The 2026/27 season will get underway this week, and we’ll look to retain our title for the first time since 1935 after last season’s incredible success.
But before we get underway on Friday night, what has changed since Martin Odegaard lifted the trophy into the Selhurst Park sky back in August? Here we’ve run through the key changes that will make an instant difference in the division:
THE NEW BOYS
We’ll kick off the Premier League campaign by welcoming Championship winners Coventry City to Emirates Stadium on Friday night, marking their first top-flight game since 2001. They dropped as far as League Two by 2017, but have battled back through the Football League, and last season Frank Lampard guided them back to English football’s top table.
Ipswich Town finished runners-up behind the Sky Blues to take the second automatic promotion place, bouncing back at the first time of asking after being demoted in 2024/25. However the mastermind of both their recent promotions – Kieran McKenna – left his post in the summer, with Gary O’Neill taking the Tractor Boys’ reins.
The Championship play-off final was won by Hull City, thanks to Ollie McBurnie’s 95th-minute winner to beat Middlesbrough 1-0. Managed by Bosnian boss Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers are back in the big time for the first time since 2017 and start by hosting Manchester United at the MKM Stadium.
MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
Incredibly, heading into the opening weekend, nine new managers are waiting to get their tenures up and running. Following Pep Guardiola’s resignation at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta is now the longest-serving boss in England’s top four tiers, with Enzo Maresca stepping in to fill Guardiola’s shoes.
Former Liverpool players Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeola return to the Premier League in west London as Chelsea and Fulham’s new managers, having both overseen Real Madrid last term, while Andoni Iraola left Bournemouth for Liverpool, with the Cherries replacing him with Marco Rose.
Fellow German Matthias Jaissle has filled Eddie Howe’s void at Newcastle United, while Oliver Glasner swapped Crystal Palace for Nottingham Forest. The Eagles swooped for Lens’ Pierre Sage, while O’Neil’s top-flight experience saw him become the top candidate for the Ipswich job.
RULES ARE RULES
IFAB, the organisation that oversees the Laws of the Game, has made some rule changes that will be evident in the Premier League. To reduce time-wasting, when a physio treats an injured player, they will now be required to leave the pitch for at least one minute, up from 30 seconds. Meanwhile, to curtail tactical timeouts, if the game is stopped for a goalkeeping injury, a nominated outfield player will instead spend a minute off the pitch.
Teams will have five seconds to take throw-ins (except long throws) and goal-kicks if they’re spotted to be dallying, and if the time limit is exceeded, a throw-in will be given to the opposing team, or a corner awarded at a goal-kick. A 10-second time limit will also be imposed for players being subbed off, which, if exceeded, means the substitute cannot enter until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed.
VAR can now be used to check the decision leading to a player receiving a second yellow card, but won’t check for incorrectly awarded corners. However, at set pieces, VAR can review whether a foul was committed before the delivery comes in and leads to a goal, penalty or card and order a retake if so. Red cards for players covering their mouths have not been adopted by the Premier League.
REFEREEING REVAMP
This season, we may see a host of fresh faces overseeing matches. That’s because referees for Premier League fixtures will be selected from the new Professional Referee Group, which will provide officials for both the Premier League and the Championship. The group includes 39 referees in total, with a good percentage having never handled a top-flight game before.
That list doesn’t include Anthony Taylor, who called time on his 16-year stint overseeing Premier League games this summer. Meanwhile, trailblazing assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis has also retired.
Officials’ decisions will be more transparent this season too, with the full judgements made by the Key Match Incidents Panel shared with supporters for the first time, direct quotes from officials when making their decisions published on the Premier League’s Match Centre, and audio included alongside RefCam when used.
