2025/26 marked another season full of outstanding moments and emerging talents in our Academy. From last-minute winners against professional opposition to first-team debuts at Emirates Stadium, there was plenty to be proud of for our young Gunners this campaign.
Our under-21s maintained their 100% record of reaching the Premier League 2 play-offs despite being one of the youngest sides in the competition, while our under-18s, who also boasted one of the youngest squads in their domestic league, secured a top-ten finish in the U18 Premier League South.
AUGUST
2025/26 started with a bang for both our under-21s and under-18s, with dramatic games throughout the month for both sides.
Max Porter's under-21s began the Premier League 2 season with a 3-2 defeat to Fulham, but then came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Nottingham Forest the following week, snatching a point through Seb Ferdinand's late equaliser.
There were more late heroics from Seb the following week as the winger struck an 89th-minute winner to beat Brighton 1-0 and send us into the first international break of the season in winning form.
Our under-18s made an even more successful start to the season as Adam Birchall's side won their opening four games, including a 2-1 win over Norwich City in our opening game which saw Ceadach O'Neill and Maalik Hashi find the back of the net in the final ten minutes.
We followed up our winning start with further victories over Southampton, Birmingham City to go top of the U18s Premier League South, as well as beating Peterborough United 4-0 in the opening game of our Premier League Cup campaign.
SEPTEMBER
If our under-21s thought they'd had a taste of the dramatic in August, they had another thing coming in September. The month started with a 3-2 win over Wolves thanks to an excellent strike from Max Dowman and a 99th-minute penalty from Andre Harriman-Annous.
Just a few days later, Charles Sagoe Jr netted what was a comparatively early 88th-minute winner against professional League Two side Newport County as we got our EFL Trophy campaign up and running with a win. After falling behind in the second minute, Harriman-Annous converted his second vital penalty of the month to draw us level, before Sagoe Jr got the winning goal our dominance had deserved.
A few days later we made the trip to Derby to take on the Rams, and once again Max Porter's side came through a dramatic finale to win. Unlike the previous two games, the late drama was concentrated on our half of the pitch as we defended a 1-0 lead given to us by Osman Kamara; we held out to make it four wins on the bounce.
Our under-18s also continued their strong start, remaining unbeaten in their three matches in September. Draws with Chelsea and Brighton bookended the month, but the highlight was an entertaining 4 - 2 win over Ipswich Town, in which Josiah King provided a stunning assist for Kyran Thompson.
OCTOBER
After strong starts to our domestic league campaigns, attention turned to other competitions in October, with our UEFA Youth League and Vertu Trophy campaigns in full swing. But after a month of celebrating late, decisive goals, we were on the other end of the stick this time around.
Our under-19s contested a thriller with Atletico Madrid, but were ultimately beaten 4-3 at Meadow Park in the Youth League, while our under-21s remarkably lost by the same scoreline in a Vertu Trophy thriller at League One Exeter City.
Although the defeat dented our qualification hopes, it did feature a memorable goal from Harrison Dudziak, who hammered home an outstanding long-range strike in the second half.
The month ended on a high for our Academy though, as both Andre Harriman-Annous and Max Dowman started our Carabao Cup tie against Brighton at Emirates Stadium.
Both young Gunners shone on the big stage, with Andre only denied a debut goal by a stunning save from Jason Steele before Bukayo Saka converted the rebound. On a night that was all about Hale End, Max became the youngest player in our 140-year history to start a match for us, while our youngest appearance maker, Ethan Nwaneri, netted the opening goal in a 2-0 win.
Read more Max Dowman becomes Arsenal's youngest starter
NOVEMBER
Our trend of setting new records continued into November as Luis Munoz made history in the UEFA Youth League. At just 13 years old, Luis came off the bench in a 4-2 win over Bayern Munich to become the youngest player in the competition's history.
It was quite a game to be part of as well, as we secured our first win of the campaign with three goals in the last 20 minutes. Kyran Thompson and Ceadach O'Neill scored within six minutes of each other to put us 3-1 up, then after Bayern pulled a goal back, Max Dowman came up with a sensational solo strike to complete a brace, securing all three points.
But Max's strike wasn't the only stunner of the month, nor was our win over Bayern the most dramatic conclusion to a game.
Our under-18s produced an outstanding comeback away at Norwich City, drawing 3-3 after being 3-0 down with less than 20 minutes to go. To add to the spectacle, the second of our three goals was scored from the halfway line by Ceadach O'Neill, before Bowen Phillips equalised in stoppage time to earn a point in the Premier League Cup tie.
DECEMBER
The winter break meant that our under-21s were out of action over the course of December, but as Max Porter's squad was so young, many of the young Gunners were able to represent our under-19s and under-18s sides.
After a stoppage-time defeat to Club Brugge ended our UEFA Youth League campaign, we responded in style less than a week later with a thumping 4-1 win over Mansfield Town in the FA Youth Cup.
Callan Hamill, Maalik Hashi, Louis Zecevic-John and Brando Bailey-Joseph found the net as we stormed into the Fourth Round with a dominant performance in Nottinghamshire.
