Cherries AFC Bournemouth · 2026–27 season
The Cherries
Every result and fixture, how Marco Rose's side lined up, the Premier League table, the squad and the summer's transfers, the Echo's Cherries coverage, and everything a visiting fan needs: getting to the Vitality, where to drink, and where to sleep after the final whistle.
Premier League 18th 3 pts from 6 games
Form, last five WDWLL League W 0 D 3 L 3
Next up AFC Bournemouth v Sturm Graz Thursday, 15 October 2026, 20:00 · Europa League · Dean Court
Last result L 1-5 v Chelsea (A) Sat 10 Oct · Premier League · Evanilson 51'
Results and fixtures
Official fixtures Every game of 2026–27
League 0-3-3, Europa League 1-0-0, Carabao Cup 1-0-0. Updated 14 October 2026 from the season record; kick-off times in UK time.
Results
- L 1-5 at Chelsea PL
- L 0-1 v Liverpool PL
- W 2-1 at Real Sociedad UEL, 1
- D 2-2 v Brentford PL
- W 4-0 v Lincoln City Carabao Cup, Third round
- D 2-2 at Newcastle United PL
- D 1-1 v Everton PL
- L 1-2 at Manchester City PL
Pre-season friendlies (5)
- L 1-2 at Mainz 05
- D 2-2 at Real Betis
- W 10-1 v Genoa
- W 5-2 at FC Augsburg
- W 4-1 at FC St. Pauli
Fixtures
- 15 OctThu AFC Bournemouth v Sturm Graz UEL, 2
- 18 OctSun AFC Bournemouth v Sunderland PL
- 22 OctThu AFC Bournemouth v Milan UEL, 3
- 25 OctSun Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth PL
- 28 OctWed AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa Carabao Cup, Fourth round
- 31 OctSat AFC Bournemouth v Leeds United PL
- 5 NovThu Sparta Prague v AFC Bournemouth UEL, 4
- 8 NovSun Ipswich Town v AFC Bournemouth PL
- 21 NovSat AFC Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest PL
- 26 NovThu Celta Vigo v AFC Bournemouth UEL, 5
- 29 NovSun Fulham v AFC Bournemouth PL
- 2 DecWed AFC Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove Albion PL
- 5 DecSat AFC Bournemouth v Hull City PL
- 10 DecThu AFC Bournemouth v Viktoria Plzeň UEL, 6
Broadcast picks move Premier League kick-offs; the club's site has the confirmed time nearest the game. European nights at the Vitality are Thursdays at 8pm.
Starting XI
How Rose lined up: Liverpool (H), Sun 20 Sept
One change from the Europa League win: Ryan Christie in for Justin Kluivert, who was not in the squad. Source: AFC Bournemouth team news, 20 September 2026.
1 Petrović 3 Truffert 5 Hill 14 Silva 15 Smith (c) 8 Scott 12 Adams 16 Tavernier 10 Christie 37 Rayan 9 Evanilson
The eleven
- 1Đorđe PetrovićGK
- 15Adam Smith (c)RB
- 14António SilvaCB
- 5James HillCB
- 3Adrien TruffertLB
- 12Tyler AdamsDM
- 8Alex ScottDM
- 37RayanRW
- 10Ryan ChristieAM
- 16Marcus TavernierLW
- 9EvanilsonST
Bench: Di Gregorio, Cook, Soler, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Diakité, Juanlu Sánchez, Tóth, Jebbison.
Result: 0-1, a defeat. The club publishes names; the formation is our reading of the team sheet.
Previous: Real Sociedad (A), Thu 17 Sept
4-4-2: Petrović, Smith (c), Hill, Silva, Truffert, Rayan, Scott, Adams, Tavernier, Evanilson, Kluivert.
The club's first ever European fixture. Kluivert and Rayan scored inside twenty minutes. Source: Confirmed XI as reported by Sofascore and Yahoo Sport, 17 September 2026.
