Chelsea pre-season opener vs Western Sydney Wanderers marks Xabi Alonso's first match in charge

The Xabi Alonso era unofficially gets underway on Tuesday as Chelsea play their first 2026/27 pre-season fixture against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Sport | Tom Sunderland, Sports writer | 07:00, 28 Jul 2026

Xabi Alonso will lead Chelsea into a fixture for the first time as their pre-season starts on Tuesday (Image: Getty Images)

All You Need to Know to Watch Chelsea vs Western Sydney Wanderers

1. Date and time: Chelsea's first pre-season clash is scheduled for Tuesday at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Kick-off is set for 10:45 AM UK time.

1. UK broadcast: For fans tuning in from the United Kingdom, there is no traditional TV channel broadcasting this fixture. Instead, supporters can live stream the game by subscribing to the club's dedicated platform, CFC+, via the Chelsea website or official app.

1. Australian viewers: Viewers located in Australia can watch the match exclusively by subscribing to the Paramount+ streaming service as part of their Winter Festival of Football coverage. There is no free-to-air television broadcast on Network 10 for this specific Sydney Super Cup fixture, so a streaming subscription is required.

1. Alonso's debut: This friendly will serve as an exciting milestone, representing Xabi Alonso's very first public match in charge of the Blues. Although he has already managed the team in private practice games against lower-league opposition, this fixture officially kicks off his pre-season campaign.

1. Chelsea squad: The 27-man squad currently touring Australia features a blend of available senior players and promising academy stars like Landon Emenalo and Tayo Subuloye. Cole Palmer is also available after he was controversially omitted from England's World Cup squad, while new full-back signing Marco Pelestra is also available.

READ MORE: Xabi Alonso axes four Chelsea players as major squad shake-up gathers pace

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