The big kickoff is upon us as defending champion Arsenal and newly promoted Coventry City get the 2026-27 English Premier League season underway with an intriguing opening clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Having seen off the challenge of Man City to claim their first title in 22 years last term, the Gunners don’t appear to be resting on their laurels. Mikel Arteta made some significant investments during the summer break, with the arrival of Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United, Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and Esri Konsa from Aston Villa bolstering the North Londoners’ options.
They take on a Coventry team playing its first Premier League fixture in 25 years. Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues cruised to promotion last term, topping the second tier with an impressive 95 points.
Initially slow to start summer recruitment, the Midlands club has since broken its transfer record twice, with big-money moves for goalie Carl Rushworth and midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi. However, it’s the return of talented Brazilian forward Gustavo Hamer from Sheffield United that looks likely to be the most impactful acquisition for the season ahead: Promoted sides desperately need goals if they’re to stay up.
Arsenal takes on Coventry on Friday, Aug. 21, at the Emirates Stadium in North London, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. BST. That makes it a 3 p.m. ET or 12 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada and a 5 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia on Saturday morning.
Bruno Guimaraes of Arsenal, smiling, cupping both ears.
Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães is Arsenal’s key signing of the summer, joining from Newcastle in a deal worth $102 million. Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
How to watch Arsenal vs. Coventry in the US without cable
Today’s match at the Emirates Stadium will be broadcast on USA Network, which you can access as part of via Sling TV and other, more expensive streaming TV services such as YouTube TV or DirecTV MySports.
Sling TV logo against a CNET background
Sling TV/CNET
Read our Sling TV review.
How to watch the Premier League 2026-27 from anywhere with a VPN
If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with all the EPL action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.
Virtual private networks encrypt your traffic and prevent your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security.
However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict VPN use for accessing region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.
If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions to ensure you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
Express VPN mobile
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Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Jurisdiction
Livestream Arsenal vs. Coventry in the UK
This Friday evening clash is exclusive to Sky Sports and will be shown on its Sky Sports Main Event channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app. Cord-cutters will want to set up a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.
Now TV
Now TV
Livestream Arsenal vs. Coventry in Canada
If you want to stream EPL games live in Canada this season, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights to the Premier League once again, showing all 360 matches – including this one.
Fubo
Fubo
Livestream Arsenal vs. Coventry in Australia
Livestreaming rights for the EPL are held by Stan Sport, which will show all 380 matches live, including this game.