Aston Villa visited Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday 23 August 2026 in the 2026–27 Premier League opening round.
The fixture was scheduled at Brighton’s home ground, the American Express Stadium. It was one of three matches listed for Sunday, alongside Manchester City versus AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United versus Liverpool.
Aston Villa therefore began the league campaign away from home. Brighton & Hove Albion opened their season in front of their own supporters, giving the south-coast club home advantage in the first round.
The fixture is easy to confuse with Everton versus Crystal Palace, another opening-weekend match involving two clubs from the southern half of England. That game was scheduled for Saturday, whereas Brighton versus Aston Villa was listed for Sunday.