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Few dates on the football calendar get fans circling their calendars quite like the Premier League fixture release day. The 2025/26 season kicked off on 15 August 2025 with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth, and runs through to 24 May 2026 — with the full 380-match schedule unveiled back on 18 June 2025. This guide pulls together the essential dates, the clubs that have never tasted relegation, and answers to the questions supporters ask most.

Season chronology: 34th Premier League season, 127th top-flight English season ·
Fixtures release date: 18 June 2025 ·
Start date: 16 August 2025 ·
End date: 24 May 2026 ·
Teams: 20 clubs competing

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact promotion and relegation spots (dependent on EFL outcomes) (Wikipedia)
  • Kick-off times subject to broadcast changes (Chelsea FC Official)
3Timeline signal
  • 18 June 2025 – fixture release (Premier League Official)
  • 15 August 2025 – opening match (ESPN)
  • 24 May 2026 – final matchday (Chelsea FC Official)
4What’s next
  • Premier League season in full swing (Wikipedia)
  • Relegation and Champions League spots to be decided (Wikipedia)

Six key facts sum up the 2025/26 season at a glance — from its serial number in Premier League history to the longest uninterrupted top-flight run.

Label Value
Season number 34th Premier League season (Wikipedia – season list)
Start date 16 August 2025 (Chelsea FC Official)
End date 24 May 2026 (Chelsea FC Official)
Fixtures announcement 18 June 2025 (Premier League Official)
Number of matches 380 (Premier League Official)
Longest top-flight streak Everton (since 1954) (Wikipedia – Premier League records)
Why this matters

For fans of newly promoted clubs, the 2025/26 season represents the chance to end a top-flight drought — but the team they’re chasing is Everton, who haven’t left the top division since Queen Elizabeth II was still in her first decade on the throne.

What date does the Premier League start on 2025-26?

The 2025–26 Premier League season officially kicked off with a Friday night match on 15 August 2025 — Liverpool vs AFC Bournemouth at Anfield (ESPN – fixture details). That opening weekend (16–18 August) saw all 20 teams in action for the first time. The season will conclude on 24 May 2026, with all final-day matches kicking off simultaneously (Chelsea FC Official).

When is the 2025/26 Premier League opening weekend?

The first full round of matches takes place over the weekend of 16–17 August 2025. The Premier League has scheduled five midweek rounds and 33 weekend rounds across the season (Wikipedia – season structure). The season ends before national teams submit their squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Chelsea FC Official).

What is the exact start date of the 2025-26 season?

The exact start date is 15 August 2025 (Friday night match) and the main round begins on Saturday 16 August. The season is scheduled to run for approximately 42 weeks, ending on 24 May 2026 (Chelsea FC Official).

The upshot

For broadcasters and fantasy managers, the late August start means the season will run deep into May — and the final day’s simultaneous kick-offs preserve the drama that decides titles, European places and relegation.

What date are the Premier League fixtures announced?

All 380 fixtures for the 2025/26 season were released on 18 June 2025 at 9am UK time (Chelsea FC Official). The Premier League typically announces the full schedule in mid-June, after the end of domestic cup finals and after promotion and relegation are settled. The release date was confirmed by the league early in 2025 (Premier League Official – all fixtures).

When are the Premier League 2025/26 fixtures released?

Already done – 18 June 2025. The full schedule is available on the official Premier League website and across sports media (ESPN – full list).

How are fixture release dates confirmed?

The Premier League coordinates with broadcast partners (Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime Video) to allocate matches for live coverage before publishing the full slate. Kick-off times remain subject to change due to TV selections (Chelsea FC Official).

The pattern: June is the month when fans start planning their autumn weekends — the fixture release gives shape to the entire season ahead for all 20 clubs.

Which team has been in top flight the longest?

Everton currently hold the longest uninterrupted top-flight membership, having been in the English top division continuously since 1954 (Wikipedia – Premier League records). Arsenal have the longest overall continuous top-flight presence, having remained in the top flight since 1919 (Wikipedia – Arsenal history).

Which Premier League clubs have never been relegated?

Five clubs have never been relegated from the Premier League since its formation in 1992: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur (Wikipedia – unrelegated clubs). Additionally, only six clubs have never been relegated from the English top flight since the Football League began in 1888: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur. (Note: Chelsea and Tottenham both dropped out in the early 1900s but have been ever-presents in the Premier League era.)

What is the longest continuous top-flight streak?

Everton’s continuous top-flight membership, which began in 1954, is the longest among English clubs (Wikipedia – Everton history). The Toffees will extend that run to 73 consecutive seasons by the end of 2025/26.

Which team has never been relegated?

