The first weekend of the 2026-27 Premier League season comes to a close this afternoon with an all-London matchup between Fulham and Chelsea.

This West London derby marks a new era for both clubs as Álvaro Arbeloa takes charge of Fulham and Xabi Alonso makes his debut as Chelsea manager. Former teammates at Real Madrid and Liverpool, the two managers face off on opening day following a turbulent summer of squad overhauls.

Chelsea arrives at Craven Cottage having spent heavily in the summer window, led by the club-record £117 million signing of midfielder Morgan Rogers, alongside other additions Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and João Pedro.

As for Fulham, the Cottagers enters the season following the departure of long-serving manager Marco Silva, as well as key players Harry Wilson and Raúl Jiménez. To fill the void, Arbeloa brought in young talent from Spain, including forward Gonzalo García and midfielder César Palacios.

Here’s what you need to know to tune in to today’s match from the United States.

Fulham vs. Chelsea time

This morning’s (Aug. 23) Man City vs. Bournemouth match is scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m. ET.

Where to watch Fulham vs. Chelsea for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Fulham vs. Chelsea for free.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching sports live for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes USA Network as part of its 125+ channels.

We also recommend checking out DIRECTV’s MySports Genre Pack, which also includes USA Network at a lower $49.99/month price after a five-day free trial.

Premier League schedule – Matchweek 1 and 2

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.