After a well-earned break following the World Cup, The Assist is back. We’ll be in your inboxes every Friday, giving you a look ahead to all the matches and narratives to follow each weekend.
Centre Circle is where we cover the headline stories for the weekend.
Arsenal and Man City kick off in Cardiff
The English domestic season’s traditional curtain-raiser sees last term’s Premier League top two go head-to-head as champions Arsenal meet FA Cup winners Manchester City – at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
With Wembley unavailable owing to the extended World Cup delaying the start of the campaign and Canadian pop star The Weeknd booked in for five nights under the arch, Arsenal and Man City will get things underway in the Welsh capital instead.
Plenty of new signings could feature for both sides, with the Gunners potentially handing debuts to Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, and City to Elliot Anderson and Jeremy Monga.
For City, it’s also their first competitive game under new boss Enzo Maresca – who has very big boots to fill indeed as Pep Guardiola’s successor.
This will be the fourth Community Shield meeting between Arsenal and Man City – the Gunners have won all three to date.
LaLiga begins without last season’s top two
With 2025/26 champions Barcelona and runners-up Real Madrid starting their campaigns a week later after having so many players involved at the World Cup, the spotlight shines elsewhere as the new LaLiga season kicks off.
It all gets underway with Deportivo Alaves hosting Getafe on Saturday evening, while Sunday, Monday and Wednesday see the return of three iconic clubs to the Spanish top flight.
Career Mode cult heroes Deportivo A Coruña are back in the top flight
Racing Santander are back after 14 years away and start at home to Villarreal; 1999/2000 LaLiga champions Deportivo A Coruna end an eight-year absence when they entertain Elche; and Malaga’s first top-flight game since 2018 takes them to Atletico Madrid, the first of the division’s ‘big three’ in action this term.
Championship drama starts again
Few, if any, leagues are as enthralling as the Championship – and England’s second tier gets going again with some mouthwatering match-ups, starting with relegated Wolves welcoming Blackburn to Molineux on Friday night as they begin life under head coach Cesar Peixoto.
But perhaps the pick of the fixtures comes from Turf Moor on Sunday as the other two sides hoping to make an immediate Premier League return, Burnley – now coached by Nicky Hayen – and West Ham – who have kept faith with Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout – go head-to-head.
Elsewhere, newly promoted Lincoln begin their first second-tier campaign for 65 years away to last season’s beaten Championship play-off finalists Middlesbrough; League One play-off winners Bolton end a seven-season second tier absence at home to Preston; and the Monday night action sees a cross-Wales clash between Cardiff – back in the Championship after a single season away – and Wrexham, aiming to mount another play-off push in 2026/27.
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In The Far Post, we typically go further afield, but are treating you to an EFL special this edition.
Leicester look to lift mood amid 17-year low
As Leicester begin life in the third tier for just the second time in their history, their heartwarming 2015/16 Premier League triumph has never seemed further away.
The Foxes’ first game under Russell Martin pits them against League Two play-off winners Notts County – a side they’ve not faced since meeting in the second tier back in 1994, another mark of how far they’ve fallen.
Firm favourites to win the League One title (there’ll be no underdog story this time around), Leicester are only the second former Premier League champions ever to drop this far down the pyramid – and nothing but three points on the opening day will cut any ice with a fan base rightly furious about the manner of last season’s relegation.
Salford’s (sort of) new identity
Salford will have a new look for 2026/27 having reverted to their original colours of orange (well, tangerine, strictly speaking) and black – as well as adopting a new badge.
The Ammies had played in a Manchester United-esque red and black colour scheme following the 2014 takeover by the Class of ’92 (David Beckham, Gary Neville et al).
Beckham and Neville unveiled Salford’s new orange home shirt last week – though fans will have to wait to see it grace the pitch in League Two. On the opening weekend, the Ammies – under new manager Peter Cklamovski – are away to Barnet, the only other ‘orange’ team in the division. Typical!
York’s return tainted by touchline turmoil
York fans had been celebrating all summer long, riding the wave of their dramatic promotion back to the EFL as National League champions – after one of the most bonkers endings to a game you’ll ever see away to Rochdale on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign. Then the club went and sacked the architect of that success, manager Stuart Maynard, late last month.
York City return to the EFL after a decade away
The Minstermen promptly appointed former Crawley and MK Dons boss Stuart Lindsey as their new head coach prior to their first League Two match for a decade at home to Bristol Rovers on Saturday – which takes place at the newest stadium in the EFL, the York Community Stadium.
And supporters have already made perfectly clear their feelings about the less-than-ideal situation in the dugout: Lindsey was booed as York lost 2-0 to his old club Crawley in the preliminary round of the Carabao Cup last week, heading straight off down the tunnel at full-time without acknowledging the home faithful.
Friday: The Championship’s curtain-raiser between Wolves and Blackburn is the main event. In Italy, the first round of the Coppa Italia kicks off with Fiorentina vs. Benevento as the late headliner. And in Turkey, Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sané and Galatasaray get their campaign started against Çorum FK, who are playing in the top tier for the first time. Plus there’s friendlies between Marseille and Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Athletic Club, and newly-promoted Coventry City host Monaco.
Saturday: The rest of the EFL gets started with a full slate of League One and League Two matches, plus more Championship action. Then Deportivo Alaves and Getafe start the LaLiga season with Sevilla hosting Rayo Vallecano in the late kickoff. Fifteen different Premier League clubs play friendlies, including Man United vs. AC Milan and Chelsea vs. Real Sociedad. And we will probably have a peek at Inter vs. Betis.
Sunday: The Community Shield between Arsenal and Man City is the big one. And there’s more action in England as Watford host Southampton and West Ham visit Burnley in the Championship. While in France, PSG are after their second trophy of the season (after beating Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on Thursday) as they face Coupe de France-holders Lens in the Trophée des Champions — we’ll let you take a shot at translating that one. Then LaLiga has a pair of matches, plus Barcelona play Basel in a friendly, and Real Madrid visit Schalke.
Our weekly prediction game, FotMob Predict, is back for the start of the season.
A weekly FotMob’s Top Picks competition consisting of 6-8 top matches from the weekend returns, and if you join our league, we’ll find a nice prize for the winner.
Plus we’ve brought in league-specific competitions this year for the Premier League and Championship, plus the top leagues in Europe.
It’s much better with friends, so set up a league and invite the group chat.
