With the Euro’s reaching its climax, club teams will be joining up in the coming days to begin their pre-season training. In just six weeks the Premier League will commence once again, with players and coaches fully focused on building the best and fittest sides to compete in the top tier of English football. While some clubs will be staying around Europe to train and compete, others clubs will be jetting off to Asia and North America to prepare and reset their competitiveness ahead of the 2024/25 season. Where will each team be heading on their pre-season tours and when will they be playing their first games? Let’s take a look.
Arsenal
The Gunners will be heading to the USA in their 2024 pre season. They will firstly take on Bournemouth on July 24th in Los Angeles. Three days later they will play Man United at the renowned SoFi Stadium in LA. Their final game in the US will be against Liverpool in Philadelphia on July 31st.
Their final preparations will take place at home in North London when they entertain Xavi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates on August 7th. Their final friendly will also be at the Emirates when they take on French side Lyon on August 11th.
Fixtures:
24 July v Bournemouth (Dignity Health Sports Park, LA)
27 July v Man Utd (SoFi Stadium, LA)
31 July v Liverpool (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
7 Aug v Bayer Leverkusen (Emirates Stadium)
11 Aug v Lyon (Emirates Stadium)
Aston Villa
Aston Villa will need a big pre-season as they prepare for an action packed season with the Villans qualifying for the Champions League next season. Villa will firstly play their annual pre-season opener at Walsall on Wednesday, July 17 and then head to Slovakia where they will take on Spartak Trnava on July 20th. They will then travel to the USA also where they will have a number of games. They will take on MLS champions Columbus Crew on July 27th at Lower.com Field in Ohio. They face RB Leipzig next on July 31st at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. Their final game in the States will be against Liga MX Champions Club América, at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Upon returning back home, they will travel to Walsall to play Athletic Bilbao on August 7th before facing Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund in Signal Iduna Park on August 10th.
Fixtures:
20 July v Spartak Trnava (Anton Malatinsky Stadium)
27 July v Columbus Crew (Lower.com Field, Ohio)
31 July v RB Leipzig (Red Bull Arena, New Jersey)
3 Aug v Club America (Soldier Field, Chicago)
7 Aug v Athletic Bilbao (Bescot Stadium, Walsall)
10 Aug v Borussia Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund)
Bournemouth
The Cherries will also head Stateside during pre pre-season and will be primarily based in LA Galaxy’s training facility, Dignity Health Sports Park. Their opening game will be against Wrexham in LA on July 20th and will face fellow Premier League team Arsenal at the same venue four days later. Bournemouth will return to the south coast and will play two games at the Vitality Stadium. Firstly against Rayo Vallecano on August 4th and against Girona on August 10th.
Fixtures:
20 July v Wrexham (Dignity Health Sports Park, LA)
24 July v Arsenal (Dignity Health Sports Park, LA)
4 Aug v Rayo Vallecano (Vitality Stadium)
10 Aug v Girona (Vitality Stadium)
Brentford
Brentford will begin their preparations at Plough Lane on July 20th when they take on AFC Wimbledon. Three days later they will face Boreham Wood at Meadow Park. The Bees will then fly to Portugal to face Portguese giants Benfica on July 25th at Estádio da Luz. On the 30th of July they will play a behind closed door game against Estrela da Amadora.
They will continue their fine tuning with a game against Watford at Vicarage Road on August 3rd before taking on Wolfsburg at the Gtech Community Stadium on August 9th. Thomas Frank’s men will be hoping for a much better season and will be fully focused on their plans during pre-season.
Fixtures:
23 July v Boreham Wood (Meadow Park)
25 July v Benfica (Estadio da Luz, Lisbon)
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton will be packing their bags and heading to Asia as they plan to visit Japan on their pre-season tour. It will be the first time the club completes a pre-season tour in Japan and hopes it is a success with new coach Fabian Hurzeler at the helm. While in Japan the Seagulls will play Kashima Antlers on July 24th and Tokyo Verdy on July 28th. Both of these games will be held in the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Fixtures:
24 July v Kashima Antlers (National Stadium, Tokyo)
28 July v Tokyo Verdy (National Stadium, Tokyo)
Chelsea
New boss Enzo Maresca will travel to the US again this summer for a third year in a row. With what hopes to be a new and fresh start for the club, the Blues begin their preparations against Wrexham in California on July 24th. Three days later they will face Scottish champions, Celtic, in Indiana and take on Mexican side, Club America on July 31st. Chelsea will remain in the States right up to the week before the league begins as they take on Man City on August 3rd in Columbus and Champions League winners, Real Madrid in Charlotte on August 6th.
