Top four revealed for 2025-26 Premier League season

A look at which teams BBC pundits expect to finish in the top four for the 2025-26 season.

BBC pundits pick top four for 2025-26 Premier League season

Liverpool won the title last season and aim to defend it under manager Arne Slot. Arsenal finished second for three seasons running and are eager to take the next step. Manchester City saw their crown slip after a long run, while Chelsea finished fourth and look to improve again. BBC consulted 32 pundits and also included AI input and Opta’s Supercomputer to predict the top four, all based on squad status on Thursday, 14 August before the transfer window closes at 19 00 BST on 1 September.

This piece presents a pre-season snapshot rather than a guarantee, highlighting how expert guesses mix with data tools to form a season narrative. The blend of human judgment and machine analysis shows a shift toward data enhanced forecasts in football, yet real results will hinge on injuries, late transfers, and form once the games begin.

The fall of a single prediction trail at the start of the season is common, but this piece tests how far numbers can steer public expectation. It signals a growing appetite for data driven storytelling in football while reminding readers that intuitions from coaches and pundits still drive drama and debate.

Timing matters: predictions are built on a snapshot before the transfer window closes, so shifts in squads could rewrite the top four before kickoff. The exercise underlines both the value and the limits of pre season forecasts in a league where small changes can tilt the balance.

Highlights

As the season arrives, questions stay alive about who will rise and who will fall.