In the Premier League era (since 1992), only six clubs have never been relegated: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur (Wikipedia – unrelegated clubs list). That elite group is likely to remain intact for 2025/26 unless one of those clubs finishes in the bottom three.

Which Premier League clubs have never been relegated from the top division?

More broadly, since the Football League began in 1888, only six clubs have never been relegated from the top division: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur (Wikipedia – all-time English top flight).

How many teams have never been relegated from the English top flight?

Exactly six clubs. The next closest are Aston Villa and Manchester City (who have both been relegated multiple times historically).

Who are the big 4 in the Premier League?

The traditional “big four” — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United — dominated Champions League qualification during the 2000s (Wikipedia – Premier League history). Manchester City’s rise from 2009 onwards broke that group, and today the “big six” is more commonly used, adding City and Tottenham.

Which teams are considered the ‘big four’?

Historically, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. The term was cemented when those four clubs finished in the top four for five consecutive seasons (2003–04 to 2008–09).

How has the big four changed over time?

Manchester City’s takeover in 2008 and subsequent dominance shifted the landscape. The “big four” became the “big six” by the mid-2010s, with Tottenham Hotspur also regularly competing in the Champions League. For 2025/26, the top four is likely to be contested among the same six clubs, plus potentially Newcastle United (Wikipedia – competitive balance).

What is the 3pm rule in the Premier League?

The 3pm rule prohibits live television broadcasts of Premier League matches on Saturday between 14:45 and 17:15 UK time (Chelsea FC Official – broadcast policy). The rule, in place since the 1960s, aims to protect attendances at lower-league and non-league matches.

Why is there a 3pm TV blackout in UK?

The blackout is designed to encourage fans to attend matches at their local clubs rather than stay home and watch televised top-flight games. It’s written into the UK’s broadcasting code for football.

Does the 3pm rule apply to the 2025/26 season?

Yes. The rule remains in effect for the 2025/26 season. It applies only within the United Kingdom; overseas broadcasters are unaffected. The Premier League has no plans to change it.

Which team has beaten all 91 teams?

Port Vale holds the unique record of having defeated all 91 teams they have ever faced in the Football League (including all current Premier League opponents at some point) (Wikipedia – Port Vale record). No Premier League club has achieved a 100% win record against every team they have played.

Which English club has defeated every other team in league history?

Only Port Vale. The claim relates to their League history, not top-flight football. For Premier League clubs, Arsenal and Manchester United have come closest, but neither has beaten all 91 Football League opponents.

Does any Premier League club have a 100% win record against all opponents?

No. Every current Premier League club has lost to at least one club they have faced in league competition.

The catch

Port Vale’s feat is a niche historical trivia point — it’s often misattributed to a Premier League club. Fans of the current “big six” should check the fine print: none of them can claim to have beaten every team they’ve ever faced.

Additional sources

premierleague.com, youtube.com, groundhopperguides.com, skysports.com

For a complete breakdown of every match, check the full fixture schedule for 2025/26 released in June 2025.

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Frequently asked questions

How many teams are in the Premier League 2025/26 season?

20 clubs will compete. The 2025/26 season is the 34th edition of the Premier League, with promotion and relegation to and from the Championship as usual (Wikipedia).

Where can I watch Premier League matches in the UK during the 2025/26 season?

Live broadcast rights are held by Sky Sports, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport), and Amazon Prime Video. Some matches are also available on BBC Sport (highlights) and on the official Premier League app (Premier League Official).

What is the format of the Premier League season?

A double round-robin tournament: each team plays every other team twice (home and away), resulting in 380 matches. Three points for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss. The team with the most points at the end wins the league (Wikipedia).

How does promotion and relegation work for the 2025/26 season?

The bottom three teams in the Premier League at the end of the season are relegated to the Championship. The top two teams from the Championship gain automatic promotion, and the winners of the Championship play-off (positions 3–6) earn the third promotion spot (Wikipedia).

When are the Champions League spots awarded in the Premier League?

The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 2026/27 season. The fifth-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Europa League (Wikipedia).

What is the prize money for winning the Premier League 2025/26?

Prize money is not officially confirmed until after the season, but recent champions have received around £50–60 million in prize money plus additional revenue from TV appearances and merit payments. Exact figures will be announced by the league in due course.

Who decides the Premier League fixture list?

The fixture schedule is generated by a computer algorithm managed by the Premier League in consultation with broadcasters, police, and clubs. Key constraints include no two clubs from the same city playing at home on the same day and managing European match schedules (Premier League Official).

Related reading: When Is the World Cup 2026? · Nottingham Forest vs Everton F.C. Stats