For the third straight season, Chelsea will open the new season in front of their own fans when they face last season's FA Cup winners Crystal Palace in a match that will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Having faced Liverpool and Manchester City on the opening day of 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively, a London derby against the Eagles provides Enzo Maresca's side with a perfect opportunity to begin the season with three points.
The West Londoners will be hoping to build on last season's success which saw them finish in the top four along with winning the UEFA Conference League. Chelsea face a further three London derbies against West Ham, Fulham and Brentford, before making a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
While they have a favourable fixture list to start the campaign, the Blues face a tough run-in towards the end of the season with back-to-back home matches against the two Manchester clubs before two difficult away matches against Brighton and Liverpool with a home match against Nottingham Forest sandwiched in-between.
Chelsea's final home game of the season will be at home to arch rivals Tottenham before they end the season with a trip to the Stadium of Light to face newly-promoted Sunderland. Interestingly, the past two occasions in which the Blues have faced the Mackems on the final day came in 2014/15 and 2016/17 - both being title winning seasons for Chelsea.
Key Fixtures
Enzo Maresca's men will be determined to make a strong start to the season considering their first six matches are very much winnable, which would give them momentum heading into the winter months.
Their first big test comes at the start of October when Arne Slot's reigning champions Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge on the 4th. Chelsea's next set of London derbies begin in November, first away at Tottenham on the 1st before they welcome Arsenal to West London at the end of the month on the 29th.
The Blues' annual post-Christmas fixture will see them host Aston Villa on the 27th before their first match of 2026 is a trip to the Etihad to face Man City. Chelsea will head to the Emirates at the end of February which will begin a ruthless final eleven matches of the campaign.
Maresca's side will face home encounters against both Manchester clubs on the 11th and 18th of April before a trip to Anfield on 9th May and a derby match against Tottenham (17th) ahead of a final day match-up in the North-East with Sunderland.
Full Fixture List
August: Crystal Palace (H, 17th), West Ham (A, 23rd), Fulham (H, 30th)
September: Brentford (A, 13th), Man United (A, 20th), Brighton (H, 27th)
October: Liverpool (H, 4th), Nottingham Forest (A, 18th), Sunderland (H, 25th)
November: Tottenham (A, 1st), Wolves (H, 8th), Burnley (A, 22nd), Arsenal (H, 29th)
December: Leeds (A, 3rd), Bournemouth (A, 6th), Everton (H, 13th), Newcastle (A, 20th), Aston Villa (H, 27th), Bournemouth (H, 30th)
January: Man City (A, 3rd), Fulham (A, 7th), Brentford (H, 17th), Crystal Palace (A, 24th), West Ham (H, 31st)
February: Wolves (A, 7th), Leeds (H, 11th), Burnley (H, 21st), Arsenal (A, 28th)
March: Aston Villa (A, 4th), Newcastle (H, 14th), Everton (A, 21st)
April: Man City (H, 11th), Man United (H, 18th), Brighton (A, 25th)
May: Nottingham Forest (H, 2nd), Liverpool (A, 9th), Tottenham (H, 17th), Sunderland (A, 24th)
All fixtures are subject to change.