Arsenal’s pre-season plans are taking shape, with three fixtures confirmed and an Emirates Cup game against Athletic Club now in the works.
Charles Watts reports that Arsenal are planning to host Athletic Club in this summer’s Emirates Cup, the week before the Premier League season gets underway.
Though Watts adds 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.
The Arsenal squad are currently on their holidays, and Arsenal Fixture News reports that they’re officially set to return to pre-season training in the first week of July.
But the same source as well as Simon Collings of The Standard both report that there will be a short warm-weather training camp in Spain before that.
Arsenal did similar in 2024, holding an unofficial camp for a few players before pre-season got underway in earnest.
There’s also an expectation that the Gunners will play a second pre-season friendly at the Emirates, but nothing is confirmed on that front.
2025/26 pre-season schedule
- Late June – Warm-weather training camp in Spain
- First week of July – Pre-season officially begins
- 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