Chelsea confirm 2026 pre-season tour across Australia and Asia

Chelsea have confirmed five men’s pre-season fixtures across Australia and Asia, giving Xabi Alonso his first touring schedule as manager and taking the club to Sydney, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Malaysia before the Premier League begins. The trip includes Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday 28 July, Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 1 August, Juventus on Wednesday 5 August, AC Milan on Saturday 8 August and Johor Darul Ta’zim on Sunday 9 August.

The club said it is the first time the men’s team will play in those tour countries this decade, and it has framed the itinerary as an important part of preparation for the 2026/27 campaign. Alonso officially began his role on 1 July and was due to report to Cobham with the players not involved at the World Cup on Thursday 9 July, leaving a narrow runway before Chelsea’s league opener away to Fulham on Monday 24 August.

Alonso’s first interview in the job offered an early read on the tone he wants to set. He said the squad’s quality and the club’s potential made the role exciting, and he stressed the need to build a strong bond with supporters and keep the focus on collective purpose, saying that “the team is always the most important thing.” Chelsea’s internal messaging has pushed the same line, describing this as his first chance to shape the team’s “idea” and bring fresh energy back to Stamford Bridge.

That reset began at Cobham, where Chelsea’s first pre-season session under Alonso included medical testing, fitness work and ball work. Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian were among the senior players involved, alongside new arrivals Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda. Dastan Satpayev also joined early after FC Kairat allowed him to link up with the squad.

The early plan appears designed to do more than simply get players fit. BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella named Reggie Walsh, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Landon Emenalo and Jesse Derry among the academy players expected to be around first-team training, while some others are set to go out on loan. One report has said Chelsea could be managing close to 40 players once signings, loanees and World Cup players return, a scale that makes the summer schedule as much about sorting the squad as staging it.