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When Is Xabi Alonso’s First Game As Chelsea Manager?
Xabi Alonso has been officially unveiled as Chelsea’s manager until 2030, but he won’t take the reins until the current campaign has concluded.
The Blues triumphantly announced their appointment of the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid manager on Sunday morning, successfully distracting from the disappointing FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City a matter of hours earlier. There are still two Premier League matches for Chelsea to navigate, with the prospect of some form of European qualification still a faint possibility, but Alonso will not yet be at the helm.
Chelsea’s statement confirmed that the 44-year-old’s contract doesn’t officially come into effect until July 1, 2026, which represents the soft start of the 2026–27 club campaign. Before that, the Blues must hurdle a fierce London derby and one of the toughest away trips in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea’s Next Premier League Fixtures After Xabi Alonso Appointment
Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|
Tuesday, May 19 | Tottenham | Stamford Bridge |
Sunday, May 24 | Sunderland | Stadium of Light |
Chelsea’s own objectives dangle by a thin thread. Top five is out of the question for a team currently slumped in ninth place and sixth may also prove to be impossible, but seventh brings Europa League qualification while the eighth-best team in the division will also book a spot into the Conference League next season. However, there is a much more concrete prospect of spoiling Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of survival.
The north London outfit are teetering just above the perforated line of the relegation zone, locked in a straight shootout with West Ham United. Chelsea have the chance of derailing Tottenham’s bid for salvation when they host their fierce London rivals at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Alonso will no doubt be watching the derby unfold with keen interest but won’t be in the dugout. That task is reserved for interim Calum McFarlane, who will see out his second temporary spell with a trip to Sunderland.
The Stadium of Light has been a graveyard for the Premier League’s established elite this season. Sunderland are unbeaten on home turf against Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool—the entire top five—in their first year since promotion.
To make this fixture an even more daunting affair for Chelsea, Sunderland have already beaten the Blues this season, carving out a 2–1 win at Stamford Bridge in October thanks to a stoppage-time winner.
When Will Alonso Manager His First Chelsea Game?
Alonso doesn’t officially take his post until the start of July. The end of that month will provide the Basque boss with his first unofficial fixtures as Chelsea embark upon a preseason tour of Australia and Asia.
The Olympic Stadium in Melbourne will serve as the grand setting for Alonso’s maiden bow as Chelsea boss when the Blues take on A-League strugglers Western Sydney Wanderers on July 28.
Chelsea also face during their trip Down Under before duking it out with the Serie A duo of Juventus in Hong Kong and AC Milan in Indonesia.
Xabi Alonso’s First Unofficial Fixtures As Chelsea Manager
Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|
Tuesday, July 28 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia |
Saturday, Aug. 1 | Tottenham | Accor Stadium, Sydney, Australia |
Wednesday, Aug. 5 | Juventus | Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong |
Saturday, Aug. 8 | AC Milan | GBK Stadium Jakarta, Indonesia |
As Chelsea lost the FA Cup final and therefore missed out on a place in the Community Shield, Alonso will have to wait until the first game of the 2026–27 Premier League season for his official debut.
Fixtures for next term’s top flight won’t be announced until June but it has already been revealed that the opening weekend will take place between 21–24 August, barely a month after the World Cup final.
The vast majority of Chelsea’s squad is expected to be involved in this summer’s international jamboree, which runs between June 11 and July 19. This tournament may very well leave Alonso without a large glut of key first-team players for preseason, forcing the tactician into yet another disjointed preparation.
Alonso’s ultimately doomed Real Madrid tenure began with the chore of last summer’s unwanted Club World Cup. After a draining domestic campaign, Madrid’s squad were rushed straight across to the U.S. to play in oppressive conditions for a new manager who actually wanted them to run off the ball. The tensions which would underpin Alonso’s entire time in the Spanish capital were formed last summer.
Hopefully he’ll be able to get off to a better start at Chelsea.
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Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.