It feels like Spain lifted the World Cup trophy just yesterday, but believe it or not, the 2026-27 European soccer season is upon us! The Premier League kicks off with defending champions Arsenal hosting newly promoted Coventry City on Friday, while Serie A and Ligue 1 also begin action this weekend.
LaLiga is already entering its second matchweek, but its biggest clubs -- Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid -- will take the pitch for the first time this season this Saturday and Sunday. Over in Germany, the Bundesliga begins play on Aug. 28.
That all means it's time for 15 ESPN writers and editors to predict everything from silverware to which teams are primed to surprise or disappoint. We also asked each of them to provide one big, bold prediction that we'll be sure to revisit at the end of the season.
Can anyone keep Paris Saint-Germain from a third straight UEFA Champions League title? Which top English club is set to tumble out of the top four, if ESPN's picks are correct? Let's get to it, starting with the English top flight.
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Premier League predictions | Europe predictions | One bold prediction
Premier League predictions
Champions
Our pick: Arsenal (13 votes)
Who else received votes? Manchester City (1), Chelsea (1)
After two decades without winning the Premier League, our voters strongly favor Arsenal to go back-to-back. What makes them a good bet to repeat? Two things: They reinforced their roster nicely, and last year's primary challenger, Manchester City, added only question marks.
Arsenal's primary loss came in allowing winger Leandro Trossard to leave for Besiktas, but the incoming Bruno Guimarães nearly matched Trossard's production from a midfield role, and wing replacement Christos Tzolis has looked excellent in the early going. Arsenal's depth was tested last season and passed with flying colors, and now manager Mikel Arteta has even more options.
Meanwhile, though City still have outstanding talent throughout the pitch, the change from Pep Guardiola to Enzo Maresca at manager is bound to include some bumps, and City lost key coach-on-the-field types in Rodri (Barcelona), Bernardo Silva (Real Madrid) and John Stones (Inter). This feels like a transition period for City, and Liverpool's roster transition isn't over yet, so unless Manchester United or Chelsea are ready for a big surge, Arsenal is by far the safest bet. -- Bill Connelly
Rest of top four
Our picks: Chelsea (14), Manchester City (13), Manchester United (10)
Who else received votes? Liverpool (5), Arsenal (2), Brighton & Hove Albion (1)
Chelsea finished 10th last season. Why might we expect them to make a huge leap? There's a reason you'd expect Chelsea to be substantially better than last year and really, it has little to do with personnel. Yes, new attacker Morgan Rogers is great, fullback Marco Palestra is an athletic force, and teenagers Geovany Quenda and Estevao Willian will continue to get better. But there are more than 10 days left in the window and with this club, anything can happen in terms of ins and outs.
No, the main reason Chelsea will be better is that Xabi Alonso is a good coach who, crucially, will have time to work with his team. Do not underestimate the advantage of not playing European football -- particularly for new bosses, and particularly in a season when virtually all the other big clubs (Arsenal being the exception) will have a new (or virtually new, such as Michael Carrick at Manchester United or Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur) coach at the helm. -- Gabriele Marcotti
Man City are at an inflection point after the departure of Guardiola. Do they have enough to make yet another title challenge? City looked so poor in the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, but it's important not to read too much into that. It is, after all, technically a preseason game, and when you see Mateo Kovacic playing the Rodri role in midfield, you can safely class Enzo Maresca's approach to the game as experimental.
But the cold, hard reality is that this team was clearly short of Arsenal last season and doesn't appear to have made up any ground. Arguably the greatest manager in the history of the game, Guardiola, is gone, as is arguably the best No. 6 in the game in Rodri (and the legendary Bernardo Silva, too). City are making positive moves in the transfer window, but they remain undeniably weaker compared with last season.
Time will tell just how much they drop off, but as we enter the season, they look comfortably short of the Gunners. -- Sam Tighe
Why do Man United have a better shot than Liverpool of finishing top-four? The main reason is the momentum carrying from last season. After Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim in January, the Red Devils became a much more coherent and efficient team. They lost only two of the 17 games Carrick managed (71% win ratio and 2.3 points won per game). There are no reasons this team can't keep doing what it did so well between January and May.
