Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 locks on Friday 21 August 2026 at 18:30 BST — 9 days from today (12 August). Tonight is a busy friendly slate: Arsenal’s last home warm-up before Community Shield, plus Leeds–United, Newcastle–Everton and Forest–Leverkusen.
Countdown
- GW1 opener: Arsenal vs Coventry City (Fri 21 Aug, 20:00 BST).
- Official FPL deadline: Fri 21 Aug, 18:30 BST.
- Community Shield: Arsenal vs Manchester City (Sat 16 Aug, Cardiff) — four days away.
Tonight’s FPL watchlist (12 Aug)
- Arsenal vs Como (Emirates, 19:30 BST) — Bruno Guimarães debut watch; Saliba and Timber still out. Track Mosquera/Gabriel/Hincapié minutes and whether Tzolis keeps the left-wing minutes that powered his pre-season returns.
- Leeds vs Manchester United (Dublin) — Shaw/Maguire start streak, Sesko fitness, Bruno/Tielemans minutes after late World Cup returns.
- Newcastle vs Everton (Edinburgh) — Jaissle’s second look; Wissa vs Osula minutes; Everton wing-back experiment and Ndiaye/Barry pen clues.
- Nottingham Forest vs Bayer Leverkusen — Glasner 3-4-3: Aina/Neco Williams attacking returns; Igor Jesus form vs Wood.
- Málaga vs Fulham — Arbeloa’s side: Muniz vs García, Sessegnon at left-back.
Carry-forward flags
- Arsenal defence still thin — do not captain a Gunners defender in GW1 for clean-sheet hope alone.
- Haaland training return + Community Shield minutes decide whether he is the auto GW1 captain.
- Hull: Hughes out of GW1 vs United; Tzolakis (£4.5m) remains the budget GK story.
- City: Rodri rehab — Anderson (£6.5m) stays on the watchlist if midfield minutes stick.
Read next (free)
- Best FPL Forwards for GW1 — premiums, mid-price and budget strikers.
- Best FPL Captains for GW1 — Saka, Haaland, Bruno differentials.
- Best Budget FPL Defenders — £4.0–£4.5m + DEFCON.
- 11 Aug daily update — keep the trail.
Play it today
Open Gameweek Fantasy on FootballDream after tonight’s friendlies, tweak your forward line, and captain for 2× points in a free mini-league.