Arsenal are set to face Wolves at the Emirates Stadium in their first game of the season – with the Gunners aiming to launch a Premier League title challenge for the third year running. Mikel Arteta‘s side have been on fire in pre-season, and there’s a buzz around the squad that this could finally be their year with their journey beginning on Saturday (August 17).
The north London outfit kick off with the mission of defeating Wolves on home turf – something they’ve achieved each year since 2020. Gary O’Neil’s squad will commence the season without star winger Pedro Neto and skipper Max Kilman with the pair departing for Chelsea and West Ham, respectively, as the Black Country club hopes to improve on their 14th-place finish last season.
However, supporters of both teams will be unable to watch the match in the UK, as it hasn’t been chosen for TV coverage on Sky Sports or TNT Sports. Instead, Liverpool‘s opening game against Ipswich has bagged the early 12:30pm slot (on TNT Sports), while West Ham’s clash with Aston Villa is scheduled for a 5:30pm start (on Sky Sports), reports the Mirror.
Arsenal vs Wolves is one of four matches due to kick off at 3:00 p.m, alongside Everton vs Brighton, Newcastle vs Southampton, and Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth. The game won’t be shown on TV due to the Premier League‘s blackout rule, which stops any match from being broadcast live between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday.
This regulation is expected to stay in effect until at least 2029, following the new TV rights package agreed upon last December. Football fans in the United States can catch the match on NBC Sports and Fubo, which will also broadcast the game in Canada. Meanwhile, Optus Sport is the go-to for Australian viewers.
For those in the UK willing to hold off, Sky Sports will air 30-minute highlights on Saturday night, while Match of the Day will showcase highlights on BBC. Additionally, Sky Sports will release a quick 3-minute highlight reel on YouTube around 5.15pm on Saturday.
From the 2025/26 season through to the 2028/29 season, Premier League matches will be exclusively shown on Sky Sports and TNT Sport in the UK as they share the rights. Amazon Prime, set to show 20 games this year, will shift its focus to Champions League coverage.
Sky Sports has exclusive rights to broadcast 128 Premier League matches this season, but this number will see a significant increase next year. A whopping 70% rise in televised matches will result in them airing 215 games, including every match on the final day of the 2025/26 season and beyond. TNT Sports will air 52 live Premier League matches this season and will continue to do so each season under the new TV rights deal.