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 jetted 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 enjoyed a week-long training camp in the Spanish resort of La Manga - located near Murcia - although they did not play any matches there.

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

In front of just over 20,000 spectators, Arsenal commenced their tour of Asia with a 1-0 triumph over the Rossoneri thanks to a second-half Bukayo Saka goal, although they suffered a 6-5 penalty-shootout loss to the Italian giants after the full-time whistle.

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 1-0 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?

Arsenal's pre-season friendlies can be streamed on the official Arsenal website and the Arsenal app on a pay-per-view basis.

As of July 23, fans can pay £14.99 to receive access to all of the Gunners' matches this summer, including the Emirates Cup against Athletic Bilbao and the North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the month.

Alternatively, the Newcastle United fixture as a standalone is available for £4.99 as part of an early bird offer, but the price will rise to £6.99 on the day of the match (July 27).

Will Viktor Gyokeres 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 stopped three penalties in the shootout loss to Milan.

Kepa's signing was followed by the unveiling of Martin Zubimendi, who cost Arsenal in excess of £50m from Real Sociedad after a seven-month mission; brief fears of a Real Madrid hijack were quickly shot down.

The Spain international was unsurprisingly involved in the victory over Milan, coming on in the second half as a replacement for fellow new signing Christian Norgaard, and Zubimendi earned particular plaudits for his composed performance.

However, all eyes are now on whether Arsenal will get the Viktor Gyokeres signing over the line in time for their battle with Newcastle United this weekend, as there has finally been a major breakthrough in talks with Sporting Lisbon.

At the time of writing, only the very final details are left to be ironed out, and Gyokeres is waiting patiently for the green light to board a flight to Asia and link up with his new teammates.

It will most likely be a tight turnaround for the meeting with the Magpies, but a debut against Tottenham on July 31 is not out of the question for Gyokeres, while defender Cristhian Mosquera could even appear as early as this weekend after flying to Singapore on Tuesday.

Noni Madueke's arrival from Chelsea was announced before Arsenal made the journey to Singapore, but the England international was not called up to the Gunners' tour squad, instead being granted extra time off to recover from his Club World Cup exploits.

Written by
Ben Knapton