Fulham fixtures: Cottagers handed early tests against Chelsea and United

Fulham enter the 2025/2026 Premier League season looking to make another leap under Marco Silva, after finishing 11th last term - quietly outperforming expectations in a season that often flew under the radar.

Under the astute guidance of Silva, now in his fifth season at the club, Fulham have played some of the league's most attractive football and built a resilient Premier League identity since promotion in 2022.

Fulham fixtures 2025:

August 16: Brighton vs Fulham

August 24: Fulham vs Manchester United

August 30: Chelsea vs Fulham

September 13: Fulham vs Leeds United

September 20: Fulham v Brentford

Silva's side begin their new Premier League campaign with a tough away fixture against Brighton, a side that has consistently impressed in recent seasons.

Their first home match comes against Manchester United, who were vulnerable on the road last season. It's a good opportunity for Fulham to make an early statement at Craven Cottage.

The pressure doesn't ease up though, as a West London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge follows just a week later - a fixture Fulham haven't historically done well in, but one that always brings added fire.

September sees slightly more even matchups. A home clash against West Ham and a trip to Aston Villa, both teams with European aspirations, will give Fulham a better sense of their level in the early part of the season.

There has been a worrying lack of activity from the Cottagers in the transfer window and Silva admits he's seeking at least four new signings before the window shuts. Only back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte has arrived so far.

"We hope we can strengthen the squad in the three or four positions we need to before the first game," said Silva.

"Some positions are really short and we have to add players, yes or yes until the end of the market because it's not what we expect in this moment of the season to don't have at least one, two or three players we needed for the beginning of the season.

"We expected much more activity from ourselves in terms of recruitment, players in. Unfortunately, they are not here. The worst thing we can have now is more injuries."

Fulham standings - Historic log positions

2020/21 - 18th

2021/22 - 1st (Championship)

2022/23 - 10th

2023/24 - 13th

2024/25 - 11th