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Arsenal Will Start Premier League Title Defense Against Coventry

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
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Arsenal Will Start Premier League Title Defense Against Coventry

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)

Arsenal will kick off their Premier League title defense against promoted Coventry on August 21.

The Premier League fixtures for the 2026-27 campaign were released on Friday, with the Gunners' home game against Frank Lampard's Coventry among the highlights in the opening round of matches.

Coventry are back in the top-flight for the first time in 25 years after winning the Championship last season.

Andoni Iraola's first Premier League game as Liverpool manager will be at Newcastle on August 23.

Former Bournemouth boss Iraola's Anfield debut is set for the weekend of August 29 against Nottingham Forest.

Manchester City start life after Pep Guardiola at home to Bournemouth on August 23.

City are expected to appoint former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca to replace Guardiola, who stepped down at the end of the season after a decade in charge.

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso begins his reign with a west London derby at Fulham on August 24, AFP reported.

Hull City, who won promotion via the Championship play-offs, begin their first Premier League season since 2017 with a home fixture against Manchester United on August 22.

Ipswich, promoted in second place in the Championship, host Sunderland on August 22.

Elsewhere on the first weekend, Europa League winners Aston Villa travel to Brighton.

Brentford host Tottenham, Everton welcome Crystal Palace and Leeds visit Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal, champions for the first time since 2004, face a testing period after they host Coventry.

Mikel Arteta's side head to Villa for their first away league game of the season, then meet Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on September 5.

Trips to Sunderland and Brighton follow for the north Londoners.

The weekend of September 12 brings the first Manchester derby of the post-Guardiola era, while Liverpool host Manchester United on November 21.

City and Arsenal do not face each other until November 28 at the Emirates Stadium.

The first Merseyside derby of the season between Everton and Liverpool is scheduled for November 28 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Roberto De Zerbi will get his first taste of the north London derby on December 5 when Tottenham host Arsenal.

The pick of the Boxing Day schedule sees Coventry boss Lampard facing his old club Chelsea on December 26.

Liverpool travel to arch rivals Manchester United on January 23 and a week later City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.

The final day of the Premier League will take place on May 30, with Arsenal at home to Brighton while City travel to Sunderland and Liverpool host Bournemouth.

Chelsea and United finish at home to Brentford and Fulham respectively.

The start and the end of the coming season are later than usual as a result of the World Cup, which finishes just 34 days before the Premier League begins.

Arsenal will face FA Cup winners City in the Community Shield, which serves as the curtain raiser to the top-flight season, on August 16.

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Girl Dies in France Celebrating World Cup Win

French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
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Girl Dies in France Celebrating World Cup Win

French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef

A 17-year-old girl fell off a truck and died while celebrating France's World Cup quarter final win over Morocco, emergency services said Friday.

Celebrations erupted across France after the 2-0 win in the United States with hundreds dancing in the streets of Paris, watched by thousands of police on security duties.

The teenager was on a truck at Aulnoye-Aymeries, near the northern city of Maubeuge, when she "fell and was run over" by the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene, according to emergency services.

The driver of the truck has been detained, while another teenager who witnessed the fall was taken to hospital suffering from shock, authorities said.

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Spain Aim for World Cup Date with France by Beating Belgium

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 07: Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain reacts during the training at Cotton Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 07: Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain reacts during the training at Cotton Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
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Spain Aim for World Cup Date with France by Beating Belgium

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 07: Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain reacts during the training at Cotton Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 07: Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain reacts during the training at Cotton Bowl on July 07, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP

European champions Spain are on a World Cup collision course with Kylian Mbappe's France if they can beat Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday.

At the spectacular SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Belgians face the daunting task of breaking through a Spanish defense that is yet to be breached in the tournament.

If Spain win, they will head to Texas next Tuesday for a mouth-watering semi-final against the French that many observers are already describing as the final before the final.

First though Spain need to find goals against a Belgium team who started the World Cup slowly but caught fire as the tournament has gone on.

The 4-1 demolition of the USA in the last round showed just how far the team coached by Rudi Garcia have come in the space of a few weeks.

Spain meanwhile have not displayed the attacking flair of France but they are playing the possession-based football that carried them to the country's only World Cup triumph, in South Africa in 2010.

Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, who turns 19 next week, is Spain's standout attacker but he arrived in the United States after suffering a late-season injury and has seemed a peripheral figure at times, scoring just once in five games.

Yamal, widely tipped to inherit the mantle of the world's greatest player once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally leave the stage, could be due a goal.

"We know that the best version of him, the attacking Lamine, is something that we haven't quite seen yet in this World Cup. Not to the level that we're used to," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente on Thursday.

In Yamal's absence, Mikel Oyarzabal has scored four times, including twice in the 3-0 defeat of an outclassed Austria in the last 32 at SoFi.

Spain have conceded just six shots on target in their five matches so far.

Belgium looked leaden and their stars ageing when they opened their group-stage account.

But they showed their mettle in an exciting defeat of Senegal in the last 32, when Youri Tielemans came to the fore to drag his team back from 2-0 down to a 3-2 victory after the introduction of Romelu Lukaku as an impact substitute.

The Belgians then demolished the USA in the last 16, in a game overshadowed by Donald Trump's intervention to get US striker Folarin Balogun's red card from the previous round cancelled.

That move fired up the Belgians, who gently mocked Trump with an on-field imitation of the president's Y.M.C.A. dance.

The World Cup is likely the last hurrah for the remainder of Belgium's so-called Golden Generation, including Lukaku, former Premier League player of the year Kevin De Bruyne and towering 'keeper Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid.

Belgium are comfortable with their status of underdogs.

Coach Garcia said on Thursday: "Everyone is already talking about us going home. But we think that we can do it.

"We think we can pull it off, and we're going to do everything we can to get to the semis."

On Thursday, France underlined their credentials by turning what was expected to be a tight quarter-final with Morocco into a clinical 2-0 win in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Moroccans were restricted to a handful of shots as Mbappe first had a penalty saved and then grabbed his eighth goal of this World Cup and 20th overall before Ousmane Dembele completed the job.

Mbappe was substituted later and applied an ice pack to his foot, but was quick to reassure France fans that it was nothing serious.

He will be relishing facing whichever defence is put in front of him next.

Sports

Football Troubles in London after France Beat Morocco

French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
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Football Troubles in London after France Beat Morocco

French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef
French fans celebrate their team on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match against Morocco, 10 July 2026. EPA/Fadi Yousef

British police battled football fans in central London early Friday after France beat Morocco in a World Cup quarter final.

One police officer was injured and four people were arrested following the "violent disorder", AFP quoted London police as saying.

Images shared on social media showed dozens of people stood in Edgware Road, near Hyde Park, and some throwing bottles and other objects at police.

Police said the trouble started after people blocked traffic in the road.

"The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks," a spokesman said. "One officer was taken to hospital for head injuries, it is believed he had been hit by a glass bottle."