Ranking All 20 Premier League Teams Ahead of the 2026–27 Season

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A new Premier League season always promises so much.

In most instances, it delivers. New managers, new players, extraordinary amounts of money spent, wrestling at corners and moans of “it never used to be like this in the good old days.”

But there’s one thing you can never rely on. Each and every year, the Premier League lets down supporters, pundits and punters alike. How? By turning every single preseason prediction, barring Erling Haaland winning the Golden Boot, into complete and utter tripe.

Rather than be put off the exercise, though, we’re taking it on in the only way we know now. Ranking all 20 teams as the 2026–27 engines fire up for blast off on Friday night at the Emirates.

20. Hull City

Hull face a near-impossible job to stay up. / Harvey Murphy/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Hull City have reached the lofty heights of the Premier League three times previously. Only once have they managed to extend their stay into a second season.

Money has been spent this summer—in excess of $110 million (£80 million) in fact—to try and replicate the achievements of Phil Brown’s merry band of men in 2008–09, but the realist in well, everyone, would suggest that relegation is a foregone conclusion.

Have Hull even accepted it? Potentially.

19. Ipswich Town

There’s no more Kieran McKenna for Ipswich. / David Watts/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Few would have anticipated Ipswich Town to be heading into the new season with a new manager on the touchline. But Kieran McKenna’s shock departure means it’s a new era at Portman Road, ushered in by former Bournemouth and Wolves boss Gary O’Neil.

His Premier League experience will undoubtedly help Ipswich, as will some seemingly smart pick-ups in the transfer market (Celtic’s Daizen Maeda, in particular). But, like Hull, staying up will be tough going. Really bloody tough.

18. Coventry City

Coventry are back in the big time for the first time in 25 years. / Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

All three promoted sides heading straight back to the Championship? Most likely.

No but seriously, it will take a superhuman effort from Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues, back in the Premier League for the first time since 2001, to prevent that from becoming a reality. The gulf in class between English soccer’s top two divisions shouldn’t be as vast as it is, but it’s apparent that Coventry, despite their 95-point haul last season, have a mountain to climb.

Nice to have them back though, eh?

17. Fulham

Álvaro Arbeloa has signed a three-year deal at Fulham. / Jose Breton/Getty Images (Arbeloa), Visionhaus/Getty Images (Fulham)

Fulham were the model of consistency under Marco Silva for many years, punching above their weight to retain their Premier League status with some ease.

But his departure to Benfica has faciliated the arrival of Álvaro Arbeloa to the Premier League as a manager for the first time. Sure, he’s managed on bigger stages already—there’s no bigger than Real Madrid, let’s be honest—but the cut and thrust of the English top flight is an altogether different animal.

Losing Harry Wilson on a free transfer won’t help matters either.

16. Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace became the third English team to win the Conference League in May. / Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images

Crystal Palace have been on a whirlwind ride for the past 18 months or so.

They won the first major trophy in their history (the 2025 FA Cup) in May 2025, before lifting the Conference League a few months ago. The Eagles have a number of key players to thank for that, but mostly Oliver Glasner—the outspoken, say it as it is Austrian who has now joined checks notes Nottingham Forest after fishing for a bigger job.

His replacement, Pierre Sage, has just three years of managerial experience on his résumé, and must help the club move on from the disappointment of losing key defender Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea. He also has to contend with competing in the Conference League again—a stretch for a team that hasn’t really been improved over the summer.

15. Leeds United

Leeds had a productive 2025–26. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Leeds head into 2026–27 looking to avoid the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’—an expression for a newly promoted team excelling in their first year before it all comes crashing down.

Daniel Farke’s side look far too organized and capable to allow that to happen, but this is the Premier League after all. The aforementioned Harry Wilson is a smart signing, as is one of England’s deputy World Cup goalkeepers, James Trafford.

But much could depend on Dominic Calvert-Lewin continuing to stay injury free ... history would suggest that’s unlikely to happen, but Leeds desperately need him to.

14. Newcastle United

Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali have waved goodbye to Newcastle. / Stu Forster/Getty Images

Looking for an example of how not to do things in the offseason? Look no further than Newcastle.

