The much-anticipated 35th edition of the Premier League is set to begin, with the season kicking off at 4pm (Brasília time) this Friday (21) as Arsenal faces Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium. This match marks a showdown between the current champions and the winners of last season’s Championship.

Advertisement

For a comprehensive overview of the 26/27 Premier League season, check out OneFootball‘s full roundup below.

Promotion Updates 🔼

Coventry City, managed by Frank Lampard, has climbed back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2000/2001 season. Ipswich Town also secured an automatic promotion spot, returning after their relegation in the 24/25 season. Hull City won the playoff to claim a place in the top flight, having last competed in the Premier League during the 16/17 season.

League Spot Allocations 👀

The Champions League spots will go to the top four teams, with a possibility of a fifth team depending on the Uefa coefficient generated by English club participation in European competitions. The 5th position will qualify for the Europa League, while the 6th place will secure a spot in the Conference League. The bottom three teams will face relegation.

Broadcast Details 📺

ESPN/Disney+ has acquired the broadcasting rights for all 380 matches but will not be the exclusive broadcaster. One match will be streamed via YouTube, and CazéTV will have the rights to one game per round following a sublicensing agreement. The opening match will feature Manchester City against Bournemouth.

First-Round Fixtures 📆

21/8 – Friday

4pm – Arsenal x Coventry City

22/8 – Saturday

8am – Hull City x Manchester United

11am – Everton x Crystal Palace

11am – Ipswich Town x Sunderland

11am – Nottingham Forest x Leeds United

11am – Brentford x Tottenham

23/8 – Sunday

10am – Brighton x Aston Villa

10am – Manchester City x Bournemouth

12:30pm – Newcastle x Liverpool

24/8 – Monday

4pm – Fulham x Chelsea

For the complete schedule, click here.

Arsenal Aims to Retain Title 🔴⚪

With their long wait for a Premier League title finally over, Arsenal now stands as the team to beat. Following Pep Guardiola’s departure, Manchester City has turned to Enzo Maresca, who faces a critical task in reclaiming the club’s domestic dominance.

Manchester United, revitalized under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, will look to challenge for the title from the very beginning. Liverpool, now without Mohamed Salah, seeks a new manager after a disappointing previous season. The pressure falls on Iraola as he embarks on what could be the most significant challenge of his career.

Roberto De Zerbi successfully kept Tottenham in the top flight, and with an influx of new talent, the club aims to solidify its position. Chelsea, now managed by Xabi Alonso, is also making headlines with significant investments after a season without European competition.

Aston Villa aims to progress further following a standout season, while both Bournemouth and Sunderland will look to build on their surprising initiatives from the last campaign.

High-Profile Transfers 💰

The following are the most expensive transfers confirmed up until Thursday:

Notable mentions include French center-back Jérémy Jacquet, who Liverpool secured last season but remained with Rennes before completing the move. Impressively, seven out of the top ten most costly deals involved transactions among English clubs.

Advertisement

Tottenham prominently features in the transfers, as they attempt to acquire Savinho from Manchester City and stand out with three significant signings.

The players at the top of the transfer list (Rogers and Anderson) have now secured spots among the ten most expensive footballers in history.

The full list includes:

10th – Marco Palestra (RB) – Atalanta ➡️ Chelsea – £57 million

9th – Manzambi (F) – Freiburg ➡️ Aston Villa – £60 million

8th – Van Hacke (CB) – Brighton ➡️ Tottenham – £60 million

7th – Lacroix (CB) – Crystal Palace ➡️ Chelsea – £60.7 million

6th – Jacquet (CB) – Rennes ➡️ Liverpool – £63.6 million

5th – Bruno Guimarães (M) – Newcastle ➡️ Arsenal – £87.5 million

4th – Mateus Fernandes (M) – West Ham ➡️ Tottenham – £99 million

3rd – Tonali (M) – Newcastle ➡️ Tottenham – £108 million

2nd – Elliot Anderson (M) – Forest ➡️ Manchester City – £135 million

1st – Morgan Rogers (F) – Aston Villa ➡️ Chelsea – £138 million

Brazilian Presence in the Premier League 🇧🇷

The Premier League for the 26/27 season features 31 Brazilian players across various clubs, with only Everton, Sunderland, Coventry City, and Hull City lacking representation. The clubs and their Brazilian players are:

Arsenal: Gabriel Magalhães (CB), Bruno Guimarães (M), Gabriel Jesus (F) and Gabriel Martinelli (F)

Aston Villa: João Gomes (M) and Alysson (F)

Bournemouth: Evanilson (F) and Rayan (F)

Brentford: Gustavo Nunes (F) and Igor Thiago (F)

Brighton: Igor Júlio (CB)

Chelsea: Estêvão (F) and João Pedro (F)

Crystal Palace: Matheus França (M)

Fulham: Kevin (F) and Rodrigo Muniz (F)

Ipswich: Emersonn (F)

Leeds: Lucas Perri (GK)

Liverpool: Alisson (GK)

Manchester City: Vitor Reis (CB) and Savinho (F)

Manchester United: Andrey Santos (M) and Matheus Cunha (F)

Newcastle: Joelinton (M)

Nottingham Forest: John (GK), Jair (CB), Morato (CB), Murillo (CB) and Igor Jesus (F)

Tottenham: Souza (LB) and Richarlison (F)

Best Kits of the Season?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

And the much-anticipated 35th edition of the Premier League is about to begin.

