- Everton’s new home will host some huge Premier League occasions.
- David Moyes has a real chance to build momentum early.
- Liverpool and Manchester City visits could define the atmosphere.
Everton supporters spent years looking forward to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium but, as beautiful as it is, 2025/26 brought with it an indifferent set of results.
This was by no means a new thing for a new stadium, but a fortress it was not.
But with the 2026/27 fixture list now confirmed, attention is already turning to what the club’s new home could turn into for a David Moyes side.
The move represented far more than a change of scenery. Everton hoped their new surroundings would provide the kind of advantage that could help turn draws into wins and good seasons into memorable ones. But it didn’t happen. Unfortunately.
Looking at the fixture list, though, if Moyes can somehow fix this, there is every chance the Hill Dickinson could yet become one of the Premier League’s toughest places to visit.
An ideal opening home fixture
The Blues could hardly have asked for a better start.
Crystal Palace will be the first Premier League visitors on August 22, allowing Everton to begin a new chapter against a side they will believe they can compete with, even given the Eagles’ success in Europe last season.
The atmosphere for the new season is likely to be special regardless of the opposition, but facing one of the league’s established mid-table clubs rather than a title challenger may help Everton settle into the new season.
Manchester United visit just two weeks later, before Ipswich Town arrive in September, meaning Evertonians will have plenty of opportunities to make an early impact.
If Everton can take advantage of those fixtures, confidence could quickly grow around the ground.
The biggest tests come to Merseyside
Any stadium earns its reputation through results against the biggest clubs – remember the win against Chelsea last season? – and Everton will have no shortage of opportunities to make that statement.
Chelsea are the first of the traditional top-six sides to visit in October before Liverpool make the trip across the city on November 28.
Manchester City then arrive on December 30 in what could be one of the standout fixtures of the festive period.
Arsenal’s visit in May also has the potential to be significant depending on how both teams are performing at that stage of the campaign.
These are exactly the types of occasions supporters imagined when plans for the stadium were first unveiled.
Under the lights, with a packed crowd behind the team, Everton will hope the atmosphere can become a genuine weapon.
A derby to remember?
One date supporters immediately looked for was the Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Liverpool’s visit before Christmas feels significant.
By late November, Everton should be fully settled, and the stadium atmosphere should hopefully be benefiting from a good late-summer/early-autumn.
A positive result against their biggest rivals would not only provide a memorable moment in the stadium’s history but could also strengthen belief that Everton have finally created a home advantage and, dare I say it, a fortress.
A favourable finish on home soil
The run-in also offers encouragement.
Bournemouth, Brighton and Hull City are all scheduled to visit the Hill Dickinson during the final weeks of the season before Arsenal arrive for Everton’s last home game.
Should Moyes’ side still be chasing a top-half finish or even pushing for something more ambitious, those fixtures could prove crucial.
Everton supporters spent years waiting for this moment. Now the fixture list has provided a genuine opportunity to make Hill Dickinson 2.0 a place opponents dread visiting. let’s pretend last season was a practise run.
If Moyes’ side can start strongly at home, the new ground could become one of the club’s biggest assets during the 2026/27 campaign.
Everton’s 2026/27 Premier League fixtures
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Aug 22 | Crystal Palace (h) |
| Aug 29 | Bournemouth (a) |
| Sept 5 | Manchester United (h) |
| Sept 12 | Tottenham Hotspur (a) |
| Sept 19 | Ipswich Town (h) |
| Oct 10 | Hull City (a) |
| Oct 17 | Chelsea (h) |
| Oct 24 | Arsenal (a) |
| Oct 31 | Newcastle United (a) |
| Nov 7 | Coventry City (h) |
| Nov 21 | Brentford (a) |
| Nov 28 | Liverpool (h) |
| Dec 2 | Aston Villa (a) |
| Dec 5 | Fulham (h) |
| Dec 12 | Brighton (a) |
| Dec 19 | Nottingham Forest (a) |
| Dec 26 | Sunderland (h) |
| Dec 30 | Manchester City (h) |
| Jan 2 | Leeds United (a) |
| Jan 6 | Aston Villa (h) |
| Jan 16 | Coventry City (a) |
| Jan 23 | Brentford (h) |
| Jan 30 | Liverpool (a) |
| Feb 6 | Newcastle United (h) |
| Feb 10 | Leeds United (h) |
| Feb 20 | Sunderland (a) |
| Feb 27 | Nottingham Forest (h) |
| Mar 3 | Manchester City (a) |
| Mar 13 | Manchester United (a) |
| Mar 20 | Tottenham Hotspur (h) |
| Apr 10 | Crystal Palace (a) |
| Apr 17 | Bournemouth (h) |
| Apr 24 | Brighton (h) |
| May 1 | Fulham (a) |
| May 8 | Hull City (h) |
| May 15 | Chelsea (a) |
| May 23 | Arsenal (h) |
| May 30 | Everton (h) |
