Fulham v Chelsea was scheduled for 24 August 2026, completing the 2026–27 Premier League opening weekend.
The west London meeting was placed on Monday night, with a listed kickoff of 20:00 BST. Fulham were the home side, meaning Chelsea made the short trip across the capital rather than hosting the match at Stamford Bridge.
This scheduling spread the first round across four calendar days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The staggered format allowed televised fixtures to occupy prominent slots instead of playing every match simultaneously.
Because most opening-weekend games occurred on 21–23 August, 24 August is sometimes omitted when people summarize the round. It was nevertheless officially part of matchweek one.