2025–26 Premier League
Football season in England
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The 2025–26 Premier League was the 34th season of the Premier League and the 127th season of top-flight English football. The fixtures were released on 18 June 2025.[1] The season consisted of 33 weekend and five midweek rounds of matches.
4th Premier League title
14th English title
Arsenal being crowned champions on 24 May 2026 | |
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 August 2025 – 24 May 2026 |
| Champions | Arsenal 4th Premier League title 14th English title |
| Relegated | West Ham United Burnley Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Champions League | Arsenal Manchester City Manchester United Aston Villa Liverpool |
| Europa League | Bournemouth Sunderland Crystal Palace (as Conference League winners) |
| Conference League | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Matches | 380 |
| Goals | 1,045 (2.75 per match) |
| Best Player | Bruno Fernandes |
| Top goalscorer | Erling Haaland (27 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | David Raya (19 clean sheets) |
| Biggest home win | Arsenal 5–0 Leeds United (23 August 2025) |
| Biggest away win | Sunderland 0–5 Nottingham Forest (24 April 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Fulham 4–5 Manchester City (2 December 2025) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches Aston Villa |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Bournemouth |
| Longest winless run | 19 matches Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Longest losing run | 11 matches Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Highest attendance | 74,257 Manchester United 3–2 Burnley (30 August 2025) |
| Lowest attendance | 10,762 Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley (20 December 2025) |
| Total attendance | 15,748,514 |
| Average attendance | 41,663 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 → | |
Liverpool were the defending champions, but were unable to defend their title, with Arsenal winning their fourth Premier League title and 14th English title with one match to spare, ending their 22-year Premier League drought since they last won in 2004, following Manchester City's 1–1 draw away against Bournemouth on 19 May 2026.[2]
This was the first season to feature the Tyne–Wear derby in the Premier League since the 2015–16 season, following Sunderland's promotion via the Championship play-offs.
The summer transfer window opened on 16 June 2025 and closed at 19:00 BST on 1 September 2025.[3] The winter window opened on 1 January 2026 and closed at 19:00 GMT on 2 February 2026.
Summary
Title race
The early pace-setters were Liverpool, who won their first five games and spent nearly all of August and September combined on top of the Premier League table.[4] However, Arsenal went top of the table on 4 October after a 2–0 win over West Ham United was followed on the same day by a 2–1 defeat for Liverpool against Chelsea; they would remain virtually top for the rest of the season,[5] leading the table for a total of 238 days.[6] Their lead from Manchester City fluctuated and at one point on 22 April, City were ahead of Arsenal on goals scored.[5] However, Arsenal won their next four games and with City's draws at Everton on 4 May and Bournemouth on 19 May, they were crowned champions with one game to spare.[2]
On 24 May, Arsenal were presented with the Premier League trophy after a 2–1 away win against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.[7]
European places
Nine clubs will play in European competition next season.[8][9] The Premier League will have their usual four UEFA Champions League places plus a fifth place due to the European Performance Spot (EPS), awarded to the two best performing associations from the previous season; Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa all confirmed their places with games to spare, and the fifth place went to Liverpool on the last day of the season.[10] Since the FA Cup and EFL Cup winners Manchester City qualified for the Champions League and with the sixth place team qualifying for the UEFA Europa League through the league route, their Europa League place went to the seventh place team and their UEFA Conference League place was given to the eighth place team.[8] Aston Villa won the Europa League final on 20 May, but as they finished fourth on the final day, instead of a sixth place in the Champions League being awarded to the Premier League, the access list was rebalanced and Sporting Lisbon were given the spot in the league phase instead.[8] Sixth-placed Bournemouth alongside seventh-placed Sunderland qualified for the Europa League while Brighton finished eighth and qualified for the UEFA Conference League play-off round.[10] Crystal Palace also gained a Europa League place as the winners of the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on 27 May.[11]
Relegation
Wolverhampton Wanderers became the first team to be relegated to the EFL Championship on 20 April 2026, after a goalless draw between West Ham United and Crystal Palace combined with their 3–0 loss away to Leeds United two days previously.[12] This ended an eight-year stay in the Premier League,[12] and also meant that this would be the first time since the 2022–23 season where at least one promoted club avoided immediate relegation, after all three of the promoted teams went straight back down in 2023–24 and 2024–25.[13][14]
Burnley became the second team to be relegated to the EFL Championship on 22 April 2026 following their 1–0 loss at home to Manchester City.[15]
The last relegation spot was decided on the final day of the season between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs having a two point advantage. West Ham defeated Leeds United 3–0 in their last match, but due to Tottenham also beating Everton, West Ham became the third team to be relegated.[16] This was the first season since 2010–11 that a club was relegated with as many as 39 points.[17]
Promoted clubs
Following a 1–1 draw against already relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 May, Sunderland became mathematically safe from relegation.[18] Leeds United's safety was secured following a 1–0 win for Arsenal against West Ham United on 10 May.[19] Sunderland and Leeds were the first promoted clubs to avoid relegation since the 2022–23 season.[13] Sunderland finished the season in seventh, a joint best for a newly promoted side alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2018–19 season, and with 54 points, the most since Leeds United's 59 in the 2020–21 season.[20] This is also the third time Sunderland finished the season in seventh with over 50 points, following the 1999–2000 season and the 2000–01 season finishing with 58 and 57 points respectively.