Premier League
Full table The table
Computed from every result played to 12 October 2026, ranked on points, goal difference and goals scored.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 13 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 12 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12 |
| 4 | Everton | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 10 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 9 |
| 7 | Hull City | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 9 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 8 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 |
| 11 | Brentford | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 7 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 7 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 6 |
| 14 | Coventry City | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 6 |
| 15 | Nottingham Forest | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 5 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 5 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 |
| 18 | Bournemouth | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 3 |
| 20 | Fulham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 2 |
Squad
Player profiles The 2026–27 first team
28 players, head coach Marco Rose. Numbers and positions as registered; captaincy as the club lists it.
Goalkeepers
- 1 Đorđe Petrović
- 17 Fraser Forster
- 20 Michele Di Gregorio
Defenders
- 2 Julián Araujo
- 3 Adrien Truffert
- 5 James Hill
- 6 Julio Soler
- 14 António Silva
- 15 Adam Smith
- 18 Bafodé Diakité
- 24 Juanlu Sánchez
- 28 Max Aarons
- 44 Veljko Milosavljević
Midfielders
- 4 Lewis Cook
- 7 David Brooks
- 8 Alex Scott
- 10 Ryan Christie
- 12 Tyler Adams
- 16 Marcus Tavernier
- 21 Amine Adli
- 27 Alex Tóth
Forwards
- 9 Evanilson
- 11 Ben Gannon-Doak
- 19 Justin Kluivert
- 22 Eli Junior Kroupi
- 29 Daniel Jebbison
- 30 Álvaro Rodríguez
- 37 Rayan
Out on loan
- Alex Paulsen (GK), at Motherwell until 30 June 2027
- Álex Jiménez (DF), at Fiorentina until 30 June 2027
- Romain Faivre (MF), at Auxerre until 30 June 2027
Staff
- Marco Rose, head coach
- Marco Kurth, assistant head coach
- Frank Geideck, assistant coach
- Patrick Eibenberger, first team coach
- Fabian Friedrich, technical coach
- Nicolas Gagnon, first team set piece coach
- Neil Moss, head of goalkeeping
- Frederic De Boever, first team goalkeeper coach
- Bill Foley, chairman; owner Black Knight Football Club
Summer 2026 transfers
In
- Álvaro Rodríguez (CF) from Elche, £25,700,000, 14 July 2026
- António Silva (CB) from Benfica, £25,700,000, 1 August 2026
- Juanlu Sánchez (RB) from Sevilla, £11,200,000, 6 August 2026
- Michele Di Gregorio (GK) from Juventus, Loan, end of season, 25 August 2026
Out
- Hamed Traorè (AM) to Marseille, £6,400,000, 2 July 2026
- Enes Ünal (CF) to Getafe, Free, 13 August 2026
- Will Dennis (GK) to Milton Keynes Dons, Undisclosed, 26 August 2026
- Romain Faivre (RM) to Auxerre, Loan, end of season, 3 July 2026
- Alex Paulsen (GK) to Motherwell, Loan, end of season, 13 July 2026
- Álex Jiménez (RB) to Fiorentina, Loan, end of season, 16 July 2026
The club in six facts
- Founded 1899
- Ground Vitality Stadium, Dean Court, Kings Park
- Capacity around 11,300, rising to 20,196
- Head coach Marco Rose
- Colours Red and black stripes
- Competitions Premier League, Europa League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup
The Vitality Stadium
Dean Court has been AFC Bournemouth's home since 1910 and sits in Kings Park in Boscombe, about two miles east of the town centre. Rebuilt in 2001 and renamed for its sponsor, it holds around 11,300, which makes it the smallest ground in the Premier League and one of the loudest for its size. The club is rebuilding it around the fixture list towards 20,196 seats, with new corners and a new Main Stand roof first and a new south stand to follow; we track the work in the redevelopment update.
For a visitor the practical facts are these: the ground is a fifteen-minute taxi from the West Cliff and the town centre, a fifteen-minute walk from Pokesdown station, and a short walk from the pubs of Christchurch Road in Boscombe. Parking is limited and mostly pre-booked, so arriving without a car is the calmer option.
