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Arsenal's pre-season training is set to commence on Monday, a day after the World Cup has concluded.
The Gunners had a total of 15 players at the tournament in North America this summer, and the club's hierarchy subsequently took the decision to delay the return to London Colney for this reason. Usually, pre-season would start around six weeks before the Premier League campaign kicks off, but this summer's preparations will be significantly shorter.
The North Londoners felt training with the handful of players not at the World Cup, mixed with some academy stars, wasn't worth it and opted to instruct a later pre-season start date.
Those not participating in the World Cup will return to training on Monday, while the rest of Mikel Arteta's squad's returns will be scattered across the coming weeks, as the Spaniard's ensemble gears up for the 2026/27 season.
With that said, we've taken a look at when each player could return and which of the pre-season games they could be available for, to give you a taste of what Arsenal's starting eleven could look like in the opening few weeks.
Arsenal's Pre-Season Schedule 2026
The unprecedentedly long World Cup has prompted Arsenal to ditch their annual pre-season tour this summer. In previous years, the Gunners have travelled to Singapore and the United States, but opted against such an excursion this time around due to the logistical difficulties it would entail.
Instead, Arsenal's travels will extend merely to Spain and Ireland, before returning to London for matches at the Emirates.
Arsenal's 2026/27 pre-season schedule:
- 20th July - Return to Training for some players.
- 1st August - Girona vs Arsenal (7pm Kick-Off) - Estadi Municipal de Montilivi.
- 5th August - Real Betis vs Arsenal (7:30pm Kick-Off) - Aviva Stadium.
- 9th August - Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund (2pm Kick-Off) - Emirates Stadium.
- 12th August - Arsenal vs Como (7:30pm Kick-Off) - Emirates Stadium.
- 16th August - Arsenal vs Manchester City (3pm) - Community Shield - Millenium Stadium.
- 21st August - Arsenal vs Coventry (8pm) - Premier League - Emirates Stadium.,
When will the first Arsenal players return to pre-season training?
Everyone who wasn't called up by their nations for the World Cup, or plays for a country that didn't qualify, will return to full training on Monday. While some of these players have already spent time at Arsenal's training ground in recent weeks, this has largely been to undergo personal training regimes, and not for scheduled group sessions with Arteta and his extensive coaching staff.
Arsenal signed Illan Meslier earlier this month, and the goalkeeper is expected to jump straight into training next week, joining Kepa Arrizabalaga and Tommy Setford in this department.
The likes of Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly have had a summer off to rest and recuperate. They will return on Monday, while fellow defenders Jurrien Timber and Ben White could also be back in the fold, although it'll depend on their respective fitness status'.
Christian Norgaard, Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom are expected to leave Arsenal this summer, will return for duty on Monday, potentially to spend their final few weeks training at Sohba Realty.
Kai Havertz, whose World Cup was brought to a premature end on 29th June, may be the sole representative from the international tournament present from the outset. Players are permitted at least a three-week break each summer, and Germany's exit will have been exactly three weeks ago on Monday.
Players Returning on Monday 20th July: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Illan Meslier, Tommy Setford, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Norgaard, Fabio Vieira, Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri, Reiss Nelson, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus.
When will Arsenal's World Cup stars return for pre-season training?
The aforementioned players should all be available from the first game, away at Girona, assuming they're fit.
Cristos Tzolis is set to sign for Arsenal from Club Brugge, and he could be catipulted straight into Arteta's sessions. If the deal materialises early next week, expect to see him in training pictures immediately, given he's already enjoyed a few weeks of pre-season with the Belgian club.
Viktor Gyokeres and Piero Hincapie will be the next to join. The Swede's involvement in the World Cup was ended on June 30th, while the Ecuadorian's was the first of this month.
Given that the two summer 2025 signings played significantly more football than Havertz over the course of last season, Arteta could grant them an additional few days off. A viable return date could be Friday 24th July, which should give them enough time to prepare for the Girona clash.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli were knocked out of the competition on 5th July and could both return to the fold on Monday 27th July, just over three weeks after their World Cup exit. This probably won't give them enough time to be available for Girona, but a return against Real Betis is plausible.
Martin Odegaard could follow the Brazilians through the door a week later on Monday 3rd August, three weeks after Norway's game against England. The Gunners' captain may miss both the Girona and Betis matches, but could make the Dortmund clash.
The penultimate group of returning players are in line for a Monday 10th August return. This is three weeks after the World Cup ends, meaning those who made the semi-final should be available to train from this point.
This group will likely include David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. These players will face a race against time to be fit for the Community Shield encounter with Enzo Maresca's Manchester City.
As for William Saliba, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, there is talk of significant rest time being required to get all three players back to full fitness. All three have injury concerns and need an extended spell off to recover and rehabilitate.
Arsenal are anxiously awaiting the full diagnosis on Saliba's back issue, while Rice and Saka are expected to be given until after the first international break off. This could see the England duo return in mid-to-late September.
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