They’ve lost Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon from the playing staff—admittedly, serious money has been recouped—and manager Eddie Howe decided it was all too much and walked away—a feeling he’d previously had before trying to stick things out.

New boss Matthias Jaissle has quite the job on his hands, namely restoring the belief of the bewildered fanbase.

13. Sunderland

Granit Xhaka staying is huge for Sunderland. / MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

If you expected Sunderland to be involved in anything other than a relegation scrap last season, you had incredible foresight and belief in Régis Le Bris’s Stadium of Light project.

But there’s absolutely no way that anybody—not even the most fanatical of Black Cats supporters—would have expected the club to finish in the Premier League’s top 10, let alone qualify for Europe.

Doing so is great and all, but the longer Sunderland stay in the Europa League, the more it’s likely to impact their Premier League season. Make no mistake about it, survival is again the goal.

12. Bournemouth

Bournemouth must move on quickly from Andoni Iraola. / Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth/Getty Images

We won’t harp on about Andoni Iraola’s achievements at Bournemouth, as you’ve no doubt been bored to tears by that already. What we will say is it was all rather impressive.

It makes Marco Rose’s job both easier and harder in many ways, with a growing expectation to play attacking, fast-paced soccer (good) coupled with a strong desire to keep the good times rolling (difficult and bad).

Participating in Europe adds another layer of complexity, throwing in more games than this group of players has ever been accustomed to.

11. Everton

Thierno Barry has plenty still to prove. / Lee Parker/CameraSport/Getty Images

Some things just go extremely well with each other. Mustard with hot dogs, ketchup with fries, David Moyes with Everton.

2025–26 actually turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for the Toffees, with some woeful end of season form throwing away a pretty good opportunity to qualify for Europe. It’s probably not unfair to say that’s a little beyond this group of players, though, particularly as the creative spark of Jack Grealish is no longer around.

Solid and unspectacular is likely to be the order of the day, as per.

10. Nottingham Forest

That’s one way for Morgan Gibbs-White to keep out the Marinakis noise. / Molly Darlington/UEFA/Getty Images

There’s something weirdly magical about Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis rifling through his contact book to ponder which manager he can hire and fire in the same season—particularly as the kamikaze approach has yet to backfire.

The appointment of the equally fast and loose Glasner could be a recipe for complete disaster, but it also could be a match made in heaven. All the Austrian needs to do is get off to a relatively good start and he could (real emphasis on could) see out the season.

If he does, Forest could be knocking on the door of the top eight.

9. Brentford

Michael Kayode’s long throws are like kryptonite. / Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images.

A rather large portion of the media had Brentford—data specialists and savvy transfer signing gurus—down as favorites to be relegated in 2025–26. That’s how important Thomas Frank was deemed to be in west London.

But Keith Andrews, set-piece coach turned manager extraordinaire, had other ideas, leading the club to a very respectable top nine finish. He did so thanks to the goals of Igor Thiago, the long throws of Michael Kayode and the kindness of referees to award a rather high number of penalties.

This time around, Brentford are expected to consolidate and do well once more. You know what’s probably going to happen ...

8. Brighton

Hair today, Hürzeler tomorrow. / Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

The biggest talking point on the south coast has been the sudden disappearance of Fabian Hürzeler’s wonderfully maintained, not a hair out of place mane.

But what should be on the talking points menu is the fact Brighton have a great chance of becoming the Premier League’s fourth winners of the Conference League (in just the sixth season of the competition’s existence).

Some super smart business—Pascal Struijk and Luka Vušković—should offset the departure of Jan Paul van Hecke, but bringing in another striker could be wise after Danny Welbeck’s Chelsea exit. Nevertheless, Brighton look well equipped.

7. Aston Villa

Aston Villa could be losing Ollie Watkins in addition to raft of others. / Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC/Getty Images

Struggling to keep up with the turnover at Aston Villa? You’re not the only one.

To date, Johan Manzambi, João Gomes, Matteo Ruggeri and Zion Suzuki are in, while Donyell Malen, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne are among those out. Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa look set to go as well.

All this craziness would overwhelm many a Premier League manager, but the one person you might expect to take it in his stride? Unai Emery. You just know he’ll thrive on getting Villa rolling.