Yes, they will have the Champions League to deal with as well as the Premier League, but they will (or should) have a better squad than last season. Apart from Casemiro (Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia don't count), United have not lost any key players. They have added one very good midfielder in Youri Tielemans, in one of the biggest coups of the transfer window, and an up-and-coming one in Andrey Santos. Marcus Rashford is also back in town. I won't lie, I expected them to have signed more players by now, including another midfielder and a versatile defender, but they will come before the window closes.
Liverpool will also sign more players, but right now, their team is not ready, they don't have any positive momentum from last season, and they have a new manager with a totally different style from the previous one to adapt to. United have a much better chance at the top four right now. -- Julien Laurens
Who will win Golden Boot?
Our pick: Erling Haaland (15)
Who else received votes? No one
It's clear everyone thinks Haaland will maintain his scoring prowess with Guardiola gone, but might things be different for him under Maresca? Manchester City made that slow start against Arsenal in the Community Shield, and Haaland ended up with the fewest touches of any player on the pitch, managing just seven across his 53 minutes. But in that spell he still managed to get two shots off on goal, one on target. As we all know, the warmup match means little in the scheme of things, but there was enough in City's limp performance to suggest there will be growing pains for City under Maresca. That's inevitable after a managerial change for the first time in 10 years. City will take time to adjust to Maresca's methods, and with that, form and scoring will fluctuate.
Yet in a sport of few guarantees, Haaland scoring bags of goals is one of them. He was superb in the World Cup and should hit the ground running this term. Though Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, João Pedro and Viktor Gyökeres might have a say in the matter, Haaland will likely end up with the Golden Boot at the end of the season. Guardiola or not, Haaland remains the biggest threat in the league. -- Tom Hamilton
Nine of 20 clubs have a new manager. Which new coach will be the first to get sacked?
Our pick: Oliver Glasner, Nottingham Forest (4)
Who else received votes? Matthias Jaissle, Newcastle United (3); Álvaro Arbeloa, Fulham (3); Gary O'Neil, Ipswich Town (3); Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace (2)
After his impressive achievements at Crystal Palace, what are the reasons things might go south for Glasner at Forest? It's not you, Oliver, it's Nottingham Forest -- or rather, the club's owner.
I am sure everyone who has opted for Glasner to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked also rates him quite highly. His achievements with Eintracht Frankfurt and Crystal Palace, winning European trophies with both clubs, have been incredible.
However, he is stepping into a different landscape at the City Ground. Owner Evangelos Marinakis has shown very little patience with his coaches. Just last season, he went through four of them: Nuno Espírito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira. It is for that reason that it's quite easy to imagine Marinakis getting edgy if Forest don't come out the traps quickly against Leeds United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa in their first four games. -- Sam Marsden
Which surprise team has the best chance at a top-four finish?
Our pick: Tottenham Hotspur (6)
Who else received votes? Brighton (3), Newcastle (2), Nottingham Forest (2), AFC Bournemouth (1), Fulham (1)
After narrowly escaping relegation, why might Spurs' retool put them in position to challenge for a Champions League berth? With the exception of their triumph in the Europa League, it's been an abysmal couple of years for Spurs. It's almost unbelievable that a club of their stature has twice finished in 17th place, narrowly avoiding relegation. But after a busy summer of transfers, this could be the season they bounce back -- particularly if they can add a few more attackers to their squad.
Spurs have already added crucial experience and quality in defense and midfield, signing the likes of fullback Andy Robertson, center back Jan Paul van Hecke and midfielder Sandro Tonali. They have also been boosted by the return of James Maddison from an ACL injury, with Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski both working their way back to fitness.