On top of a flying start in the Youth Cup, there was yet another first-team debut to celebrate. Defender Marli Salmon came on in place of Ben White against Club Brugge in Belgium, and helped us finish off another Champions League clean sheet in a 3-0 win.
Read more Marli Salmon makes Arsenal European history
JANUARY
After a tough start to 2026, which saw league defeats for both our under-21s and under-18s, the month ended on a high, both in academy and first-team fixtures.
It was a big month for Brando Bailey-Joseph, who after scoring a brilliant individual goal to secure a 1-0 win over Burnley under-21s, made his professional debut in our Champions League win over Kairat Almaty.
Brando shared the spotlight against Kairat with defensive midfielder Ife Ibrahim, who also made his professional debut, adding two more names to the ever-growing list of Hale End graduates to represent the Arsenal first-team. Both players signed their first professional contracts during the 2025/26 season, marking a significant step in their Arsenal journey.
Read more Meet the academy stars in our squad for Kairat
FEBRUARY
January's win over Burnley set the tone for our under-21s in February, as our young Gunners went on to keep four consecutive clean sheets with three wins and a draw.
Max Porter's side recorded their biggest win of the season at Leeds United, with Demiane Agustien netting a hat-trick and Theo Julienne scoring his first under-21s goal in a thumping 4-0 victory.
The following day, we announced two signings: forward Evan Mooney and defender Jadon Dixon. Both players settled in well and delivered some excellent moments in the second half of the season.
Read more Dixon and Mooney train with us for the first time
Both new signings made their debut for our under-21s in a 0-0 draw with Everton at Meadow Park, and tasted victory for the first time as Gunners when we beat Newcastle 1-0 the following week through yet another late Andre Harriman-Annous winner.
While our run of clean sheets came to an end against Reading, it was still a night to celebrate as we thrashed the Royals 4-1, with Mooney scoring his first goal for the club from the halfway line in a game which also saw Harriman-Annous net a stunner from the edge of the box.
Arguably the most impressive result of the month, though, was for our under-18s, who beat defending league champions Aston Villa 2-1. The winning moment came in stoppage time, with Angelinou Pedro picking a fantastic moment to score his first Arsenal goal.
To cap off an already successful month, both Maalik Hashi and Teshaun Murisa put pen to paper on their first professional contracts, a deserved reward for their fantastic efforts not only in the first half of the season, but throughout their Arsenal careers.
MARCH
If February was all about team performances, March was about individual moments of magic. Maalik Hashi set the tone at the start of the month, celebrating his new contract with a stunning direct free-kick goal to secure a 1-0 win over West Brom under-18s.
Read more Maalik Hashi signs first professional contract
Having made his debut in the UEFA Youth League back in November, Luis Munoz introduced himself to the U18s Premier League South with a stoppage-time equaliser in our 2-2 draw against Fulham under-18s. Luis ran onto the ball from a tight angle and whipped a ferocious strike into the far corner.
The milestones continued to come, as Jaden Dixon saw his impressive performances at under-21s level rewarded with a first-team debut against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup. The defender came on in the final 15 minutes and helped us to see out a 2-1 win over the League One side.
Perhaps the most significant highlight of the month came from Max Dowman. The 16-year-old came off the bench against Everton in the Premier League to set up Viktor Gyokeres for a go-ahead goal in the 89th-minute, before running the length of the pitch to score the second for himself.
The goal not only made Max the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, but also our youngest Goal of the Season winner, as Gooners around the world voted our teenager's strike as the best of our title-winning campaign.
Read more Max Dowman wins 25/26 Emirates Goal of the Season
APRIL
April began as March had ended, with Max setting another record. This time, by coming off the bench in our 1-0 win away to Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-finals, our no.56 became the youngest player to appear in a knockout match in the competition's history.
There was cause for celebration at Academy level as well, as a 1-0 win over West Brom under-21s, courtesy of Demiane Agustien's fine strike, secured a spot in the play-offs once again. Since the competition changed to a single division format in 2023, we've maintained a 100% record of qualifying for the post-season tournament.
But Max Porter's side were handed a tough draw in the opening round against defending Premier League 2 champions Manchester City, and despite taking the lead at Joie Stadium, our campaign came to an end with a 3-1 defeat.
At under-18s level, Emerson Nwaneri had a standout month for Adam Birchall's side. The best of his many strong performances came in a 3-0 win over Reading, with the forward opening the scoring before Alex Marciniak netted two brilliant goals in the second half to round off the win.
Read more U18s highlights: Reading 0-3 Arsenal
MAY
A pair of London derbies were on the menu for our under-18s at the end of their league season, either side of a clash with Reading.
Emphatic volleys from Evan Mooney and Louis Zecevic-John secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham in east London, before we were beaten by the same scoreline against Reading.
We ended the season with an entertaining draw against Crystal Palace, coming from 2-0 down to secure a point thanks to quickfire goals from Maalik Hashi and Brando Bailey-Joseph.
Just as our under-18s did, our first-team ended the season away to the Eagles, lifting the Premier League trophy after a 2-1 win. Tommy Setford, Marli Salmon and Max Dowman all took to the stage to join in the celebrations, with Max becoming the youngest title-winner in Premier League history.
Read more Max Dowman wins Premier League home grown award
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