Fixtures:
24 July v Wrexham (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara)
27 July v Celtic (Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana)
31 July v Club America (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta)
3 Aug v Man City (Ohio Stadium, Columbus)
6 Aug v Real Madrid (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte)
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace had a terrific end to the season and will hope their pre-season efforts will aid a similar start to this season. Oliver Glasner’s side will travel to the Broadfield Stadium on July 27th to face Crawley in their first game. The Eagles will head to the US also where they will face Premier League sides Wolves and West Ham. Gary O’Neil’s side will take on Palace on July 31st in Maryland while new Hammers coach, Julen Lopetegui, will bring his side to Florida to test themselves against Glasner’s side on August 3rd. Crystal Palace will then have their final game on pre-season at home in Selhurst Park against Nantes on August 11th.
Fixtures:
27 July v Crawley Town (Broadfield Stadium)
31 July v Wolves (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Maryland)
3 Aug v West Ham (Raymond James Stadium, Florida)
11 Aug v Nantes (Selhurst Park)
Everton
The Toffees will have a much quieter pre-season than normal as they left it late to confirm their plans due to off-field issues. They will firstly travel to Sligo, Ireland where they will take on Seamus Coleman’s former side, Sligo Rovers on July 19th. Everton will remain in England for the rest of their pre-season. On July 27th, they will play Salford at the Peninsula Stadium before heading Championship side Coventry City on July 30th. Their final game will also be against a Championship side when they take on Preston North End on August 3rd.
Fixtures:
19 July v Sligo Rovers (Showgrounds Stadium)
27 July v Salford (Peninsula Stadium)
30 July v Coventry (Coventry Building Society Arena)
3 Aug v Preston (Deepdale)
Fulham
Marco Silva and his team have kept their pre-season plans under wraps as they have just one game planned. The Cottagers will travel to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on August 10th. The London side played the German side for a second year in a row.
Fixtures:
10 Aug v Hoffenheim (PreZero Arena, Sinsheim)
Ipswich Town
Newly promoted Ipswich Town will be entering this year’s pre-season with a new incentive, to compete amongst England’s elite. The Tractor Boys will travel to Austria on July 15th for a training camp and will take on Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on July 20th. Kieran McKenna and his side will then return home and take on Fortuna Dusseldorf on July 27th at Portman Road.
Fixtures:
20 July v Shakhtar Donetsk (Sport Zentrum Landskron)
27 July v Fortuna Dusseldorf (Portman Road)
Leicester City
Leicester City will have Steve Cooper in charge of the team this season after Enzo Maresca departed for Chelsea in June. The Foxes return back to the Premier League after a year’s absence and will aim to remain in the top tier. Leicester City will face Shrewsbury Town at Croud Meadow on July 23rd and then depart for France where they will play Ligue 1 side RC Lens on Saturday August 10th.
Fixtures:
23 July v Shrewsbury Town (Croud Meadow) Details
10 Aug v Lens (Stade Bollaert-Delelis)
Liverpool
The post-Klopp era begins as Arne Slot takes over his new side for the first pre-season under the Dutch coach. Liverpool will join many Premier League sides in travelling to the USA for pre-season. The Reds begin with a game against Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 26th. Slot’s men will also face Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United in the States. Liverpool will face Arsenal on July 31st at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and will take on Man United at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina on August 3rd.
Liverpool will return home to finish their pre-season plans with a home match against La Liga side Sevilla at Anfield on August 11th.
Fixtures:
27 July v Real Betis (Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh)
31 July v Arsenal (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia)
03 Aug v Man Utd (Williams – Brice Stadium, South Carolina)
11 Aug v Sevilla (Anfield, Liverpool)
Manchester City
Man City will be heading into the new season looking for a fifth title in a row. The USA will be the location of their pre-season programme and kick off against Scottish giants, Celtic on July 23rd. It is the first time the sides will have faced each other in eight years. New York will host their next game on July 27th when they take on AC Milan in Yankee Stadium.Pep Guardiola’s side then head to Florida, to face his former club Barcelona at the Camping World Stadium, Orlando on July 30th. Their final game will be against Chelsea on August 3rd where they take on Chelsea, who they will face on the opening day of the season.
Fixtures:
23 July v Celtic (Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.)
27 July v AC Milan (Yankee Stadium, New York)
30 July v Barcelona (Camping World Stadium, Orlando)
3 Aug v Chelsea (Ohio Stadium, Columbus)
Man United
United will have a busy pre season with matches taking place across three countries. Erik ten Hag will hope their pre-season will aid a strong start to the new season. On July 15th they will head to Norway where they face Rosenborg in Trondheim. Five days later they will travel to Edinburgh where they encounter Scottish side Rangers.