With no European football to contend with this season, head coach De Zerbi should have ample opportunity to work with his squad on the training pitch and implement his high-octane style. Considering so many of Spurs' rivals are in a state of flux, this season could be a huge opportunity for them to make a break for the top four. -- Beth Lindop
Which team will unexpectedly regress or struggle?
Our pick: Sunderland (4)
Who else received votes? Man United (3), Newcastle (3), Aston Villa (3), Liverpool (2)
Why won't Sunderland be able to match their top-half finish last season? Make no mistake: The 2026-27 season promises to be incredibly exciting for Sunderland. In the span of roughly 15 months, the Black Cats will go from clambering into the Premier League via the playoffs to playing in Europe. The sound of the Europa League anthem ringing around the Stadium of Light is going to be so, so sweet for everyone involved.
But while those nights will be joyous, they'll also be taxing. The Thursday/Sunday rhythm is a tricky one, and those Premier League away games off the back of a big night in Europe can be grueling. Manager Régis Le Bris will have no choice but to rotate and at times prioritize, which will in turn stretch the squad.
Add that to the credible suggestion that they overperformed last season (at least, expected goals and expected points statistics posit that idea; no Premier League side bettered its expected points more than Sunderland) and it's quite easy to see them dropping off a level or two. -- Tighe
European soccer predictions
Champions League winner
Our pick: Barcelona (5)
Who else received votes? Bayern Munich (3), Paris Saint-Germain (3), Arsenal (2), Man City (1), Real Madrid (1)
In a close vote, Barcelona emerged as the consensus choice. Why are they in a good position to win their first Champions League in more than a decade? PSG proved last season they are still the team to beat in Europe, but winning three Champions League titles in a row is no easy task, with Real Madrid the only team to manage the feat in the 21st century. As such, logic dictates there will be a new European champion this season, and Barcelona look like the best-placed team to steal PSG's crown.
The signing of Rodri in a £65 million deal from Manchester City could be a game changer, adding world-class pedigree to a midfield that is already packed with talent. At the back, Pau Cubarsí is fresh from being crowned the best young player at the World Cup, while his center-back partner from the tournament -- Aymeric Laporte -- has also been linked with a move to the Catalan giants.
Up front, Lamine Yamal -- arguably the best young player in the world -- will be complemented by the arrivals of Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi and England international Anthony Gordon. It looks like a team with an exciting blend of quality and experience, littered with an array of newly crowned world champions who will be hungry for more success. -- Lindop
Few voters think PSG will make it three in a row. What could hold them back in 2026-27? I don't think anything will hold PSG back; they will be close to a pretty incredible three-peat. We see, season after season, how thin the margins are between the top clubs in the latest stages of the Champions League. Paris, after back-to-back Champions League triumphs, have mastered how to deal with strong or weak moments in these key games, as we saw against Bayern last season or against Arsenal the previous year. They have added more talent to their squad already compared with last season.
However, there is reason only one team, Real Madrid from 2016 to '18, has gone three in a row in the top European competition since the 1970s: It is bloody hard to do! Two in a row is already a hell of an achievement, and not many believed PSG would do it. A three-peat? You'd believe it even less.
Winning is hard and demanding. Sustaining it in the Champions League is tough. Paris are still the best collective in Europe, but as good as their movement, permutations and ball-moving patterns are, they still depend on the individual brilliance of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. In the past two seasons, it was often one or two of them who made the difference. Can they do it again? It is not guaranteed.
There are also question marks over center back Marquinhos' level at 32 years old and Matvey Safonov in goal. Last season, Safonov did what he had to do to help the team go all the way. But can he step up more if needed? I'm not sure. -- Laurens
LaLiga winner
Our pick: Real Madrid (8)
Who else received votes? Barcelona (7)
By the tightest of margins, Real Madrid edged out Barça in our voters' eyes. If they win, what will be the key reason? Two words: José Mourinho. If Madrid win the league, it will prove they were right to bring Mourinho home to the Bernabéu, 13 years after he left. And, of course, because of the work they've done in the transfer window, signing six players -- Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espí -- even if the one player who might have made them clear LaLiga favorites, Rodri, ended up at Camp Nou.
