As Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta works around the clock to bring in the striker that Gooners so crave, Mikel Arteta's crop will soon be put through their paces in another gruelling pre-season.

A positive preliminary period is of the utmost importance to the Gunners, who are more desperate than ever to shake off the label of Premier League also-rans following three consecutive silver medals in the top flight.

Like many of their rivals, Arsenal will travel halfway across the world to test their mettle in taxing temperatures, before most likely closing out the friendly period with their annual Emirates Cup fixture.

Here, Sports Mole provides everything you need to know about Arsenal's pre-season schedule, including details on their opponents, how to tune in to the matches and whether any of their new signings could be involved.

Who are Arsenal playing in pre-season?

Rather than head off to the USA again - as they have done for the past few years - Arsenal will jet off to Asia for this summer's pre-season tour, playing two fixtures in Singapore and one in Hong Kong.

Before boarding their flight to the East, however, the team are reportedly set for a week-long training camp in the Spanish resort of La Manga - located near Murcia - although they are not expected to play any matches there.

After landing in Singapore, the Gunners' first official pre-season game comes against Italian giants AC Milan, whom they face at the National Stadium in Kallang on July 23 at 12.30pm UK time (19.30 local time).

Four days later, on July 27, Arteta's men renew hostilities with Newcastle United at the same venue, before embarking on a trip to Hong Kong for a final blockbuster fixture on tour.

There, Arsenal meet bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a 'friendly' iteration of the North London derby, facing Thomas Frank's team on July 31 at the Kai Tak Sports Park; kickoff is scheduled for 11.30am UK time.

Details of this year's Emirates Cup are yet to be confirmed, but the Gunners are reportedly set to face Athletic Bilbao on either the ninth or 10th of August, the week before the Premier League gets underway.

Arsenal 2025-26 pre-season schedule:

July 23: Arsenal vs. AC Milan (12.30pm BST | National Stadium, Singapore)

July 27: Arsenal vs. Newcastle United (12.30pm BST | National Stadium, Singapore)

July 31: Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (11.30am BST | Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong)

August 9/10: Arsenal vs. Athletic Bilbao (TBA | Emirates Stadium)*

*TBC

Can I watch Arsenal's pre-season friendlies?

At the time of writing, there is no publicly available information on how Arsenal fans can watch their three friendlies against Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham in Asia.

However, the official Arsenal website has already confirmed that live commentary will be available for all three games on arsenal.com and the corresponding app.

Meanwhile, the Emirates Cup is expected to be streamed live on arsenal.com, most likely on a pay-per-view basis for club members.

Will Martin Zubimendi play in Arsenal's pre-season friendlies?

Arsenal made their first summer signing official on July 1, confirming the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea in a £5m deal, and the Spaniard will no doubt be on the plane to Asia.

Kepa's signing is expected to be followed by the unveiling of Martin Zubimendi, who has already been in London to complete the formalities of his transfer from Real Sociedad, which will cost Arsenal in excess of £50m.

There were brief fears of a late Real Madrid hijack, but the deal is as good as done, and all that is left now is for Arsenal to officially announce Zubimendi's signing.

The only reason they have not done so yet is that Real Sociedad wanted the deal to be included on their financial accounts for 2025-26; the 2024-25 financial year closed at the end of June.

As a result, Zubimendi will almost certainly be involved with Arteta's squad in their summer tour, as might Cristhian Mosquera and Christian Norgaard depending on how quickly Arsenal can get one or both deals over the line.

Written by
Ben Knapton