The ball will start rolling from 4pm (Brasília time) this Friday (21) for Arsenal versus Coventry City at the Emirates. 

A clash between the current champions and the winners of the last Championship.

Advertisement

Check out OneFootball‘s full roundup of the 26/27 PL season below.

Who went up? 🔼

The already mentioned Coventry – managed by Frank Lampard – were the first to go up.

They have not played in the top flight since the 2000/2001 season. 

The other automatic promotion spot went to Ipswich Town – returning after relegation in 24/25. 

And the playoff winners were Hull City, who had been out of the PL since 16/17.

👀 Spot allocation

Champions League: The top four. Or five depending on the coefficient generated by English clubs’ participation in Uefa competitions.

Europa League: 5th 

Conference League: 6th 

Advertisement

Relegation: the bottom three. 

Who’s broadcasting it? 📺

ESPN/Disney+ secured all 380 matches, but will not have exclusivity.

One of their matches will be broadcast via YouTube.

CazéTV, meanwhile, will have the rights to one game per round on its channel after a sublicensing agreement.

The opener will be Manchester City versus Bournemouth. 

📆 First-round fixtures

21/8 – Friday

4pm – Arsenal x Coventry City

22/8 – Saturday

8am – Hull City x Manchester United

11am – Everton x Crystal Palace

11am – Ipswich Town x Sunderland

11am – Nottingham Forest x Leeds United

11am – Brentford x Tottenham

23/8 – Sunday

10am – Brighton x Aston Villa

Advertisement

10am – Manchester City x Bournemouth

12:30pm – Newcastle x Liverpool

24/8 – Monday

4pm – Fulham x Chelsea

See the full schedule here. 

Everyone against Arsenal? 🔴⚪

After ending their long and painful wait to win the Premier League, Arsenal have become the team to beat.

📸 Julian Finney

City saw Guardiola bring his successful spell in charge of the club to an end. They turned to Enzo Maresca to regain domestic dominance.

The former Pep assistant’s mission will be to succeed in a season marked by important departures.

After a great turnaround under then-caretaker Carrick, United will try to challenge at the top from the very start.

Advertisement

Now without Salah, Liverpool also looked for a new manager after a disappointing 25/26. Iraola faces the biggest challenge of his career.

Roberto De Zerbi managed to keep Tottenham in the top flight. And he has seen the club open its wallet in search of reinforcements.

After a PL campaign that ended without a place in any European competition, Chelsea – now with Xabi Alonso – went back to spending big.

Aston Villa face the challenge of “taking the next step” after a special season.

The same goes for Bournemouth and Sunderland, the big surprises of 25/26.

MOST EXPENSIVE signings 💰

The list below includes the biggest moves completed up to this Thursday.

Advertisement

Only French centre-back Jérémy Jacquet was already a certainty, as Liverpool agreed his signing back in the previous season.

He stayed at Rennes in 25/26 before arriving at the Reds.

The highlight is that SEVEN of the ten most expensive deals were done between English clubs.

📸 Ryan Pierse – 2026 Getty Images

Tottenham – who are still trying to take Savinho from City – also stand out, as they appear three times among the destinations.

The top two on the list (Rogers and Anderson) have now become two of the ten most expensive players in history.

Check out the list below: 

10th – Marco Palestra (RB) – Atalanta ➡️ Chelsea – 57 million

Advertisement

9th – Manzambi (F) – Freiburg ➡️ Aston Villa – 60 million

8th – Van Hacke (CB) – Brighton ➡️ Tottenham – 60 million

7th – Lacroix (CB) – Crystal Palace ➡️ Chelsea – 60.7 million

6th – Jacquet (CB) – Rennes ➡️ Liverpool – 63.6 million

5th – Bruno Guimarães (M) – Newcastle ➡️ Arsenal – 87.5 million

4th – Mateus Fernandes (M) – West Ham ➡️ Tottenham – 99 million

3rd – Tonali (M) – Newcastle ➡️ Tottenham – 108 million

2nd – Elliot Anderson (M) – Forest ➡️ City – 135 million

1st – Morgan Rogers (F) – Aston Villa ➡️ Chelsea – 138 million

All the Brazilians 🇧🇷

Only Everton, Sunderland, Coventry and Hull City do not have at least one Brazilian. 

Advertisement

PL 26/27 currently has a total of 31 Brazilian players.

Check them all out below: 

Arsenal: Gabriel Magalhães (CB), Bruno Guimarães (M), Gabriel Jesus (F) and Gabriel Martinelli (F)

Aston Villa: João Gomes (M) and Alysson (F) 

Bournemouth: Evanilson (F) and Rayan (F) 

Brentford: Gustavo Nunes (F) and Igor Thiago (F) 

Brighton: Igor Júlio (CB)

Chelsea: Estêvão (F) and João Pedro (F) 

Crystal Palace: Matheus França (M) 

Fulham: Kevin (F) and Rodrigo Muniz (F)

Ipswich: Emersonn (F)

Leeds: Lucas Perri (GK)

Liverpool: Alisson (GK)

Manchester City: Vitor Reis (CB) and Savinho (F) 

Manchester United: Andrey Santos (M) and Matheus Cunha (F)

Advertisement

Newcastle: Joelinton (M)

Nottingham Forest: John (GK), Jair (CB), Morato (CB), Murillo (CB) and Igor Jesus (F)

Tottenham: Souza (LB) and Richarlison (F) 

Which is the nicest shirt?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.