There's some reason to be optimistic about Mourinho. One of Madrid's biggest problems last season was a lack of off-field discipline, with dressing room disharmony key to the dismissal of Xabi Alonso -- undermined by senior players -- and the failure of his replacement Álvaro Arbeloa. Mourinho has the status and authority to deal with any behind-the-scenes dissent.
But can he squeeze Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Diomande into a balanced starting XI? That's another question. Cucurella will improve the team significantly; Silva should too, although fixing Madrid's midfield, which hasn't functioned since Toni Kroos and Luka Modric left, is quite a task. -- Alex Kirkland
Serie A winner
Our pick: Internazionale (13)
Who else received votes? Como (1), AS Roma (1)
Inter are the prohibitive favorites to repeat in Serie A. Why are they such a strong pick, and who has the best odds of usurping them? In recent years, Serie A clubs have been a bit like the bargain-hunters at farmers' markets: They do their shopping late, thinking it will get them the best deals. So making predictions this early is risky.
That said, there's no question Inter are the clear favorites to repeat as champions. I don't love the Djed Spence and John Stones deals, but this is the deepest squad in Serie A, and the return of Aleksandar Stankovic gives them legs and quality in the middle of the park, perhaps the only evident weak spot. Is goalkeeper Josep Martínez ready to step up? He's not going to be worse than the version of Yann Sommer we saw last season.
I have little faith that coach Ruben Amorim can have an instant impact at Milan, and even less faith in Max Allegri at Napoli. Juventus should be better with a full season of Luciano Spalletti at the helm, but, like Milan and Napoli, they have a lot of business to do between now and the end of the window. The jury is still out on all of them. Maybe the biggest threat will be Roma -- forward Santiago Castro is a smart pickup -- provided coach Gian Piero Gasperini can continue to work his magic. -- Marcotti
Bundesliga winner
Our pick: Bayern Munich (15)
Who else received votes? No one
Bayern romping to another league title appears to be inevitable. Does anyone have even the slightest chance of keeping up? The short answer: probably not. The longer answer: The situation in Germany feels familiar, as Bayern have built a terrifying squad while all of the Bundesliga's light heavyweights are in transition.
We can see new and pretty exciting roster cores forming at places like Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. The former added teenagers like attacking midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas and defender Joane Gadou to a lineup that still features veterans like Nico Schlotterbeck and Serhou Guirassy and other youngsters like Maximilian Beier and Jobe Bellingham. In Leverkusen, meanwhile, they've added players like left back Miguel Gutierrez to a lineup with Malik Tillman and thrilling 20-year-olds Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane up front. VfB Stuttgart, meanwhile, mostly kept the band together and could benefit from continuity.
But Bayern still have Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Luis Díaz among their countless stars, and they made maybe the two most exciting additions in the league by grabbing attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari and left back Nathaniel Brown. It's always hard to pick against Germany's superclub, and it's particularly hard this year. -- Connelly
One bold prediction
Bill Connelly: Sunderland pull off the "Tottenham Memorial Europa League run and 17th-place league finish" combination.
Rob Dawson: Tottenham will be in the title race at Christmas.
Alex Kirkland: Manager Diego Simeone will leave Atletico Madrid at the end of this season.
Julien Laurens: Gianni Infantino will still be in charge of FIFA in 2027, and will even be reelected in March for another term.
Beth Lindop: Michael Carrick will be sacked by Manchester United before the end of the season.
Gab Marcotti: We'll have a new FIFA president after the March election.
Sam Marsden: I don't know if this is considered bold, but Como to win Serie A. I am feeling it.
Mark Ogden: Eddie Howe will be managing Leeds United or Everton by Christmas.
James Olley: Man City's case with the Premier League will finally be concluded this season, and the outcome will create a plethora of problems.
Sam Tighe: New Brentford midfielder Mamadou Sangaré is so good, a top club signs him for at least £80 million in summer 2027.