The 2025-26 Premier League season is in full swing, bringing a mix of surprise packages, significant managerial changes, and a constant battle for supremacy between domestic and international football. This season also marks the beginning of a major shift in the football calendar, all building towards the 2026 World Cup. Here’s everything you need to know about the current state of play.
📅 The 2025-26 Premier League at a Glance
The current campaign, which runs from August 15, 2025, to May 24, 2026, is the 34th season of the Premier League . The promoted clubs—Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland—have returned to the top flight, with Sunderland reigniting the Tyne-Wear derby for the first time since the 2015-16 season .
🏟️ Club Spotlights: Triumphs and Turmoil
The season has already delivered plenty of drama, from a reshuffled managerial merry-go-round to promoted teams making their mark.
- 👑 The Title Race: As expected, the title race is fiercely competitive. Arsenal leads the pack with the league's best defense, while defending champions Liverpool remain just one point behind despite an offensive rebuild . Manchester City, while still a top side, has shown some vulnerability .
- 🔄 Managerial Instability: The season has seen early managerial changes. Nottingham Forest sacked Nuno Espírito Santo on September 9th and swiftly replaced him with former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou . Just weeks later, West Ham United dismissed Graham Potter after a poor start and appointed the recently sacked Nuno Espírito Santo on the same day .
- 📈 Promoted Teams' Mixed Fortunes: The three promoted teams have had varying degrees of success. Sunderland has adapted well to the top flight, sitting in a comfortable 9th place . Leeds United and Burnley, however, find themselves in 15th and 18th place respectively, with Burnley facing an early battle against relegation .
- 🌊 Manchester United's Transition: Under new manager Ruben Amorim, Manchester United's season has been inconsistent. They are currently in 10th place and were shockingly eliminated from the EFL Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town . This is also the first season since 2014-15 that the club is not participating in any European competition .
- 🔴 Liverpool's New Era: Under head coach Arne Slot, Liverpool remains a dominant force in the title race . The season is notable for being the first without key players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz, and it was tragically marked by the death of Diogo Jota in a car accident, leading to the retirement of his number 20 shirt . The club also broke the British transfer record to sign striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United .
🌍 Navigating the 2025-26 Football Calendar
The club season must carefully weave through several international breaks where domestic football pauses.
- 🥅 Upcoming Domestic & European Fixtures: The league schedule is packed with 33 weekend and five midweek rounds . Fixtures are frequently adjusted for television broadcast and to accommodate European competitions like the Champions League and Europa League .
- 🌍 International Breaks for the 2025-26 Season: The season is punctuated by breaks for national team matches . Key remaining windows for men's football are:
- October 6–14, 2025
- November 10–18, 2025
- 🔄 A Major Calendar Change is Coming: Starting in 2026, the international calendar will see a significant change. The September and October breaks will be merged into a single, longer break from September 21 to October 6, 2026, during which national teams will play four matches instead of two . This change, approved to reduce long-distance travel for players and condense the schedule ahead of the 2026 World Cup, means there will be no separate October international break from 2026 onward .
🏆 England's European Contingent
For the first time, the UEFA Champions League features six English clubs . The teams competing in Europe's premier club competition are:
- Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United .
The 2025-26 Champions League season, the first with a full 36-team league phase, will conclude with the final at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, on May 30, 2026 .
