 "Premier League 2025-26: Top five new players, title favourites, Matchday 1 schedule and live streaming")
The 2025-26 Premier League season gets underway with defending champions Liverpool facing Bournemouth in an emotional season-opener at The Anfield, the English top-flight strengthened by a remarkable £2 billion ($2.7 billion) spending splurge, a sizeable chunk of it spent by the Reds.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming season, from the key signings to watch out for and title favourites to Matchday 1 schedule and information on live streaming:
Top five new signings to watch out this season
Florian Wirtz, Liverpool: The biggest signing of the summer so far, joining Liverpool for a sum of £116 million ($157 million) from Bayer Leverkusen, the spotlight will firmly be on the German attacking midfielder and whether he can live up to his price tag or not. He did, however, impress in the Community Shield meeting with Crystal Palace at the Wembley, providing an assist to fellow new signing Hugo Ekitike early in the game.
Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool: It took under four minutes for Hugo Ekitike, who had joined the defending champions from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79 million ($107 million), to make an impact on Liverpool debut as he put the Reds in the lead with a superb strike. Like Wirtz, Ekitike too will have the spotlight on him this season, being the second-most expensive signing of the summer transfer window so far.
Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s side have opted for a complete overhaul in their attack as they desperately seek to return to European competition this season after their horrendous 15th-place finish in May. And the Portuguese manager will be hoping that Slovenian striker Sesko, who joins the Red Devils from RB Leipzig for £73.7 million (approximately $100 million) provides a towering presence at 6'5, makes a formidable trio with Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha up front.
Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal: The Gunners have had their eyes on the Swedish centre-forward, who is among the deadliest finishers in the world and has played a key role in each of Sporting CP’s title-winning campaigns in the last two Primeira Liga seasons. And after weeks of suspense, Mikel Arteta’s side finally acquired him for £63.5 million ($86.05 million) on a five-year contract on 27 July. Arteta will be hoping Gyokeres is able to carry that red-hot goal-scoring form over to England and help his side finally lift their first Premier League title since 2004.
Rayan Cherki (Manchester City): Cherki, who joins Man City for £34 million ($46 million), had created as many as 125 chances across competitions for Lyon last season, with only Barcelona’s Raphina and city rivals United’s Bruno Fernandes having bettered that tally. That alone should make the Frenchman among the new signings to keep an eye on this season.
Who are the title favourites in the 2025-26 Premier League?
Liverpool had clinched the Premier League last season with four matches to spare in Arne Slot’s maiden season in charge, and with their ambitious shopping in the summer transfer window, there’s no reason to believe that the Reds cannot win back-to-back titles for the first time in the Premier League era. Then again, one cannot leave Arsenal and Manchester City out of the conversation while discussing Premier League title favourites.
City have been the most dominant team in the English top-flight since legendary manager Alex Ferguson bid United goodbye in the summer of 2013, missing out on the title once twice since the 2017-18 season – getting thwarted by Liverpool on both occasions.
A key reason why they looked relatively off-colour last season was injury to key players, including and especially Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. And there’s no reason to believe Guardiola’s men can’t bounce back and win their 11th top-flight title this season.
As for the Gunners, Arteta certainly has transformed them into a formidable and consistent side with the 13-time English top-flight champions finishing runners-up in each of the last three seasons – twice to City and to Liverpool last season.
With a goal-scoring machine in striker Gyokeres in their ranks along with an elite holding midfielder in Martin Zubimendi – who joins from Real Sociedad for £60 million ($81 million), who’s to say Arteta cannot deliver his fans their first league title since the Invincibles’ triumph in 2003-04.
Matchday 1 Full schedule
Here’s the full schedule for Matchday 1 (timings in IST; home team mentioned first):
– Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Saturday, 16 August at 12.30 am)
– Aston Villa vs Newcastle (Saturday, 16 August at 5 pm)
– Brighton vs Fulham (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm)
– Sunderland vs West Ham (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm)
– Tottenham vs Burnley (Saturday, 16 August at 7.30 pm)
– Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City (Saturday, 16 August at 10 pm)
– Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (Sunday, 17 August at 6.30 pm)
– Nottingham Forest vs Brentford (Sunday, 17 August at 6.30 pm)
– Manchester United vs Arsenal (Sunday, 17 August at 9 pm)
– Leeds United vs Everton (Tuesday, 19 August at 12.30 am)
Where to watch Premier League on TV and online in India?
The Premier League will continue to be telecast on the Star Sports Network on television and will be streamed live on the JioHotstar website and mobile application.
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