United will then jet off to the US where they will play Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool before the new season. July 27th sees them face Mikel Arteta’s side in LA. San Diego will be the venue for their game against Real Betis on July 31st and August 3rd will be their final stop on the tour where they play Liverpool in South Carolina.
Fixtures:
15 July v Rosenborg (Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim)
20 July v Rangers (Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
27 July v Arsenal (SoFi Stadium, LA)
31 July v Real Betis (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego)
3 Aug v Liverpool (Williams – Brice Stadium, South Carolina)
Newcastle United
Newcastle United will be travelling to Japan in preparation for the 2024/25 Premier League season after being invited to take part in the ‘J.League International Series 2024. Before they head to Asia, they will play Hull City at the MKM Stadium on July 27th. The Magpies will then head to Japan and take on 2022 AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds on July 31st. Kick-off is at 7:30pm. Eddie Howe’s side will then face Yokohama F. Marinos on August 3rd.
Fixtures:
27 July v Hull City (MKM Stadium)
31 July v Urawa Red Diamonds (Saitama Stadium, Saitama)
3 Aug v Yokohama F. Marinos (National Stadium, Tokyo)
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest will face Chesterfield at the SMH Group Stadium in their first game of pre-season on July 13th. After a difficult season, Forest will hope a training camp in Spain will get them back to their best form ahead of the new season. They will face Sunderland on July 19th, Millwall on July 23rd and Elche on July 27th before returning back home to complete their plans for the season opener.
Fixtures:
13 July v Chesterfield (SMH Group Stadium)
19 July v Sunderland (Pinatar Arena, Murcia)
23 July v Millwall (Pinatar Arena, Murcia)
27 July v Elche (Pinatar Arena, Murcia)
Southampton
Russell Martin’s Saints are back in the Premier League and will begin their pre-season with a game on July 19th against Eastleigh. The side will then travel to Spain for a week’s training camp. They will play two behind-closed-doors games against French sides Girondins de Bordeaux and Montpellier. The Saints will face Ligue 2 side Bordeaux on July 24th and Ligue 1’s Montpellier on July 27th.
Fixtures:
19 July v Eastleigh (Silverlake Stadium)
24 July v Bordeaux (behind closed doors)
27 July v Montpellier (behind closed doors)
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou and his side will be travelling to Asia for a two week tour of the continent. Before they head on their journey, they will play local London side, QPR, on July 20th at Loftus Road. Their first stop in Asia will be in Japan where they will play Vissel Kobe on July 27th in Tokyo. Spurs will then make their way to the home country of captain Son Heung-Min where they will play Team K-League in South Korea’s national stadium. They will then play Bayern Munich in the same location on August 3rd. The German side will then travel to London to play Tottenham again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fixtures:
20 July v QPR (Loftus Road)
27 July v Vissel Kobe (National Stadium, Tokyo)
31 July v Team K League (Seoul World Cup Stadium)
3 Aug v Bayern Munich (Seoul World Cup Stadium)
10 Aug v Bayern Munich (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
West Ham United
New head coach, Julen Lopetegui will begin his new stint in charge of the London club when his side travel to the U.S. for the Sunshine State Tour. They will first play Dagenham & Redbridge on July 20th before heading West on their tour of the USA. In America they will play Wolves on July 27th in Jacksonville and then play fellow London rivals, Crystal Palace, on August 3rd in Florida. Their final pre-season game will take place at the London Stadium against La Liga side, Celta Vigo, on August 10th.
Fixtures:
20 July v Dagenham & Redbridge (Chigwell Construction Stadium)
27 July v Wolves (EverBank Stadium, Florida)
]3 Aug v Crystal Palace (Raymond James Stadium, Florida)
10 Aug v Celta Vigo (London Stadium)
Wolves
Gary O’Neil will take his men to America for a series of games and a training camp. Wolves will take on former manager Julen Lopetegui when they play West Ham on July 27th in Florida. They will then travel to Maryland where they play Crystal Palace on July 31st. Their final game will be against Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig in Miami on August 3rd. Wolves will then travel back home and play Rayo Vallecano at Molineux on August 10th.
Fixtures:
27 July v West Ham (EverBank Stadium, Florida)
31 July v Crystal Palace (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Maryland)
3 Aug v RB Leipzig (Chase Stadium, Miami)
10 Aug v Rayo Vallecano (Molineux stadium)
