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Inside Chelsea and Xabi Alonso’s 6-match preseason schedule ahead of 2026/27 season
22nd July, 2026 08:49 AM
With a month to the Premier League return for the 2026/27 season, English Premier League sides are busy bolstering their ranks as preparations for the new season take top gear.
Chelsea are set to embark on a new chapter under manager Xabi Alonso, who arrived at the club on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
The former Bayer Leverkusen coach is already in charge of the reigning World Champions’ preseason schedule. The Blues will feature in a six-match tour across Australia and Asia before returning to Stamford Bridge for a final home friendly ahead of their Premier League opener against Fulham on August 24, 2026.
Final pre-season friendly
On Tuesday, July 22, 2026, Chelsea confirmed that they will be hosting La Liga side Real Sociedad in their final pre-season match on Sunday, 15, 2026, at Stamford Bridge
This fixture will mark Xabi Alonso’s first match in charge at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea head coach, coming just nine days before his league bow.
The Blues kick off their pre-season tour in Australia at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, where they first face Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Australia tour
After the clash with the Australian outfit, the Blues will remain in Sydney; they take on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, August 1, in a high-profile friendly at the same venue.
Following the Australian leg, Chelsea travel to Asia for three fixtures in quick succession. They face Serie A giants Juventus on Wednesday, August 5,2026 at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong as part of the Hong Kong Football Festival.
From there, the team heads to Jakarta to play Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, before making a short trip to Malaysia to play Johor Darul Ta’zim at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
To wrap up their pre-season preparation, Chelsea return home to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, August 15, 2026, to host the Spanish side.
Alonso’s real test in the Premier League will arrive in the October run-ins when the former champions face a series of important league matches.
Premier league start
Chelsea will kick off the month’s engagement by welcoming AFC Bournemouth at the Bridge on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
The clash will set the tone for a gruelling series of encounters with a trip to Everton’s new stadium, Hill Dickinson, following a week later on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The World Champions will return home for back-to-back matches against a couple of top-six Premier League opposition.
Blues will first face Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on October 24, 2026, before hosting Michael Carrick’s Manchester United a week later on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
