The 2025-26 Premier League season begins Friday with defending champion Liverpool hosting Bournemouth at Anfield. Here's what to know heading into the new campaign in the world's most popular soccer league: Liverpool will attempt to retain the top-flight title for the first time since the mid-1980s to the backdrop of a tragedy.

When Jürgen Klopp announced his shock departure from Anfield in January 2024, the general consensus was that Liverpool would be in for a period of transition. In came a new head coach in Arne Slot,

Bournemouth's first Premier League match of the season took an ugly turn at Anfield when Antoine Semenyo said he was racially abused by a Liverpool fan. The Liverpool ECHO’s Ian Doyle reported that the Premier League corroborated the allegation,