stadium is unavailable due to pre-planned concerts.
Premier League 2026/27 betting: who are the early favourites?
The delayed kick-off does not mean Premier League betting markets are closed. Outright markets are already active, giving punters the option of taking a season-long position before Matchweek 1 rather than betting individual fixtures.
The key point with ante-post betting is price rather than name recognition: a strong team is not automatically a good bet if the market already fully reflects its chances.
| Selection | Current price | Betting angle |
| Arsenal to win Premier League | 6/4 | Defending champions and current market favourites |
| Manchester City to win | 11/4 | Second favourites entering a new managerial era |
| Liverpool to win | 11/2 | Bigger price for a side looking to rebound from fifth |
| Manchester United to win | 15/2 | Fourth in Sky Bet’s current market |
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