The Premier League is back! And for tens of thousands of football fans in Australia that means nine months of late nights and early starts following their favourite clubs.
This year the Premier League is set to be bigger than ever. For champions Liverpool, another title would put them one ahead than bitter rivals Manchester United.
For United, surely the season can’t be any worse than last year – a title challenge is unlikely but stranger things have happened, after all, this season will mark ten years since Leicester City stunned the world by winning the championship.
And what about Arsenal? Is this finally their year. Spurs too have a huge fanbase in Australia, despite the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou.
But we understand not everyone is a diehard fan, so we’ve put together a quick guide to everything you need to know ahead of the new season.
How does the Premier League work?
The Premier League is made up of 20 football teams in England.
Each season, three teams from the division below – called the Championship – are promoted and replace the three teams that finished in the bottom three places in the previous Premier League season.
The competition takes place in a round-robin format, where each team plays each other home and away in a 38-game season.
The team with the most points at the end of the season are crowned champions.
Which teams have been promoted to the Premier League in 2025-26 season?
A couple of big teams are making their return to the Premier League this season.
Leeds United are back after two seasons away; they are one of the best-supported clubs in England and have plenty of Aussie fans thanks to the exploits of Aussie stars Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Sunderland are also back in the Premier League for the first time since 2017; they became known around the world thanks to their Netflix documentary ‘Sunderland Till I Die’, which charted their struggles after relegation from the Premier League.
Burnley round off the promoted teams, who replaced Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
Which team is likely to win the 2025-26 Premier League?
The bookmakers currently back Liverpool to retain their Premier League title after spending big in the transfer market, including spending a whopping $222 million on German star Florian Wirtz.
It is most likely to be a three-horse race for the Premier League this season, with Liverpool set to battle Arsenal and Manchester City.
Arsenal have finished second three seasons in a row, but have made a couple of key signings, including Viktor Gyokeres, a striker who scored 54 goals last season.
Manchester City have arguably the best manager in the world in Pep Guardiola and the best striker in the world in Erling Haaland, and will be out for redemption after a tough season last time out.
What is the ‘big four’ in the Premier League?
The big four are the four biggest teams by support in the Premier League, and have historically been the most significant.
It refers to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, who became part of the special group in the 2000s as they often finished in the top four positions.
This has been challenged in recent years by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with the moniker ‘the big six’ now used to describe the biggest sides in the league.
What is the new 2025-26 Premier League ball?
The new Premier League season is also significant because it is the first time in 25 years Nike will not be supplying the Premier League ball.
Instead, a deal with Puma has begun, with the new ‘Puma Orbita’ set to be used this season.
When does the 2025-26 Premier League begin?
The new season gets underway tomorrow morning (AEST) when champions Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield.
On Saturday night, Aston Villa take on Newcastle in a game you can watch on Channel Nine at 9.30pm AEST as free-to-air Premier League football returns to Australia for the first time in six years.
The biggest game of the opening weekend sees Arsenal travel to face rivals Manchester United. That takes place on Tuesday at 2am AEST.
The season concludes on May 25, with all 10 games being played simultaneously.
How to watch the Premier League in Australia
The Premier League has a new home in Australia, with every match available live and on demand on Stan Sport. Nine, the publisher of this website, also owns Stan Sport.
In addition, one game for the first three rounds of the season will be shown on free-to-air television on Channel Nine.
These games will be Newcastle United’s trip to Aston Villa on the opening weekend, Manchester City’s heavyweight clash with Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea’s local rivalry match against Fulham.
These three matches all begin at 9:30 pm (AEST).
