Young Gunners set for Premier League 2 return

Our under-21s get their 2026/27 Premier League 2 (PL2) campaign underway on Saturday, August 22 against Crystal Palace at Meadow Park (1pm UK), looking to continue our 100% record of reaching the play-offs.

Twenty-nine Category One academies will compete in the upcoming PL2 season, with each side playing twenty league matches in the regular season, ten at home and ten away.

At the end of the season, the top sixteen sides progress to the play-offs, a post season knockout tournament to determine the competitions overall winner. In the first round, the top eight sides are seeded, and play at home to the eight sides that finish between ninth and sixteenth.

Last season, we finished 14th in the league table, before losing a fiercely contested opening round play-off tie to Manchester City.

The sides that finish between 17th and 24th go into a separate knockout tournament with the top eight sides from the Professional Development League, where the Category Two academies compete.

After facing Palace in the opening round, we'll take on defending champions Brighton away from home.

Our regular season schedule also includes London derbies against the likes of Fulham, Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as a re-match with the Manchester City side that knocked us out of last season's play-offs.