Developments
This was the first full season with semi-automated offside technology in use, following its introduction during the previous season on 12 April 2025.[21][22]
Puma also replaced Nike as the official match ball supplier, ending a 25-year partnership between the Premier League and Nike, from the 2000–01 season to the 2024–25 season.[23][24][25][26] Ref-cam technology also appeared in selected matches during its opening round with a view to making the new technology a permanent feature of live TV games for the rest of the season.[27]
Teams
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and three promoted from the Championship. The promoted teams were Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland, returning to the top flight after absences of two, one, and eight years, respectively. They replaced Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton, who were all relegated to the Championship after one year in the top flight. This marked the second consecutive season, and only the third time in Premier League history, in which all three promoted teams were relegated after just one season.[14]
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order. Data source:[28]
For the 2025–26 season, the combined stadium capacity of the 20 Premier League clubs is 846,049, with an average of 42,302.[28] This was the first season Everton played at their new stadium, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, following their move from Goodison Park.[29]
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur |  Ange Postecoglou |
Sacked | 6 June 2025[107] | Pre-season |  Thomas Frank |
12 June 2025[108] |
| Brentford | Thomas Frank |
Signed by Tottenham Hotspur | 12 June 2025[109] |  Keith Andrews |
27 June 2025[110] | |
| Nottingham Forest |  Nuno Espírito Santo |
Sacked | 8 September 2025[111] | 10th | Ange Postecoglou |
9 September 2025[112] |
| West Ham United |  Graham Potter |
27 September 2025[113] | 19th | Nuno Espírito Santo |
27 September 2025[114] | |
| Nottingham Forest | Ange Postecoglou |
18 October 2025[115] | 18th | Sean Dyche |
21 October 2025[116] | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Vítor Pereira |
2 November 2025[117] | 20th |  Rob Edwards |
12 November 2025[118] | |
| Chelsea |  Enzo Maresca |
Mutual consent | 1 January 2026[119] | 5th | Liam Rosenior |
8 January 2026[120] |
| Manchester United | Ruben Amorim |
Sacked | 5 January 2026[121] | 6th | Michael Carrick |
13 January 2026[122] |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Thomas Frank |
11 February 2026[123] | 16th |  Igor Tudor |
14 February 2026[124] | |
| Nottingham Forest | Sean Dyche |
12 February 2026[125] | 17th | Vítor Pereira |
15 February 2026[126] | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Igor Tudor |
Mutual consent | 29 March 2026[127] | Roberto De Zerbi |
31 March 2026[128] | |
| Chelsea | Liam Rosenior |
Sacked | 22 April 2026[129] | 7th | Calum McFarlane (interim) |
22 April 2026[129] |
| Burnley | Scott Parker |
Mutual consent | 30 April 2026[130] | 19th | Mike Jackson (interim) |
30 April 2026[130] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 38 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 71 | 27 | +44 | 85 | Qualification for the Champions League league phase[a] |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 77 | 35 | +42 | 78 | |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 71 | |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 56 | 49 | +7 | 65 | |
| 5 | Liverpool | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 60 | |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 38 | 13 | 18 | 7 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 57 | Qualification for the Europa League league phase[b] |
| 7 | Sunderland | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 54 | |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 53 | Qualification for the Conference League play-off round[b] |
| 9 | Brentford | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 53 | |
| 10 | Chelsea | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 52 | |
| 11 | Fulham | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 52 | |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 53 | 55 | −2 | 49 | |
| 13 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 49 | |
| 14 | Leeds United | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 49 | 56 | −7 | 47 | |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 45 | Qualification for the Europa League league phase[c] |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 44 | |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 48 | 57 | −9 | 41 | |
| 18 | West Ham United (R) | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 39 | Relegation to EFL Championship |
| 19 | Burnley (R) | 38 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 38 | 75 | −37 | 22 | |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (R) | 38 | 3 | 11 | 24 | 27 | 68 | −41 | 20 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs[132]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- The Premier League gained an additional Champions League place as a result of England gaining one of the two European Performance Spots (EPS) awarded to the two associations with the highest UEFA coefficient points in 2025–26.[131]
- Since the winners of the 2025–26 FA Cup and 2025–26 EFL Cup, Manchester City, qualified for the Champions League by league position, the spot reserved for the FA Cup winners (Europa League league phase) was passed to the seventh-placed team, and the spot reserved for the EFL Cup winners (Conference League play-off round) was passed to the eighth-placed team.
- Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League league phase as the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League winners.
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[133] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Erling Haaland |
Manchester City | 27 |
| 2 |  Igor Thiago |
Brentford | 22 |
| 3 |  Antoine Semenyo |
Bournemouth / Manchester City | 17 |
| 4 | Ollie Watkins |
Aston Villa | 16 |
| 5 | Morgan Gibbs-White |
Nottingham Forest | 15 |
| João Pedro |
Chelsea | ||
| 7 | Dominic Calvert-Lewin |
Leeds United | 14 |
 Viktor Gyökeres |
Arsenal | ||
| 9 |  Eli Junior Kroupi |
Bournemouth | 13 |
| Danny Welbeck |
Brighton & Hove Albion |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean-Philippe Mateta |
Crystal Palace | Bournemouth | 3–3 (H)[134] | 18 October 2025 |
| Eberechi Eze |
Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–1 (H)[135] | 23 November 2025 |
 Kevin Schade |
Brentford | Bournemouth | 4–1 (H)[136] | 27 December 2025 |
| Igor Thiago |
Everton | 4–2 (A)[137] | 4 January 2026 | |
| Cole Palmer |
Chelsea | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3–1 (A)[138] | 7 February 2026 |
| João Pedro |
Aston Villa | 4–1 (A)[139] | 4 March 2026 | |
| Morgan Gibbs-White |
Nottingham Forest | Burnley | 4–1 (H)[140] | 19 April 2026 |
Clean sheets
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| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[141] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  David Raya |
Arsenal | 19 |
| 2 | Gianluigi Donnarumma |
Manchester City | 15 |
| 3 | Dean Henderson |
Crystal Palace | 11 |
 Đorđe Petrović |
Bournemouth | ||
| Jordan Pickford |
Everton | ||
| 6 | Caoimhín Kelleher |
Brentford | 10 |
 Robin Roefs |
Sunderland | ||
| Bart Verbruggen |
Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 9 | Bernd Leno |
Fulham | 9 |
| Robert Sánchez |
Chelsea |
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 12[142]
André (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
James Garner (Everton)
- Most red cards: 2[143]
Wesley Fofana (Chelsea)
Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
Club
- Most yellow cards: 99[144]
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Fewest yellow cards: 51[144]
- Arsenal
- Most red cards: 8[145]
- Chelsea
- Fewest red cards: 0[145]
- Arsenal
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- Manchester City
Awards
Monthly awards
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League Manager of the Season[182] | Mikel Arteta |
Arsenal |
| Premier League Player of the Season[183] | Bruno Fernandes |
Manchester United |
| Premier League Young Player of the Season[184] | Nico O'Reilly |
Manchester City |
| Premier League Goal of the Season[185] | Harrison Reed |
Fulham |
| Premier League Most Powerful Goal |  |
|
| Premier League Save of the Season[186] | Jordan Pickford |
Everton |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | |
|
| PFA Young Player of the Year | |
|
| FWA Footballer of the Year[187] | Bruno Fernandes |
Manchester United |