Saturday 16 August - Sunderland (A)
The opening fixture of any season is surely the first to catch the eye, and West Ham United’s long trip north to face newly-promoted Sunderland will certainly attract plenty of interest.
Following eight seasons away from the top flight, including four in the third tier, the Black Cats sealed a dramatic return to the Premier League by edging Sheffield United 2-1 in the EFL Championship Play-Off final in May.
Régis Le Bris’ men had somewhat laboured to the normal season’s conclusion, finishing with five straight defeats, but came alive during the coveted knockout competition, seeing off Coventry City in the semi-finals before their Wembley heroics.
A passionate atmosphere will undoubtedly await at the Stadium of Light on Gameday One, with the crowd on Wearside set to embrace being back in the big time, and ultimately look to inspire their team to survival throughout the campaign.
Though Sunderland are new to the division, such a fixture will provide a number of tests to Graham Potter and his West Ham team, who will be looking to get off to a bright start in 2025/26, and extend the Club’s eight-game unbeaten run against a team they last faced in April 2017.
Saturday 23 August - Chelsea (H)
After their endeavours in the north-east, the Hammers will contest another mouth-watering clash against London rivals Chelsea in their first home outing of 2025/26 a week later.
The Blues - who are currently competing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States - enjoyed an encouraging 2024/25 season, securing a return to the UEFA Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League, and lifting the UEFA Conference League trophy.
While they will be looking to build on such success by getting off to a flying start to the new term, West Ham will want to give their fans plenty to cheer about on their return to their London Stadium home.
Certainly, the Irons will be hoping to combat a run of three consecutive defeats at the hands of Enzo Maresca’s men, and replicate the kind of display that earned a 3-1 win when the sides met in east London towards the start of 2023/24.
This game also holds special significance for boss Potter, who oversaw 31 matches in charge of Chelsea between September 2022 and April 2023.
Saturday 13 September - Tottenham Hotspur (H)
The big games keep on coming for West Ham at the start of the new season, with a home derby date against Tottenham Hotspur set to kick-off three weeks after the aforementioned Chelsea fixture.
With a 17th-place Premier League finish, but a UEFA Europa League title that marked their first trophy success for 17 years, 2024/25 was full of thrills and spills for Spurs, and they have since opted to go in a different direction under former Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
While they will be hoping for strong form on all fronts, including the UEFA Champions League, improvement in the league is a must, and West Ham will be itching to dampen their spirits in this early-season encounter in mid-September.
The teams’ last three meetings at London Stadium have yielded 1-1 draws in the top flight, and though the Irons haven’t been beaten by Tottenham at home since November 2019, boss Potter will be looking for a touch of magic to earn the full share of the spoils.
The home crowd will certainly be eyeing a similar performance to the one that earned their last victory over the north Londoners, when Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse were on target in a 2-1 triumph away from home in December 2023.
Saturday 27 September - Everton (A)
Staying in September, and the end of the month throws up an exciting first visit to the top flight’s only new venue for 2025/26 - Everton’s impressive 52,888-capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Having been defeated just once in their last five visits to Goodison Park, and been denied a win on their final trip there by a last-gasp Jake O’Brien equaliser in March 2025, West Ham will be hoping to carry that encouraging form to the new home of the Toffees.
David Moyes’ men will still be getting used to their surroundings, in only their third home league game of 2025/26, and will be aiming to build some momentum following a strong second half of 2024/25 that saw them win each of their last three games, and finish 13th.
An early-season meeting with Moyes is sure to throw up plenty of happy memories for the West Ham fanbase, with the Scot - who was recently awarded an OBE - having overseen 262 matches over two spells in charge of the Hammers, and led the Club to the unforgettable 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League success.
Saturday 29 November - Liverpool (H)
With the season set to be in full swing by late November, West Ham will be looking for a blockbuster result when they welcome defending champions Liverpool to London Stadium.
A battle against the Premier League’s biggest hitters is always one to get the blood pumping, and Potter and his team will be eager to prove their credentials when the Reds come to town shortly before the festive season falls into full flow.
Liverpool dominate the recent head-to-head record between the sides, with the Irons last claiming victory in November 2021, when an Alisson own-goal and strikes from Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma inspired a 3-2 scoreline.
Though last term’s home meeting with Arne Slot’s troops was one to forget for the Claret and Blue Army, they can take plenty of heart from the narrow 2-1 defeat at Anfield in mid-April, when an Andy Robertson own-goal looked to have earned a draw before Virgil van Dijk struck a cruel blow at the death.
Saturday 27 December - Fulham (H)
Everyone loves a festive fixture, and this year’s closest clash to Christmas sees West Ham welcome west-London rivals Fulham to the east of the capital.
Boasting a record of just one defeat in 13 at home to the Cottagers, since February 2004, Potter and his men will be confident they can get the job done on their own turf, and gift their supporters some late Christmas cheer.
The last meeting with Fulham was certainly one to remember, with Carlos Soler, Tomáš Souček and Lucas Paquetá goals sealing a 3-2 win - Potter’s first in charge of the Club, on his first outing at London Stadium.
Marco Silva’s team will be sure to provide a stern test however, having established themselves in the top flight since promotion from the EFL Championship in 2021/22, and recorded an eleventh-place finish in 2024/25.
Saturday 3 January - Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
Following the Fulham battle, and another home outing against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday 30 December, West Ham’s first fixture in 2026 throws up an enticing trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 3 January.
The Hammers will be eyeing a flying start to the new calendar year against Vítor Pereira’s men, who enjoyed a strong second half of 2024/25 - that included a six-game winning run - en route to a 16th-place finish.
The spoils were shared between the teams last term, with West Ham triumphing 2-1 at London Stadium in early December before Jørgen Strand Larsen’s first-half strike settled a 1-0 win for the Old Gold at Molineux in early April.
Before that defeat, the Irons had lost just one of five games against Wolves, a run that included a memorable 2-1 win away from home in April 2024, when Ward-Prowse scored directly from a corner.
Sunday 17 May - Newcastle United (A)
After a first away game of the season against Sunderland, West Ham United are set to return to the north-east for an exciting final trip of term to Newcastle United.
The iconic St James’ Park is among the favourite Premier League venues for travelling supporters, and members of the Hammers’ fanbase will be eyeing a replica of the exhilarating 2-0 win last time out there, thanks to Souček and Aaron Wan-Bissaka goals in November 2024.
West Ham’s previous win on Tyneside was similarly one to remember, on the opening day of the 2021/22 season, when Aaron Cresswell, Saïd Benrahma, Souček and Michail Antonio all contributed to a 4-2 winning scoreline.
A similar result this time around would be a welcome way to sign off on the road in 2025/26, but Eddie Howe’s Magpies - who secured a return to the UEFA Champions League in 2024/25, as well as ending their 56-year wait for a trophy in the Carabao Cup - are sure to provide a stern test in their last match on home soil.
Sunday 24 May - Leeds United (H)
The season is set to come to a close in style in late May with an exciting home match-up against Premier League newbies Leeds United.
Daniel Farke’s Whites finished top of the EFL Championship ranks in 2024/25 to seal a return to the big time following a two-year absence, and they will be determined to re-establish themselves among the country’s top crop of teams.
Plenty could be on the line come final day, and West Ham will be hoping to match their 3-1 win the last time the Yorkshiremen visited London Stadium, on the penultimate weekend of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Hammers’ recent record against Leeds is largely encouraging, having won five, and lost just one, of seven meetings since the latter were last promoted to the Premier League in 2019/20.
A positive display and result will undoubtedly be on boss Potter’s wishlist, as West Ham look to give their fans a welcome sign-off for the summer.
