Arsenal announce their 2026 Emirates Cup opponents

Arsenal have officially confirmed that they’ll face Borussia Dortmund in the 2026 edition of the Emirates Cup, with the game booked in for early August.

General view outside the stadium prior to the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 07, 2024 — Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Arsenal have announced that they’ll play a pre-season match against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, August 9th at 14:00 BST, with the game acting as this year’s Emirates Cup clash.

2026 will be the 15th edition of the Emirates Cup, and the game will take place following the previously-confirmed friendlies against Girona in Spain and Real Betis in Ireland.

Arsenal have also confirmed plans for a further pre-season match in the midweek after the Dortmund game, with details to be confirmed soon. Based on previous media reports, that’s likely to be against Cesc Fabregas’ Como 1907, at home on August 12th.

COMO, ITALY - OCTOBER 19: Como 1907 coach Cesc Fabregas celebrates the victory at the end of the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) — Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Tom Canton reported for Football.London this week that Arsenal were in talks over two pre-season friendlies against Borussia Dortmund and Como 1907, and that it was likely the games would take place between the Real Betis match and the Community Shield.

The first of those two has now been officially confirmed, so we’re just awaiting Arsenal’s update on the second.

It’s also likely that Arsenal will have a game or two behind closed doors, but we may not learn about those until shortly before they happen, or perhaps not even until afterwards.

Arsenal 2026 pre-season schedule

Oscar Mingueza stretches to bock a shot — Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images

Times in BST, unconfirmed fixtures in italics

July 19th, 20:00 – World Cup ends
August 1st, 19:00 – Girona vs Arsenal – Estadi Montilivi, Girona
August 5th, 19:30 – Arsenal vs Real Betis – Aviva Stadium, Dublin
August 9th – Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund – Emirates Stadium, London
August 12th – Arsenal vs Como 1907 – Emirates Stadium, London
August 16th, 15:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City – Principality Stadium, Cardiff

A general view of the exterior of the Principality Stadium prior to the Quilter Nations Series 2025 rugby international match between Wales and South Africa at Principality Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) — Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

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