Chelsea begin away at Fulham

Chelsea will begin the 2026-27 Premier League season away at Fulham in the Monday night slot on Aug. 24, according to Chelsea’s fixture list and the Premier League schedule. The opening match gives Xabi Alonso a west London derby as his first league game in charge. The scheduling detail resurfaced on Wednesday after the Telegraph’s live report on Chelsea’s 1-0 friendly defeat by Juventus noted that Fulham away is next in the opening round. Chelsea’s first competitive fixture comes with the transfer window still open until Sept. 1. ### When exactly does Chelsea start the season? Chelsea’s official fixture release on June 19 said the club would start with “a Monday night trip to Fulham” as part of the 2026-27 Premier League opening round. The Premier League’s full fixture list said the new season begins on Friday, Aug. 21, with opening-weekend matches spread across the weekend and into Monday. A Sky Sports fixture page also listed Chelsea’s opener away to Fulham on Monday Night Football. (chelseafc.com) ### Why did the Fulham fixture come back into focus on Wednesday? The Telegraph’s Aug. 5 live report from Chelsea’s friendly against Juventus linked the defeat directly to the approaching league opener. The report said Chelsea lost 1-0 and that Mykhailo Mudryk returned to action as the team prepared for Fulham away on opening weekend. The same report described the Juventus game as Chelsea’s second pre-season defeat. (chelseafc.com) ### What happened against Juventus? Chelsea lost 1-0 to Juventus on Wednesday in a club friendly, with the Telegraph saying Mudryk made his first Chelsea appearance since November 2024. Yahoo Sports and other match reports said Edon Zhegrova scored the winner in the pre-season game. The result followed Chelsea’s final stretch of summer preparations before the league campaign begins later in August. (telegraph.co.uk) ### Why is Mudryk’s return part of this story? Mykhailo Mudryk’s return mattered because Wednesday’s match was his first Chelsea appearance since November 2024, according to the Telegraph. The winger’s involvement gave Chelsea one more senior option back before the season opener. The Telegraph’s Chelsea coverage earlier this week also said Mudryk had been cleared to return to action after his doping ban was lifted. (telegraph.co.uk) ### What else frames Chelsea’s opening week? Sept. 1 is the date the Premier League and EFL summer transfer window closes, ESPN reported, meaning Chelsea’s squad can still change after the Fulham match. Chelsea’s official fixture page shows the club opens with Fulham away and then moves into the early part of its league schedule before the market shuts. That leaves Alonso’s first league lineup subject to late-window business as the season starts. (telegraph.co.uk) ### What comes next after Fulham away? Aug. 24 is the scheduled date for Fulham against Chelsea in the Monday night slot, according to fixture lists from Chelsea and the Premier League. Sept. 1 is the transfer deadline for Premier League clubs, ESPN said. Those two dates set the immediate sequence for Chelsea: league opener first, final transfer moves after. (chelseafc.com) (espn.com)