Reports of Arsenal’s pre-season plans have changed slightly, with the Gunners set for a trip to Spain after players initially return to training at London Colney.
Various reports initially suggested that Arsenal would kick off their pre-season preparations with a warm-weather training camp in Spain, followed by a return to London Colney for the official start to pre-season.
Yet Arsenal Fixture News now reports that the Arsenal first team will in fact head to La Manga as an official part of pre-season training, after the players first return to London Colney.
The camp will last for five days, with no public friendlies planned. But despite the lack of fixtures, this isn’t an unofficial camp, like the trip to Spain in 2024 was.
Charles Watts broke the news last week that Arsenal also intend to add an Emirates Cup fixtures against Athletic Club to the calendar, the week before the Premier League season gets underway.
Though Watts added that the full details are still to be confirmed, that would likely mean the game takes place on either August 9th or 10th.
The exact date will depend on the Community Shield, as Arsenal won’t want to organise the Emirates Cup on the same day as that fixture, and there’s an expectation of a second unconfirmed pre-season friendly at the Emirates earlier that week.
2025/26 pre-season schedule
- First week of July – Pre-season officially begins
- Early July – Warm-weather training camp in Spain
- July 23rd – Arsenal vs AC Milan – National Stadium, Singapore
- July 25th – Open training session in Singapore
- July 27th – Arsenal vs Newcastle United – National Stadium, Singapore
- July 31st – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur – Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong
- August 5/6th – Possible Emirates Stadium friendly
- August 9th/10th – Arsenal vs Athletic Club – Emirates Stadium
- August 17th – Arsenal’s Premier League campaign kicks off
Fixtures/events listed in bold have been officially confirmed by Arsenal