Gameweek 3 2026/27 preview: what the third round decides
By Arasi Rex · Updated 10 August 2026 · 7 min read
Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 Premier League season runs from Friday 4 September to Sunday 6 September 2026, and the fixture that matters most in it is not the one that gets the billing. Arsenal v Chelsea on Sunday evening pairs the champions with a top-ten side and will draw the biggest audience of the round, and it is not the round's real six-pointer. That belongs to Nott'm Forest v Spurs, the meeting of the two clubs who finished 16th and 17th in 2025/26. They lost 33 games between them last season and finished closest to the 39-point survival line that sent West Ham down, and Gameweek 3 is where that fight stops being a background detail and starts being a fixture you can point at.
Gameweek 3 2026/27 fixtures: the full round
The round runs across three days, one Friday night game, seven on Saturday and two on Sunday, with the promoted clubs back in the spotlight for the second time in three rounds. Here is the full fixture list.
| Date | Kickoff (BST) | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 4 Sep | 20:00 | Ipswich Town v Liverpool |
| Sat 5 Sep | 12:30 | Newcastle v Bournemouth |
| Sat 5 Sep | 15:00 | Brentford v Sunderland |
| Sat 5 Sep | 15:00 | Fulham v Crystal Palace |
| Sat 5 Sep | 15:00 | Man City v Coventry City |
| Sat 5 Sep | 15:00 | Nott'm Forest v Spurs |
| Sat 5 Sep | 15:00 | Brighton v Leeds |
| Sat 5 Sep | 17:30 | Hull City v Aston Villa |
| Sun 6 Sep | 14:00 | Everton v Man Utd |
| Sun 6 Sep | 16:30 | Arsenal v Chelsea |
The season runs 33 weekend rounds and 5 midweek rounds from 21 August 2026 to 30 May 2027, and the third round keeps the shape of the first two: a Friday night opener, promoted clubs in the spotlight, and a fixture with more at stake than the billing suggests. The opener has moved again, from the champions to a promoted side: Ipswich Town host Liverpool at Portman Road on Friday night.
Nott'm Forest v Spurs: the round's real six-pointer
Nott'm Forest finished 16th on 44 points and Spurs finished 17th on 41, and between them they lost 33 matches last season. Add their totals together and you get 85 points, exactly what Arsenal needed to win the title on their own. That is what a six-pointer between two bottom-five clubs looks like in September: the combined value of the two sides is the size of a title-winning season, and every point they trade with each other is a point neither of them gets against the rest of the league.
The survival line last season was West Ham's 39 points. Forest finished five above it, Spurs two, and no club that stayed up finished closer to the drop than Spurs. When two clubs that close to the line meet this early, the loser hands a direct rival three points in the mini-league that decides who goes down, and promoted sides are not the only ones who can lose that race. This is the fixture to watch in Gameweek 3, not the showpiece.
Arsenal v Chelsea: the showpiece with a mid-table plot
Arsenal won 2025/26 with 85 points, seven clear of Man City's 78, on the strength of a defence that conceded 27 goals, the fewest in the division. Chelsea arrive at the Emirates as the club that finished 10th on 52 points with 14 wins, 10 draws and 14 defeats, as many defeats as wins, the only club in the top half with that record. A Chelsea side that volatile against the champions is exactly the kind of mismatch the showpiece billing hides: Arsenal's title-winning season was built on not losing games like this, and Chelsea spent last season losing them.
The promoted clubs face the top seven again
All three promoted clubs met last season's top seven in the opening round, and Gameweek 3 hands them the same test again. Coventry City, back in the top flight after 25 years, travel to Man City, the runners-up who scored 77 goals last season, more than any side in the division. Hull City host Aston Villa, fourth on 65 points, and Ipswich Town host Liverpool, fifth on 60. The promoted clubs have no easy week built into the early calendar: they opened against the top of the table, and the schedule has done them no favours since. Our guide to the promoted clubs in 2026/27 explains how the trio came up.
Everton v Man Utd and the crowded middle
The rest of the round is mid-table traffic. Everton, 13th on 49, host Man Utd, third on 71, a 22-point gap that tells you how far the two clubs have drifted apart. Brighton, 8th on 53, host Leeds, 14th on 47; Brentford, 9th on 53, host Sunderland, 7th on 54; and Newcastle, 12th on 49, host Bournemouth, 6th on 57, the club that drew 18 matches last season, more than any side in the division. Those four fixtures are the ones that will set the shape of the table from 6th to 14th by October.
FPL and the Gameweek 3 deadline
As with the first two rounds, the deadline lands before the Friday night kickoff, so any transfer made after Ipswich Town v Liverpool starts at Portman Road counts for Gameweek 4, not this one. The season's chip rules were set in round one: the first chip set must be used before the gameweek 19 deadline of 13:30 GMT on Saturday 2 January 2027 and cannot be carried over, while up to five free transfers can be rolled forward.
What Gameweek 3 really decides
Nobody settles the title or the relegation race in September, but Gameweek 3 decides the shape of both conversations. Nott'm Forest v Spurs tells you which bottom-five club has the stomach for the survival mini-league. The promoted clubs' second meeting with the top seven tells you whether the opening rounds were a blip or a pattern. And Arsenal v Chelsea tells you, as the showpiece always does, how far the gap between the champions and the chasing middle really is. The fixture that decides the most, though, is the six-pointer no one will be calling a six-pointer when it kicks off.
Key takeaways
- Gameweek 3 runs Friday 4 September to Sunday 6 September 2026, opening with Ipswich Town v Liverpool at 20:00 BST and closing with Arsenal v Chelsea at 16:30 BST.
- Nott'm Forest v Spurs is the round's real six-pointer: 16th on 44 against 17th on 41, 33 defeats between them, and combined totals that equal Arsenal's 85-point title season.
- Arsenal v Chelsea is 1st against 10th; Chelsea finished 2025/26 with 14 wins and 14 defeats, the only top-half club with as many defeats as wins.
- All three promoted clubs face last season's top seven for the second time in three rounds: Ipswich v Liverpool, Man City v Coventry, Hull v Aston Villa.
- The FPL Gameweek 3 deadline falls before the Friday night kickoff, with the season's chip and free transfer rules unchanged.
FAQ
When is Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 Premier League season?
From Friday 4 September to Sunday 6 September 2026, opening with Ipswich Town v Liverpool at 20:00 BST and closing with Arsenal v Chelsea at 16:30 BST.
Which Gameweek 3 fixture should I watch?
Nott'm Forest v Spurs. The two clubs finished 16th and 17th last season, lost 33 games between them, and are the closest of any surviving club to the 39-point survival line. For the headline, Arsenal v Chelsea on Sunday at 16:30.
Who do the promoted clubs play in Gameweek 3?
Ipswich Town host Liverpool, Coventry City travel to Man City, and Hull City host Aston Villa, all three against last season's top seven for the second time in three rounds.
When is the FPL Gameweek 3 deadline?
Before the 20:00 BST kickoff on Friday 4 September, since Ipswich Town v Liverpool opens the round. Transfers made after that kickoff count for Gameweek 4.