Premier League opening weekend: Man Utd defend proud record, rule changes and all you need to know

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TBR Football looks at everything you need to know about the Premier League opening weekend with rule changes, records and new signings all in place.

Liverpool come into the new season as defending champions and have strengthened their squad impressively with the arrival of Florian Wirtz, new signing Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, all adding to Arne Slot’s squad.

However, a resurgent Manchester City, boosted by the arrival of the highly-rated James Trafford, are likely to come roaring back, with Arsenal and Chelsea both looking to mount a title challenge.

The new season brings a new sense of optimism across the competition, as new signings, new managers and a clean slate mean that fans can dare to dream. As the Premier League season edges closer, here is everything you need to know ahead of the opening weekend.

Puma ball will give the Premier League a new look

After 25 years, Nike will no longer produce the official Premier League ball, with German giants Puma taking over for the new season.

Eagle-eyed fans who watched the Premier League Summer Series will have already seen the new ball in action, as it was used during the pre-season tournament.

According to Premierleague.com, the ball features “high-frequency moulding [which] guarantees long-lasting durability, with enlarged and deeper seams designed to improve aerodynamics and maintain shape retention.”

It will be used for the first time in competitive action when Bournemouth travel to Anfield to face defending champions Liverpool in round one.

Semi-automated offside leads the rule changes for the 2025/26 season

After years of controversial VAR calls on marginal offside decisions, the Premier League will fully adopt the use of semi-automated offside decisions in the new season.

The process works by using bespoke cameras with high frame rates and 3D player modelling to plot an automatic offside line based on where the last defender is positioned. The system was used in the 2023/24 FA Cup and aims to cut lengthy delays.

Another significant change will see a clampdown on the amount of time goalkeepers hold onto the ball in their hands. Keepers are allowed an eight-second transition, and the referee will give a warning after five seconds by holding their hand in the air.

If the goalkeeper holds onto the ball too long, a corner kick will now be awarded, as opposed to an indirect free kick, to encourage referees to speed up the game.

Whilst it has not been confirmed, the Premier League is also considering a trial of body-worn cameras for referees during the season, after they were trialled during the Summer Series.

Who are the newly promoted Premier League teams?

Last season, the three newly-promoted sides were all immediately relegated to the Championship, as Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton all went down. Here are the teams replacing them for the 2025/26 season:

Leeds United

Leeds United won promotion back to the top flight at the second time of asking, winning the Championship title in the dying moments of their final game of the season.

Manager Daniel Farke has already recruited heavily, with experienced midfielder Sean Longstaff leading a list of arrivals which also includes Jaka Bijol, Lucas Perri and Anton Stach.

Leeds still need to strengthen up front, with Inter Milan’s Mehdi Taremi one of the options being considered. Having built a solid base, Leeds need goals to guarantee survival.

Burnley

Burnley finished second in the Championship, level with Leeds on 100 points. Their promotion was built on a rock-solid defence, conceding just 16 goals all season.

However, Trafford’s departure represents a huge blow for the Clarets. They are close to signing Martin Dubravka from Newcastle as his replacement and see this as a priority.

Scott Parker has already signed Bashir Humphreys and is likely to add his former Chelsea teammates Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja in the coming days. Like Leeds, Burnley need to add firepower to avoid relegation this season.

Sunderland

Having finished fourth in the Championship and won promotion via the playoffs, Sunderland have the most ground to make up of the three promoted teams.

However, Regis Le Bris’ side have gone big in the transfer market, with the signing of Granit Xhaka leading a list of eight new arrivals at the Stadium of Light.

With Marc Guiu also set to sign with the North East club, the Black Cats are going all-in on their bid for survival. They could cause a few surprises in the new season.

Which clubs have new managers ahead of the new season?

Whilst the managerial merry-go-round is a near-constant presence in the Premier League, there are relatively few changes ahead of the new season.

The departure of Ange Postecoglou from Tottenham Hotspur was the most high-profile change at the end of last season, after Spurs finished 17th.

He was replaced by Thomas Frank, who ended his long association with Brentford to move to North London.

The Bees looked in-house for their new manager, recruiting Keith Andrews into the top job in the only other change.

Do suspensions carry over into the new season?

In short, yes. Any players who picked up suspensions in the closing rounds of the 2024/25 Premier League season will be banned in the new campaign.

As a result, Liverpool will be without Ryan Gravenberch after he received a red card in Liverpool’s end-of-season game against Crystal Palace.

Aston Villa will also be without goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who was sent off in Villa’s last game of the season against Manchester United, as they missed out on a Champions League spot.

Chelsea will also be without transfer-linked Nicolas Jackson, after he received a three-match ban for his red card against Newcastle earlier in May.

Who has the best record on the opening weekend of the season?

According to Premierleague.com, Manchester United have the best record of any team on the opening weekend based on both win percentage and total points.

Man Utd have featured in all 33 Premier League opening weekends, with 22 wins, four draws and 7 defeats. This gives them an overall win percentage of 66.7%.

Based on win percentage, Brighton have the second-best record, with five wins and three defeats from their eight games, at a win rate of 62.5% overall.

Chelsea have the second-most wins on the opening round, with 20 from their 33 opening weekend games at a win percentage of 60.6%.

Which player has scored the most goals on the Premier League opening weekend?

Liverpool’s modern-day legend, Mohamed Salah, is prolific on the opening weekend of the season and has bagged an incredible nine goals in the first game.

Four players share second-place on the list with eight goals each, with Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Jamie Vardy all trailing behind Salah.

Most goals on the Premier League opening weekend (from Premierleague.com):

• Mo Salah – 9
• Alan Shearer – 8
• Wayne Rooney – 8
• Frank Lampard – 8
• Jamie Vardy – 8
• Teddy Sheringham – 7
• Sergio Aguero – 7
• Louis Saha – 6
• Didier Drogba – 6

Teddy Sheringham and Sergio Aguero are one goal further back on seven goals apiece, with Louis Saha and Didier Drogba finishing off the list with six goals each.