Which teams have the best opening fixtures in FPL 2026/27?

By the official fixture difficulty ratings, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd and Newcastle share the easiest opening six gameweeks, each averaging 2.83 out of 5. For a faster start, Man Utd and Sunderland have the kindest first three gameweeks (2.33 average), making their assets strong early targets.

When does FPL 2026/27 start?

The season opens on Friday 21 August 2026 with Arsenal v Coventry City, and the GW1 deadline is 18:30 UK time that day. The rest of Gameweek 1 runs across the weekend through to Fulham v Chelsea on Monday 24 August.

Which teams should I avoid early in 2026/27?

Bournemouth have the toughest opening six gameweeks (3.67 average difficulty), starting away at Man City and facing Liverpool and Chelsea inside the first six. Fulham, Coventry, Leeds and Hull also open with harder-than-average runs, so be cautious loading up on their attackers before the fixtures ease.

What is FPL fixture difficulty rating (FDR)?

FDR is the 1–5 score FPL assigns to each fixture based on the strength of the opponent, where a lower number is easier. For 2026/27 the opening fixtures range from 2 (easy) to 5 (very hard). It's a useful starting point, but it doesn't separate attacking from defensive difficulty, so pair it with form and home/away splits before committing.

Should I pick players based on fixtures in GW1?

Use fixtures as a tie-breaker, not the whole strategy. In GW1 there's no form data, so the schedule carries more weight — but keep your premiums regardless of opponent and lean on fixtures mainly for your mid-price and budget picks. A good opening run turns a rotation risk into a set-and-forget starter.

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FPL Best Fixtures 2026/27: Easiest Opening Runs & Teams to Target

The 2026/27 schedule is out. Here are the teams with the kindest opening fixtures by the official difficulty ratings, the full GW1 line-up, and how to turn it all into transfer decisions — with the live ticker a click away.

Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd and Newcastle have the easiest opening six gameweeks (2.83 average difficulty). For a fast start, Man Utd and Sunderland have the softest first three. Bournemouth open toughest. The season starts Friday 21 August with Arsenal v Coventry. Check the live Fixtures ticker for every team's run.

The easiest opening runs (first 6 gameweeks)

Averaging each team's official fixture difficulty across Gameweeks 1–6, four sides sit clear at the top. These are the squads whose attackers and defenders are worth loading up on for the first month and a half.

Team	Avg FDR	GW1–6 opponents
Everton	2.83	CRY(H) BOU(A) MUN(H) TOT(A) IPS(H) HUL(A)
Liverpool	2.83	NEW(A) NFO(H) IPS(A) FUL(H) BOU(A) MCI(H)
Man Utd	2.83	HUL(A) IPS(H) EVE(A) MCI(H) FUL(A) TOT(H)
Newcastle	2.83	LIV(H) TOT(A) BOU(H) LEE(A) HUL(H) COV(A)
Arsenal	3.00	COV(H) AVL(A) CHE(H) SUN(A) BHA(A) LEE(H)
Man City	3.00	BOU(H) CRY(A) COV(H) MUN(A) SUN(H) LIV(A)
Spurs	3.00	BRE(A) NEW(H) NFO(A) EVE(H) AVL(H) MUN(A)

Difficulty is FPL's official 1–5 rating (lower is easier); H = home, A = away. Averages calculated across Gameweeks 1–6.

Fastest starters (first 3 gameweeks)

If you'd rather target the very start of the season — before the first international break and the first round of price rises — these teams have the softest opening three:

Team	Avg FDR	GW1–3 opponents
Man Utd	2.33	HUL(A) IPS(H) EVE(A)
Sunderland	2.33	IPS(A) FUL(H) BRE(A)
Liverpool	2.67	NEW(A) NFO(H) IPS(A)
Man City	2.67	BOU(H) CRY(A) COV(H)
Spurs	2.67	BRE(A) NEW(H) NFO(A)
Brentford	2.67	TOT(H) LEE(A) SUN(H)

Man Utd stand out: the softest first three and a share of the softest first six — the strongest fixture case of any side this summer.

