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Man City host Bournemouth in first match without Guardiola as Premier League returns

Man City host Bournemouth in first match without Guardiola as Premier League returns

Hull City, freshly promoted to the top tier, must confront Manchester United straight away, while Manchester City begin their first Premier League campaign without Pep Guardiola at the helm when they welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium

The 2026/27 Premier League season begins this weekend with all clubs competing across four days from Friday 21 August through to Monday 24 August, as Arsenal launch their title defence in the curtain-raiser against Coventry City, winners of the Championship under Frank Lampard

Hull City face a baptism of fire in the form of Manchester United, and Manchester City commence life after Pep Guardiola by entertaining Bournemouth. The summer transfer window has brought substantial upheaval, with numerous prominent players seeking new challenges and nine managers preparing for their inaugural top-flight encounters with their respective clubs

Matthias Jaissle and Andoni Iraola will lock horns as Newcastle United and Liverpool bosses respectively, while Enzo Maresca will be seeking a commanding response from his Manchester City side following their 3-0 Community Shield reversal against Arsenal. A West London showdown also awaits as Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea make the brief journey to Fulham

With ten matches scheduled across the opening weekend, here is how to follow the Premier League on television and the complete fixture list

Sky Sports continues as the Premier League’s primary UK broadcaster, showing at least 215 live matches throughout the season. In total, approximately 1,500 games spanning the Premier League, EFL, Carabao Cup and various other competitions will be available via their television and digital services

Viewers require a Sky TV subscription alongside a sports package to access Sky’s coverage, priced from £35 per month for the Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle. This new customer offer provides comprehensive access to the Premier League, EFL, Formula 1, darts and golf, representing a £384 saving against the standard price of £51

The package includes approximately 100 standard channels along with complimentary Netflix Standard with Ads and discovery+ subscriptions. Alternatively, the £44 Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle provides all the above plus free Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu memberships

Sky’s Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle offers at least 215 live Premier League matches throughout the 2026/27 season, alongside more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus Formula 1, golf and darts

This promotional pricing delivers a £384 reduction compared to the standard cost, with every package also including 100 regular channels alongside free Netflix and discovery+ access

Making its first appearance this season is Your Multiview, Sky’s innovative feature launching on 21 August, enabling supporters to follow up to four live Sky Sports events simultaneously on one screen. A newly designed Sports Hub is also being introduced, presenting scores, statistics, league standings and supplementary information alongside live broadcasts

Existing Sky customers can add Sky Sports channels for £22 per month on a fresh 24-month contract. Sky Sports channels are also included in various Virgin Media packages, with numerous discounts available through the provider’s ‘Summer of Sport’ promotion

The flagship Sport bundle has returned to its ‘lowest ever price’ of £52.99, reduced from £56.99, and incorporates nine Sky Sports channels, over 200 standard channels and complimentary Netflix access. Both Sky and Virgin subscribers should note that prices typically increase around March and April each year

Selected Premier League fixtures will also be shown exclusively on TNT Sports, which generally holds the rights to one match per gameweek, beginning with Hull against Manchester United. TNT has also confirmed coverage of two complete rounds of midweek fixtures in February and March 2027

These matches can be watched on TNT Sports, HBO Max or Prime Video’s TNT Sports channel, with subscriptions starting at £25.99 per month when committing to a year, or £30.99 on a rolling monthly basis

Below is every Premier League fixture scheduled for the opening weekend

Friday 21 August

Arsenal versus Coventry City – 8pm kick-off, Sky Sports Premier League

Saturday 22 August

Hull City versus Manchester United – 12.30pm kick-off, TNT Sports

Everton versus Crystal Palace

Ipswich Town versus Sunderland

Nottingham Forest versus Leeds United

Brentford versus Tottenham Hotspur – 5.30pm kick-off, Sky Sports Premier League

Sunday 23 August

Brighton and Hove Albion versus Aston Villa – 2pm kick-off, Sky Sports Premier League

Manchester City versus AFC Bournemouth – 2pm kick-off, Sky Sports Main Event

Newcastle United versus Liverpool – 4.30pm kick-off, Sky Sports Main Event

Monday 24 August

Fulham versus Chelsea – 8pm kick-off, Sky Sports Premier League