Manchester City and Bournemouth were scheduled to meet on 23 August 2026 in the 2026–27 Premier League opening round.
The match was set for Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, with a scheduled 14:00 BST kick-off. Brighton & Hove Albion versus Aston Villa was listed at the same time on that Sunday.
The two simultaneous fixtures were part of a carefully arranged opening weekend. Brighton’s participation in UEFA Conference League qualifying play-offs on the preceding Thursday was cited as a reason for the scheduling arrangement.
Newcastle United versus Liverpool was the later Sunday fixture, beginning at 16:30 BST. The full match round then concluded on Monday with Fulham hosting Chelsea.