FPL Pre-Season Tracker 2026/27: Results, Minutes and Early Lessons
Track the latest Premier League friendly results and the pre-season information that matters most for FPL, including minutes, likely starters, positions and set pieces.
Premier League clubs are now preparing for the 2026/27 season, giving Fantasy Premier League managers their first opportunity to study new signings, tactical systems and possible Gameweek 1 starters.
Friendly results can provide useful clues, but goals and scorelines should never be analysed without context.
The most important pre-season information for FPL is:
Who starts with the likely first team
How many minutes each player receives
The position and tactical role of each player
Penalty, corner and free-kick responsibilities
Injuries and managed workloads
The line-up selected for the final friendly
Managers usually move closer to their intended starting eleven during the final one or two pre-season matches. Early games are often used primarily to improve fitness and evaluate younger players.
Latest Premier League pre-season results
The latest results available as of 26 July include:
Premier League clubs will continue playing friendlies through August before the new league season begins on 21 August.
Liverpool’s attack produces early FPL clues
Liverpool began Andoni Iraola’s time as head coach with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland.
Kieran Morrison opened the scoring before Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas found the net in the second half. The team contained a mixture of senior players and younger prospects, so it is too early to treat the starting line-up as a Gameweek 1 prediction.
Szoboszlai remains an important player to monitor. His value will depend on whether he plays in an advanced midfield position and receives a share of Liverpool’s set pieces.
Chiesa also strengthened his case for more minutes, but established World Cup players are still returning. Friendly involvement could decrease when Liverpool’s full squad becomes available.
Joe Gomez was forced off with a knock inside the opening 10 minutes. His availability and Liverpool’s defensive depth should be monitored before considering their defenders.
FPL lesson: Do not mistake an early friendly start for a secure league place when major players are still absent.
Sean Longstaff impresses for Leeds
Leeds lost 3-2 to Wrexham, but Sean Longstaff produced one of the most notable individual performances.
Longstaff helped create Leeds’ first goal for Joel Piroe before scoring the equaliser himself. Piroe also took a penalty but saw his effort saved.
The penalty is an important FPL detail. Managers should continue monitoring whether Piroe remains first choice once Leeds’ full team is available.
Longstaff could become a budget midfield consideration if he receives regular starts and continues making forward runs. However, one productive friendly should only place him on the watchlist.
FPL lesson: A player’s position, minutes and set pieces are more important than the final score.
Manchester United’s attack deserves attention
Manchester United recovered from a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham by beating Rosenborg 5-0.
The result is encouraging ahead of opening fixtures against Hull City and Ipswich Town. However, the most important question is which attackers will start alongside Bruno Fernandes when United’s World Cup players return.
Monitor:
Bruno’s return to full training
Manchester United’s penalty taker
The first-choice centre-forward
Which wide players start the final friendly
Whether the same attacking unit appears repeatedly
A cheap United attacker could become an excellent Gameweek 1 option, but only if his minutes are secure.
FPL lesson: Strong opening fixtures increase interest, but pre-season selection must confirm the player’s role.
Bournemouth show attacking potential
Bournemouth started with a 4-1 victory over St Pauli.
Their opening league fixtures may reduce immediate interest, but attacking performances should still be monitored. Junior Kroupi is now classified as an FPL midfielder after mainly playing behind the striker last season, which gives him an additional point for goals and potential clean-sheet points.
A listed midfielder operating close to the centre-forward can provide excellent FPL value.
The next friendlies should reveal whether Kroupi remains central to Bournemouth’s attack and whether he shares the pitch with their other first-choice forwards.
FPL lesson: FPL position changes can make an attacking role much more valuable.
Promoted Hull keep a clean sheet
Hull’s 3-0 victory against Konyaspor provides an early positive defensive result.
Promoted clubs often supply useful budget defenders and goalkeepers. However, FPL managers should focus on the players selected rather than expecting Hull to produce regular clean sheets immediately.
Look for:
The first-choice goalkeeper
Secure centre-backs
Attacking full-backs or wing-backs
Defenders capable of earning defensive contributions
Any defender involved in set pieces
A minimum-price defender who starts regularly can be valuable even when his team has difficult fixtures.
FPL lesson: Secure minutes can matter more than attacking upside for your cheapest substitute.
Do not overreact to Fulham and Palace defeats
Fulham lost 2-0 to Norwich, while Crystal Palace were beaten 3-0 by Bromley.
These results may appear concerning, but early pre-season teams often contain academy players, mixed defensive units and players at different fitness levels.
Before removing an established FPL player from your watchlist, check:
Whether he was involved
How many expected starters played
Whether the manager changed the entire team at half-time
Whether the same problems continue in later matches
One poor friendly result is not enough evidence to avoid an entire defence.
What matters more than friendly goals?
Use the following order when evaluating pre-season players:
Expected Gameweek 1 start
Expected minutes
Tactical position
Penalties and set pieces
Opening fixtures
Friendly goals and assists
A player who scores against weak opposition but starts on the bench in the final friendly should not become an automatic FPL selection.
Similarly, a player without an attacking return can still become a strong option if he repeatedly starts in an advanced role.
Watch the late World Cup returns
A large group of Premier League players will return late after participating in the final stages of the World Cup.
This can create misleading pre-season line-ups. A budget player may start several early friendlies only because his main competitor is still on holiday or completing an individual fitness programme.
FPL managers should be particularly careful with players whose places could disappear when international teammates return.
The final friendly will provide a much stronger indication than the first match of the summer.
OneFPL pre-season checklist
Before adding a player to your Gameweek 1 squad, confirm:
Has he started with the likely first team?
Did he play in the final major friendly?
Is his position secure?
Is he playing further forward than his FPL classification suggests?
Does he take penalties or set pieces?
Has the manager discussed his fitness?
Is a World Cup player returning to compete for his position?
Do his opening fixtures justify selection?
Final FPL verdict
Pre-season is useful when it confirms minutes, position and responsibility.
Do not rebuild your FPL team after every goal or result. Maintain a watchlist and make significant changes only when several strong signals appear together.
The most valuable pre-season discoveries are usually:
A minimum-price player becoming first choice
A midfielder playing as a forward
A new penalty taker
A wing-back receiving an advanced role
A popular player losing his starting place
A premium player struggling for Gameweek 1 fitness
OneFPL will continue updating this tracker as more friendlies are completed. The final update before Gameweek 1 should focus on expected starting line-ups, confirmed set-piece takers and players who completed enough minutes to begin the season.
OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.
OneFPL analysis. OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.
A cheap FPL bench can strengthen your starting eleven, but too many non-playing substitutes create unnecessary risk. Here is how to find the right balance.