6. Tottenham Hotspur

Roberto De Zerbi’s facilitating big change. / Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images (De Zerbi), Visionhaus/Getty Images (badge)

After finishing 17th in back-to-back Premier League seasons, something had to give at Tottenham. Turns out it was the purse strings—in this post-Daniel Levy chairmanship era—that were got rid of.

North of $250 million has been spent on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jean Paul van Hecke, and Spurs aren’t done yet—another $200 million+ could be forked out on Manchester City duo Omar Marmoush and Savinho, and either Chelsea’s Pedro Neto or Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo.

What it ultimately means is Roberto De Zerbi’s got some serious quality on his hands, and, by all accounts, he’s playing a huge part in who Spurs are signing. That can only be good.

5. Chelsea

Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer hold the keys to Chelsea’s potential success. / Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Another season, another new manager at Chelsea. Can Xabi Alonso help reshape a project that’s been floundering since BlueCo took over?

It’s hard to say, for obvious reasons, but the Spaniard has at least influenced the abandonment of signing players who are barely old enough to string a sentence together.

At the very least, things can’t go much further downhill from the doomed Liam Rosenior experiment—what they can do is perhaps circle back to the somewhat competent place Enzo Maresca left at the turn of the year.

4. Liverpool

Liverpool concluded preseason with a victory over Como. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Arne Slot’s sacking would have felt extremely harsh 20, 15, maybe even 10 years ago. But time waits for no manager in the modern game, and there’s no getting away from the fact that Liverpool were abject in many areas of their title defense.

Quite what Andoni Iraola is expected to achieve in his first year is unclear, but taking on the first big job of his career—Bournemouth, no disrespect—means the pressure will high from the outset.

Liverpool will be exciting to watch, of that there is no doubt, but it remains to be seen whether Jérémy Jacquet or Ronald Araújo have the minerals to be the partner Virgil van Dijk needs—he, for the record, also needs to buck his ideas up.

3. Man Utd

Man Utd have bolstered their squad—and bolstered it well. / Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Manchester United, on the surface, are operating in the transfer market rather smartly. It’s disconcerting and confusing for some, and remarkably refreshing for others.

That’s right, the Red Devils are finally addressing their central midfield issues. Instead of splashing a wad of money on Mateus Fernandes, they’ve turned to long-term target Carlos Baleba—whose price has come down by a third—to complement the signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. They’ve also rid themselves of the ticking time bomb that is Casemiro (sure, he was much better in 2025–26, but his ability to run ended in 2022).

There’s a calm around United—Marcus Rashford sideshow aside—and good reason to believe that a top-three finish can be achieved for a second season in a row. Project 150? Doesn’t sound as daft as it once did.

2. Man City

Phil Foden could return to prominence for Manchester City. / Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

For the first time in a decade, Pep Guardiola will not be glued to the Manchester City touchline. Instead, his Football Manager regen, Enzo Maresca, gets a crack at the job many always assumed he would get when Guardiola’s tenure eventually ended.

Following in the Spaniard’s footsteps is borderline impossible for Maresca, and you do feel that he has to try and stamp his authority on things quickly, or he’ll have the shadow of Guardiola judging his every move with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. That process may have already started with the gutting of City’s core. Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Aké have all departed, and others will yet follow.

Huge money has been spent on central midfielder Elliot Anderson, but the England talent can’t, and won’t, carry City to glory on his own. More is needed.

1. Arsenal

More success could be heading Declan Rice and Arsenal’s way. / Marc Atkins/Getty Images

After ending 22 years of hurt, Arsenal enter the 2026–27 Premier League campaign as the hunted, not the hunters.

It’s a role Mikel Arteta may relish playing, particularly now his fiercest adversary, Guardiola, is out of the picture. Indeed, the Gunners are overwhelming favorites to retain their title, and handsomely at that.

Bruno Guimarães has been plugged in to an already strong midfield core, and the imminent signing of Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa will boost a defense that every Premier League side also looks at with envy.

What we could be debating as early as January or February is just how many points Arsenal are going to win the league by—a conversation that will be music to the ears of those who waited so long for Arsène Wenger’s foundations to be built on.