Arsenal pre-season fixtures: Schedule, how to watch and kickoff times

For the first time since 2004, Arsenal go into a new pre-season as Premier League champions, having snapped a torturous 22-year wait for another top-flight title in the 2025-26 campaign under Mikel Arteta's tutelage.

The Gunners finished further ahead of Manchester City than several expected - opening up a seven-point gap on the final day of the Premier League season - and sporting director Andrea Berta is not resting on his laurels this summer.

With Manchester City snapping up Elliot Anderson, Liverpool hiring Andoni Iraola and Tottenham Hotspur splashing the cash like never before, Arsenal have quite the fight on their hands to win back-to-back Premier League crowns for the first time ever, although the World Cup will impact most teams' preparations.

Unlike in 2025, no summer tour of the Far East is in the Arsenal diary, but Arteta's men will still test their mettle against an array of opponents before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16.

Here, Sports Mole runs through everything you need to know about Arsenal's 2026-27 pre-season.

Who are Arsenal playing in pre-season?

As of July 5, 2026, Arsenal have announced four pre-season fixtures, the first of which will see the Gunners travel to Spain to take on La Liga side Girona on August 1.

Arteta's men memorably met Girona during the league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League, in which Ethan Nwaneri scored a stunning left-footed winner in a 2-1 victory after Jorginho's penalty and Arnaut Danjuma's opener.

Four days later, Arsenal make the trek to Dublin for a battle with Real Betis, before hosting Borussia Dortmund in the latest edition of the annual Emirates Cup.

The Premier League champions are bidding to win the friendly competition for the fifth year running, after defeating Athletic Bilbao in 2025 following previous triumphs over Lyon (2024), Monaco (2023) and Sevilla (2022).

Arsenal's fourth and final official pre-season fixture will also be held at the Emirates, and will see the Gunners take on Como - led by former wonderkid Cesc Fabregas - on August 12.

Arteta's men are also likely to play at least one behind-closed-doors friendly, but announcements on these fixtures may not be communicated ahead of time.

How can I watch Arsenal's pre-season fixtures?

Arsenal have not officially confirmed how supporters can watch pre-season matches, but games are expected to be shown on pay-per-view on arsenal.com, as has been the case in previous years.

In 2025, Arsenal fans could pay £14.99 for access to all pre-season games, or £4.99 for individual games.

Who will play for Arsenal in pre-season?

© Iconsport / Adam Gee/News Images/Sipa USA

Arsenal's clash with Girona on August 1 comes a little under two weeks after the World Cup final on July 19, so any Gunners competing in the global showpiece will not be available until the latter stages of pre-season.

However, a handful of Arteta's men have already bowed out, including Germany's Kai Havertz, Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres and Ecuador's Piero Hincapie, all of whom should be available for the opening of pre-season following their holidays.

Young Gunners will also have the chance to shine this summer - just as Max Dowman did in 2025 - and the 16-year-old will be expected to play another prominent role in Arsenal's pre-season games.

Marli Salmon, Jaden Dixon and Andre Harriman-Annous are likely to earn valuable minutes too, as might Ethan Nwaneri following the conclusion of a disappointing loan spell with Marseille.