Nine New Managers, Three Promoted Clubs: What to Know for the 2026/27 Premier League Season
A record managerial turnover, three promoted sides and a champion chasing history — here's what's changed ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
Arsenal chase back-to-back history
Arsenal enter the new campaign as champions, having ended a 22-year wait for the title last season by edging out Manchester City at the top of the table. That made them the third club in as many seasons to lift the trophy, after Manchester City's win in 2023/24 and Liverpool's the year after.
Only three clubs have retained the Premier League title since the competition began in 1992: Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. Arsenal are aiming to become the fourth.
Three promoted clubs, one historic return
Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town go up from the Championship this season, taking the places of Burnley, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, all three of whom dropped down.
Coventry's promotion is a particularly notable one — it's their first season back in the Premier League since 2000/01, following 25 years outside the top flight that included a spell in League Two.
Both of last season's promoted clubs stuck around comfortably: Leeds finished the season eight points clear of trouble, and Sunderland went one better, finishing seventh and booking a spot in Europe.
A record managerial turnover
Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs enter the season with a new manager — a record number of changes in a single off-season. The nine are Marco Rose (Bournemouth), Xabi Alonso (Chelsea), Pierre Sage (Crystal Palace), Alvaro Arbeloa (Fulham), Gary O'Neil (Ipswich), Andoni Iraola (Liverpool), Enzo Maresca (Manchester City), Matthias Jaissle (Newcastle United) and Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest).
Two more clubs enter their manager's first full season in charge after mid-campaign appointments last season: Michael Carrick at Manchester United and Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur.
Format and what's at stake
The format is unchanged: 20 clubs each play 38 matches, with three points for a win and one for a draw. The bottom three are relegated to the Championship.
There's no standalone prize fund for the title. Where a club finishes instead sets its cut of the league's shared "central payments," on a sliding scale running from 20 times the base merit payment for the champions down to a single share for whoever finishes bottom. The champions also earn a place in the UEFA Champions League and a spot in the FA Community Shield against the FA Cup winners.