Three 2026–27 Premier League opening-round matches were played on Sunday 23 August.
The Sunday schedule began with Brighton & Hove Albion versus Aston Villa and Manchester City versus AFC Bournemouth, both at 14:00. Newcastle United versus Liverpool followed at 16:30.
The opening round was spread across four days: Arsenal played Coventry City on Friday, six matches were scheduled for Saturday, three were played on Sunday, and Fulham hosted Chelsea on Monday.
A common counting error is to count only the two simultaneous afternoon kick-offs and overlook Newcastle versus Liverpool. That later match brought Sunday’s total to three.