Premier League Summer Series 2025: Fixtures, Teams, Results

American football fans have a new reason to cross over to soccer each summer. The Premier League Summer Series brings top English clubs across the Atlantic for pre-season friendlies, giving US audiences a chance to see Premier League sides compete on home soil without jet lag. The 2025 edition ran from July 26 through August 3, 2025, with Manchester United claiming their first Summer Series title in a tournament that featured doubleheaders at three iconic American stadiums. Here’s everything you need to know about this growing tradition in the Premier League calendar.

Dates: July 26 – August 3, 2025 · Location: United States · Teams: Man Utd, Everton, West Ham, Bournemouth · First Winner: Chelsea · Format: Pre-season friendlies

The table below summarizes the key specifications for the 2025 Premier League Summer Series, including participating clubs, venues, and official event details.

What is the Premier League Summer Series?

The Premier League Summer Series is a pre-season friendly tournament that brings English Premier League clubs to the United States for competitive matches. The 2025 edition marked the second time the Premier League organized such an event in North America, aiming to engage the growing American fanbase and give domestic audiences access to top-tier English football. Wikipedia’s coverage confirms this was the second edition of the tournament.

History and purpose

The inaugural Summer Series reportedly took place before the 2025 event, with Chelsea winning that first edition. The tournament serves multiple purposes for the Premier League: building brand awareness in the crucial US market, providing clubs with meaningful pre-season competitive fixtures, and generating revenue through ticket sales and broadcasting rights. Sports Illustrated’s analysis notes that all four teams in 2025 finished above Manchester United in the 2024-25 Premier League standings, making the field competitive.

Hosting details

The 2025 tournament used three major American stadiums as venues. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey hosted the opening matchday on July 26, 2025, with its 82,500 capacity making it the largest venue on the circuit. Soldier Field in Chicago welcomed the teams on July 30 for the second matchday, with doors opening at 3:30 PM CT. The tournament concluded at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on August 3, 2025, which holds 61,500 fans.

Who’s playing in the Premier League Summer Series?

Four Premier League clubs participated in the 2025 Summer Series: Manchester United, West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth, and Everton. Each club played three matches against the other participants in a round-robin format. The Premier League’s official schedule confirmed these four clubs in advance, giving American fans the chance to see teams they might never encounter in regular season play.

2025 teams

Manchester United entered the tournament looking to rebound after a 2024-25 Premier League season that saw them finish outside European qualification spots. Wikipedia’s records show United finished with 7 points from 2 wins and 1 draw, securing the championship. West Ham United represented a mid-table Premier League side with ambitions to test themselves against top competition. AFC Bournemouth, known as “The Cherries” according to the Premier League’s club profiles, debuted in the top flight in 2015 after promotions from 2009. Everton rounded out the quartet, a traditional English club with deep roots in the Premier League era.

Past participants

The inaugural Summer Series reportedly featured Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Brighton & Hove Albion. Sports Illustrated reported that Chelsea won the first edition, establishing the precedent for what would become an annual tradition. The 2025 tournament maintained four-team fields, suggesting the format has been standardized.

How does the Summer Series work?

The Summer Series uses a straightforward format: each team plays every other team once, earning 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. Standings are determined first by points, then by goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head record. Wikipedia’s detailed coverage provides the complete standings breakdown for the 2025 edition.

Tournament structure

Matches were organized into three matchdays spread across the three venues. Each venue hosted a doubleheader, meaning one ticket granted access to two matches. The first matchday on July 26 featured Everton versus AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United against West Ham United at MetLife Stadium. The NBC Sports report confirmed the opening results: Bournemouth won 3-0, and United won 2-1.

The fixtures and results table below shows how each match unfolded across the three matchdays.

Standings and results

The final standings reflected the competitive nature of the tournament. Manchester United finished champions with 7 points and a goal difference of +4 (8 goals for, 4 against). West Ham United came second with 6 points, goal difference +2. AFC Bournemouth placed third with 3 points and a goal difference of -2, while Everton finished fourth with just 1 point from their three matches.

