Premier League 2026/27 fixtures

The Premier League released the full 2026/27 fixture list at 10:00 BST on Friday, June 19, 2026. The canonical source is premierleague.com/en/fixtures; mirrored by BBC, Sky Sports, and (once the FPL game opens in early July) the FPL bootstrap-static endpoint.

For the next 48 hours the search volume on "FPL best start 2026/27", "FPL opening fixtures", and "FDR 2026/27" peaks. The early read shapes how the public drafts — and the price-rises that follow.

Onside's opening-six FDR analysis + recommended target sides are in the per-club picks below. Captain shortlist, wildcard targets, and the 26/27 cheat sheet are linked at the foot of this page.

The first six gameweeks dictate your starting squad more than any other period. Players from teams with three or more easy fixtures in GW1-6 are the highest-EV picks for your draft, even before considering individual form or price.

Specifically: teams whose opening run averages an FDR of 2.5 or lower across the first six rounds become "target sides" — concentrate your premium-defender and budget-midfielder allocation there. Teams averaging 3.5+ become "fade sides" — even their elite attackers carry rotation risk if the opening week is a top-six clash away from home.

The structural lesson from every recent season: managers who nail their opening six fixtures rarely need a free transfer in the first month. Managers who get them wrong spend a hit by GW3 trying to course-correct. Free transfers banked early compound into wildcard timing later.

FDR is the 1-5 score Premier League and FPL publish for each fixture, where 1 is the easiest and 5 is the hardest. The score considers home/away venue and recent form, but does not perfectly reflect underlying numbers — most managers cross-reference FDR with xG-against, set-piece strength, and head-to-head history.

Onside's engine produces an enhanced FDR (eFDR) that overlays the official rating with our own xG, xGA, and team-strength model. The two ratings usually agree on the obvious matchups but diverge on borderline calls — especially when a newly-promoted side's underlying numbers haven't yet caught up with the official rating.

When the fixtures release, look first at the average FDR across the first six gameweeks for each team. Top-six sides typically average between 2.5 and 3.0 — that's the baseline. Teams below 2.5 are easy-run sides worth targeting. Teams above 3.5 are sides you want to fade until the schedule eases.

Run the off-season review while you wait. Look at our 2025/26 leaderboards (top scorers, assist leaders, clean-sheet kings) to identify the structural patterns that carry into 2026/27 — set-piece takers, penalty takers, and reliable attacking full-backs rarely change roles year-over-year.

Track summer transfers. Players who move clubs reset their fixture profile completely — a top scorer at a relegated side becomes a target asset at their new top-six destination. Conversely, a top-six attacker who leaves for a mid-table side often drops a tier in your draft.

Build a short-list of differentials. Last season's sub-5% breakout players who established starting roles often retain that status into the new season at a low price tag — these are the highest-EV picks because everyone else has forgotten them.

Within the first hour, identify the three teams with the kindest opening runs and the three teams with the harshest runs. These two clusters define your initial squad shape.

Within the first six hours, sketch a tentative starting XI: 1 premium GK from a top-six side with an easy GW1, 3-4 defenders from low-FDR sides, 4-5 midfielders weighted toward set-piece takers, and 2-3 forwards anchored by one true premium captaincy candidate.

Within 24 hours, run your draft against our Squad Builder and stress-test it against simulated GW1 fixtures. The first move after fixtures drop is to lock in your premium captain — by 48 hours after release, the public has caught up and prices on those players start rising.