Premier League champions Arsenal ramp up the preparations for their title defence at the start of August.

The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for a league triumph last season and are the favourites to finish top of the table again in 2026/27.

Mikel Arteta will want to make the most of the summer months but must be wary of managing his top players carefully, as many of them are coming off the back of World Cup 2026, including Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.

The North Londoners begin their pre-season schedule in Girona before taking on Real Betis in Dublin and then returning to the Emirates to host Borussia Dortmund and Como.

The Premier League starts later this season but Arsenal will be back at Wembley on Saturday 16 August to take on Man City in the Community Shield final.

Radio Times brings you all the information on Arsenal’s pre-season, including how to watch.

Arsenal pre-season 2026 fixtures

All UK time.

Saturday 1 August

Girona v Arsenal (7pm, Estadi Montilivi)

Tuesday 5 August

Arsenal v Real Betis (7.30pm, Dublin)

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Saturday 9 August

Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (2pm, Emirates Stadium)

Tuesday 12 August

Arsenal vs Como (7.30pm, Emirates Stadium)

Saturday 16 August

Community Shield: Arsenal vs Man City (3pm, Cardiff)

Arsenal pre-season 2026 results

N/A

How to watch Arsenal pre-season on TV

Fans can watch all of the Gunners’ pre-season friendlies via Arsenal.com.

The club are yet to confirm the prices for 2026 but last year, an early bird pass for all five games cost £9.99. From Wednesday 23 July 2026, the cost of a pass rose to £14.99.

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Authors

Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.