Xabi Alonso will get a first look at his players in action when Chelsea jet off to Australia to step up pre-season preparations.
12:00, 13 Jun 2026
Xabi Alonso head coach of Real Madrid during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 quarter final match between Real Madrid CF and Borussia Dortmund at MetLife Stadium on July 5, 2025 in East Rutherford, United States
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Xabi Alonso will be keeping tabs on the World Cup(Image: Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso will make his debut as Chelsea manager at the end of next month when the Blues jet off to Australia. The 44-year-old will officially take the reins on July 1, giving him and higher-ups at Stamford Bridge plenty of time to prepare the squad ahead of the new campaign.
When Alonso put pen to paper on a four-year contract last month, he outlined his ambition to 'build the right culture and win trophies'. The Spaniard said: "Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football, and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.
"From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition. We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies."
Alonso, who stepped down as the Real Madrid head coach at the start of the year, added: "There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club, and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies."
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The new Chelsea gaffer has the chance to lay down a marker when he locks horns with some big names. Before Alonso takes on the likes of Luciano Spalletti and Roberto De Zerbi, he'll have a month or so to prepare his side on the pitches at Cobham training ground.
He'll begin working closely with the players who are not representing their country at the World Cup this summer. Among those will be Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Trevoh Chalobah, who were left out of the England squad by Thomas Tuchel.
Estevao Willian, who's nursing a hamstring injury, Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro are also set to be among the first to report for pre-season at the training base in Surrey, having been left at home by Carlo Ancelotti.
Some Chelsea players may not return to the United Kingdom until the end of the month, possibly even August, due to the World Cup. Last summer, on the eve of the Club World Cup, which the Blues later won, FIFPRO called for a mandatory four-week break at the end of each season.
Then, after a meeting with player unions, FIFA said: "There is a consensus that there must be at least 72 hours of rest between matches, and that players should have a rest period/holiday of at least 21 days at the end of each season."
Therefore, those who reach at least the round of 16 in the World Cup may not be back in action until the start of August, missing out on valuable time with Alonso on the training pitch.
The Chelsea pre-season schedule in full
Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers - Friendly - Tuesday, July 28 (kick-off at 7.45pm AEST/10.45am BST) - Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia.
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur - Friendly - Saturday, August 1 (kick-off at 7.45pm AEST/10.45am BST) - Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia.
Chelsea vs Juventus - Hong Kong Football Festival - Wednesday, August 5 (kick-off at 7.30pm HKT/12.30am BST) - Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong.
Chelsea vs AC Milan - Friendly - Saturday, August 8 (kick-off at 7pm WIB/1pm BST) - GBK Stadium Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Johor Darul Ta'zim vs Chelsea - Friendly - Sunday, August 9 (kick-off at 8pm MYT/1pm BST) - Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia.
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