A match day, if you are staying by the sea
- Morning on the seafront. Walk the promenade from the pier to Boscombe Pier, about 35 minutes flat and paved, and you arrive at the pre-match stretch on foot.
- Lunch in Boscombe. Christchurch Road and the streets off it have the pubs and kitchens that fill with fans two hours before kick-off. Book if it is a big fixture.
- The last mile. Kings Park is a short walk north of Boscombe's high street; follow the crowd and the floodlights.
- After the whistle. Taxis queue on Holdenhurst Road; buses run back along Christchurch Road; or walk back down to the seafront for the evening.
- Late back. Every Flexiestays hotel has self check-in, so an 8pm European kick-off never means a locked front door.
Cherries questions, answered
Thursday, 15 October 2026, at home to Sturm Graz in the Europa League, kick-off 20:00. The full list is in the fixtures block above and on afcb.co.uk.
The Vitality Stadium (still Dean Court to most locals) sits in Kings Park, Boscombe, about two miles east of Bournemouth town centre and a mile north of Boscombe seafront. It is the smallest ground in the Premier League, with a capacity of around 11,300 while the redevelopment that will take it to 20,196 continues.
From the town centre and the West Cliff, a taxi takes around fifteen minutes on a normal day and longer at kick-off. Morebus routes run along Christchurch Road with stops a short walk from Kings Park, and from Pokesdown railway station the ground is about fifteen minutes on foot. Many visiting fans walk up from Boscombe after a drink on Christchurch Road.
Match-day parking at the ground is limited and mostly pre-booked. Kings Park itself has parking that fills early, and the surrounding residential streets carry match-day restrictions. Arriving without a car is usually the easier option.
Boscombe and Christchurch Road are the natural pre-match stretch, with pubs and food a short walk from the ground. In the town centre the pubs around the Triangle and Old Christchurch Road fill with fans before the taxi ride out. The Bournemouth Guide lists the pubs and restaurants with their opening details.
Home tickets go on sale through the club's official ticketing on afcb.co.uk, with priority for members and season-ticket holders. Premier League and Europa League home games sell out, so buy as soon as your dates are fixed and avoid unofficial resellers.
Stay by the seafront, not by the ground. The West Cliff puts you next to the beach, the pier and the town's restaurants, and the Vitality is a fifteen-minute taxi away. Flexiestays runs eight hotels there with self check-in, which suits late kick-offs and Thursday-night European games.
Cherries reporting
All Cherries stories- Cherries
TransportPokesdown station lifts: work starts, step-free by 2028
Pokesdown station lifts: work on the £7.2m scheme starts in October 2026 and should end in early 2028, replacing 42 steps to the platforms near AFC Bournemouth.
CherriesIraola's return ends in a 1-0 Liverpool win at the Vitality
Iraola's Liverpool win at the Vitality: Alexander Isak scored just before the hour on 20 September, in Andoni Iraola's first game back at Bournemouth.- Cherries
Europa League nights at the Vitality: the four home dates
Europa League nights at the Vitality: AFC Bournemouth host Sturm Graz, AC Milan, Viktoria Plzeň and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, all on Thursdays at 8pm. - Cherries
Cherries win first ever European match, 2-1 at Real Sociedad
Cherries beat Real Sociedad 2-1 in San Sebastián on 17 September in the Europa League, the first European fixture in AFC Bournemouth's history. - Cherries
Vitality Stadium redevelopment: what has changed so far
Vitality Stadium redevelopment: AFC Bournemouth is taking capacity from about 11,300 seats to 20,196, with new corners, a Main Stand roof and a south stand.
Data: 2026–27 AFC Bournemouth season (rev. 1379941095), AFC Bournemouth (rev. 1380006088) and 2026–27 Premier League (rev. 1380112963) on Wikipedia, checked against afcb.co.uk; refreshed 14 October 2026. Line-ups from the club's team sheets. Spot an error? Tell the desk.