Gameweek 1 fixtures (21–24 August 2026)

The GW1 deadline is 18:30 UK on Friday 21 August. Arsenal open the season on the Friday night; the weekend closes with Fulham v Chelsea on the Monday.

Fixture	Day	FPL angle
Arsenal v Coventry	Fri 21	Prime Arsenal attacking & clean-sheet spot (COV rated 5)
Hull v Man Utd	Sat 22	Soft United opener — best of their fast start
Everton v Crystal Palace	Sat 22	Even matchup; Everton's run improves after this
Ipswich v Sunderland	Sat 22	Two easy ratings (2/2) — budget-enabler watch
Nott'm Forest v Leeds	Sat 22	Forest favoured at home to open
Brentford v Spurs	Sat 22	Both start well over three GWs
Brighton v Aston Villa	Sun 23	Even (3/3); wait-and-see
Man City v Bournemouth	Sun 23	City clean-sheet spot; toughest of BOU's hard run
Newcastle v Liverpool	Sun 23	Pick of the weekend — two easy-run sides collide
Fulham v Chelsea	Mon 24	Monday-night closer; Chelsea the marginal favourite

Teams to be cautious with early

At the other end, Bournemouth have the hardest opening six (3.67), starting away at Man City and facing Liverpool and Chelsea inside the run. Fulham (3.33), Coventry and Leeds (both 3.17) also open tougher than average — Coventry face two rated-5 fixtures (Arsenal and Man City) in their first three. None of these are teams to load up on until the schedule turns.

Turning fixtures into picks

Premiums: ignore the fixtures. Haaland and the top midfielders stay in whoever they play — City's 3.00 opening run is comfortable anyway.
Mid-price: chase the runs. Man Utd, Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle assets in the £6m–£8m range are where the easy schedule pays off most.
Defence: buy clean-sheet runs. The four easiest-run sides are prime territory for cheaper defenders and goalkeepers.
Enablers: nailed beats pretty fixtures. For your £4.0m bench, a guaranteed starter matters more than the opponent.

For who to actually buy from these teams, see our best FPL players 2026/27 guide.

Plan three to five gameweeks ahead

Fixtures swing fast — Newcastle's run, for instance, starts hard (Liverpool at home) then softens markedly. One-week planning is reactive and burns transfers; the sweet spot is three to five gameweeks. Our Transfer Planner maps fixture ratings across that window alongside effective ownership and captain tiers, the Fixtures page shows every team's live run, and the Wildcard draft tool lets you build the squad around them.

See the Fixture Ticker Plan Transfers Ahead Build a GW1 Draft

FAQs

Which teams have the best opening fixtures in FPL 2026/27?: By the official fixture difficulty ratings, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd and Newcastle share the easiest opening six gameweeks, each averaging 2.83 out of 5. For a faster start, Man Utd and Sunderland have the kindest first three gameweeks (2.33 average), making their assets strong early targets.
When does FPL 2026/27 start?: The season opens on Friday 21 August 2026 with Arsenal v Coventry City, and the GW1 deadline is 18:30 UK time that day. The rest of Gameweek 1 runs across the weekend through to Fulham v Chelsea on Monday 24 August.
Which teams should I avoid early in 2026/27?: Bournemouth have the toughest opening six gameweeks (3.67 average difficulty), starting away at Man City and facing Liverpool and Chelsea inside the first six. Fulham, Coventry, Leeds and Hull also open with harder-than-average runs, so be cautious loading up on their attackers before the fixtures ease.
What is FPL fixture difficulty rating (FDR)?: FDR is the 1–5 score FPL assigns to each fixture based on the strength of the opponent, where a lower number is easier. For 2026/27 the opening fixtures range from 2 (easy) to 5 (very hard). It's a useful starting point, but it doesn't separate attacking from defensive difficulty, so pair it with form and home/away splits before committing.
Should I pick players based on fixtures in GW1?: Use fixtures as a tie-breaker, not the whole strategy. In GW1 there's no form data, so the schedule carries more weight — but keep your premiums regardless of opponent and lean on fixtures mainly for your mid-price and budget picks. A good opening run turns a rotation risk into a set-and-forget starter.