The pattern shows Manchester United’s consistency across all three matches gave them the edge, with their superior goal difference proving decisive over West Ham’s two wins.

How are the teams chosen for the Premier League Summer Series?

The Premier League invites clubs based on factors including their popularity in the American market, competitive positioning, and willingness to participate in the tour. The league coordinates with clubs and venue partners to assemble a field that will draw interest from American audiences while providing meaningful pre-season competition. Sports Illustrated’s team analysis indicates the selection aims for competitive balance and market appeal.

Qualification criteria

While the Premier League has not publicly released formal selection criteria, the pattern suggests clubs with strong American fanbases and those with recent or upcoming US marketing initiatives receive consideration. Financial terms, including revenue sharing from ticket sales and broadcasting rights, likely influence club willingness to participate. The tournament offers clubs a rare opportunity to play competitive matches in the US without the logistical challenges of a full overseas tour.

Selection process

The Premier League initiates the process by identifying suitable venues and proposed dates, then approaches clubs to gauge interest and availability. Clubs must balance Summer Series participation against other pre-season obligations, including players returning from international duty and squad development schedules. Sky Sports’ coverage notes that UK kick-off times were adjusted to account for BST, indicating the complexity of coordinating across multiple time zones and broadcast markets.

The implication is that club selection balances commercial appeal with sporting merit, ensuring each edition features recognizable names while maintaining competitive integrity.

Who won the Premier League Summer Series?

Manchester United won the 2025 Premier League Summer Series, claiming their first title in this tournament. NBC Sports Soccer announced United as champions on August 3, 2025, after they accumulated 7 points from two wins and one draw. The victory came in just the second edition of the Summer Series, with Chelsea having won the inaugural tournament.

First edition winner

Chelsea reportedly won the first Summer Series, establishing the precedent for the competition. Sports Illustrated confirmed that Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Brighton participated in the first edition. The differing participant lists between editions—Chelsea’s group featured Villa, Newcastle, and Brighton while 2025 featured United, West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton—demonstrate the rotation approach the Premier League appears to be using. For more information on the upcoming qualification matches, you can refer to the WK Kwalificatie CONCACAF wedstrijden 2026.

Trophy details

The Summer Series trophy is awarded to the winning club, recognizing their success in the pre-season tournament. While specific trophy specifications are not widely documented, the championship carries prestige as the official Premier League-sanctioned competition for American pre-season matches. Wikipedia’s records confirm Manchester United’s champion status with their first Summer Series title.

What this means is that clubs must weigh commercial benefits against player welfare, and the Premier League faces pressure to balance entertainment value with competitive fairness.

How to watch the Premier League Summer Series

American viewers could watch matches through NBC Sports platforms, including the Peacock streaming service, which held exclusive rights to Premier League content in the US market. UK audiences followed the action through Sky Sports coverage, with kick-off times adjusted for British Summer Time. Tickets were available through the official Premier League Summer Series website.

For fans considering attending future editions, the logistics at each venue were well-documented. Soldier Field’s event page confirmed doors opened at 3:30 PM CT on July 30, with parking available from 2:00 PM. These details suggest the Premier League and venue partners worked to provide a smooth matchday experience for American audiences unfamiliar with English football crowds.

The catch is that US-based broadcasting requires early morning or late-night viewing for UK audiences, which may limit live engagement despite official coverage being available.

“Manchester United are the winners of the 2025 Premier League Summer Series.”

— NBC Sports Soccer, Broadcaster

“WE’VE BEEN TEASING THE ANNOUNCEMENT ALL WEEKEND AND WE CAN FINALLY BRING YOU THE NEWS.”

— NBC Sports, Presenter

The Summer Series 2025 fixtures highlighted Man Utd’s dominance with seven points, edging out Everton and West Ham in packed US stadiums.

Frequently asked questions