The 2025–26 season was the 131st season in the history of West Ham United Football Club, and the club's fourteenth consecutive season in the Premier League. In addition to the domestic league, the club also participated in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
After finishing 18th in the Premier League, the club was relegated to the EFL Championship for the first time since the 2010–11 season.
Season summary Start of season August
West Ham started their season on 16 August at the Stadium of Light playing newly promoted Sunderland. After a goalless first-half, Sunderland's Eliezer Mayenda opened the scoring on 61 minutes with a header past West Ham's debut goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen. Dan Ballard added a second on 73 minutes and Wilson Isidor made it 3–0, the final score in the second minute of added-time.
Chelsea were the visitors for West Ham's opening game at the London Stadium on 22 August. Although Lucas Paquetá opened the scoring on 6 minutes, Chelsea replied with goals from João Pedro on 15 minutes, Pedro Neto on 23 minutes, Enzo Fernández on 34 minutes, Moisés Caicedo on 54 minutes and Trevoh Chalobah on 58 minutes to make the final score 5–1. With eight goals conceded, this was this most conceded by the club in their first two games in any season in the top–flight of English football.
On 26 August, West Ham travelled to Molineux to play Wolves in the second round of the EFL Cup. In the first–half, Guido Rodriguez fouled Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to give away a penalty. Hwang Hee-chan hit the post with his penalty but Gomes followed–up the rebound to make it 1–0 in the 43 minute. In the 50th minute, Tomáš Souček equalised with a header and Lucas Paquetá scored another header in the 63rd minute to put the visitors ahead. Wolves manager Vítor Pereira made several substitutions, including Jørgen Strand Larsen who scored in the 82nd and 84th minute to put the hosts 3–2 up. This was the final score and West Ham were eliminated from the competition at their first attempt. Following the game, club captain Jarrod Bowen had to be held back by stewards after trying to confront a group of West Ham supporters after something seemed to be said from the stands.
West Ham travelled to the City Ground on 31 August to play Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. With the game still goalless, on 82 minutes West Ham brought on Crysencio Summerville for his first game since January 2025. In the 84th minute he assisted Jarrod Bowen for West Ham's first goal and was fouled in the penalty area resulting in Lucas Paquetá scoring the penalty-kick in the 88th minute to make it 2–0. Callum Wilson added a third, his first for the club, in the first minute of added–time. The game finished 3–0 to the visitors.
September On 13 September, Tottenham Hotspur were the visitors to the London Stadium in the Premier League. After a goalless first-half, Pape Matar Sarr scored in the 47th minute for Tottenham. Tomáš Souček was sent-off in the 54th minute receiving a straight red card for a bad lunging foul on João Palhinha. Lucas Bergvall added a second in the 57th minute and Micky van de Ven a third in the 64th minute. The game finished 3–0 as West Ham dropped into bottom three of the league table.
West Ham were at home again on 20 September, in the Premier League, to Crystal Palace. Before the game thousands of supporters protested against the running of the club by David Sullivan and Karren Brady. Palace went ahead in the game in the 37th minute with a goal by Jean-Philippe Mateta. Jarrod Bowen equalised in the 49th minute only for Tyrick Mitchell to score in the 68th minute to make it 2–1 to Crystal Palace, the final score.
On 27 September, after a dismal start to the season, manager Graham Potter was sacked. On the same day, Nuno Espírito Santo was appointed as head coach on a three-year contract. Nuno's first game in charge was on 29 September in an away game in the Premier League to Everton. The home team took the lead in the 18th minute with a headed goal from Michael Keane. West Ham equalised in the 65th minute through Jarrod Bowen, the first goal scored by an away team at Everton's new, Hill Dickinson Stadium. The game finished 1–1.
October On 4 October, West Ham were away at the Emirates Stadium to Arsenal in the Premier League. Declan Rice scored in the 38th minute and Bukayo Saka scored from the penalty spot after El Hadji Malick Diouf had fouled Jurrien Timber. The game finished 2–0.
The London Stadium hosted Brentford in the Premier League on 20 October. Some supporters staged a boycott of the game in a protest concerning the running of the club by David Sullivan and Karren Brady. There were thousands of empty seats at the stadium as the match began. Brentford opened the scoring in the 43rd minute through Igor Thiago. They added a second in the 4th minute of added-time in the second half through Mathias Jensen. The game ended 2–0 with West Ham losing their first four home games of the season for the first time in their history. They had one shot on target and were booed from the pitch in a performance described as "dire".
On 24 October, West Ham travelled to Elland Road to play Leeds United in the Premier League. They were behind after only three minutes when Brenden Aaronson scored for Leeds. The hosts added a second on 15 minutes through Joe Rodon. The score remained at 2–0 until the 90th minute when Mateus Fernandes scored with a header for West Ham. There were no further goals as West Ham made their worst start to a top-flight season since the 1973–74 season.
November On 2 November, West Ham were at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League. Jacob Murphy put the visitors 1–0 up after only 4 minutes with a shot from outside the box. However, Lucas Paquetá equalised on 35 minutes, also from outside the box. In the fifth minute of added time in the first-half, Sven Botman turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka's cross into his own net to make it 2–1 to West Ham at half time. Tomáš Souček decided the game in the seventh minute of added time in the second-half tapping the ball into the net after Newcastle goalkeeper, Nick Pope had failed to hold Jarrod Bowen's shot. West Ham moved onto seven points, rising one place to 18th.
Burnley were the visitors to the London Stadium on 8 November for a Premier League game. Zian Flemming put them 1–0 up on 35 minutes only for Callum Wilson to score on 44 minutes to make it 1–1, the score at half-time. Tomáš Souček scored on 77 minutes and Kyle Walker-Peters added a third goal, his first for the club, on 87 minutes. Josh Cullen scored for Burnley in the seventh minute of added time but the game finished immediately after the restart at 3–2.
On 22 November, West Ham travelled to the Vitality Stadium to play AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. Callum Wilson put the visitors 2–0 up at half-time with goals in the 11th and 35th minutes. However Bournemouth drew level after a penalty by Marcus Tavernier in the 69th minute following a handball by Max Kilman and an 81st-minute goal by Enes Ünal. West Ham goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola made a number to saves in the second half to prevent a Bournemouth winner and the game finished 2–2.
Transfers and contracts In DatePos.PlayerFromFeeRef. 1 July 2025 CB Jean-Clair Todibo Nice £32,800,000 1 July 2025 CF Daniel Cummings Celtic Free 15 July 2025 LWB El Hadji Malick Diouf Slavia Prague £19,000,000 20 July 2025 RB Kyle Walker-Peters Southampton Free 2 August 2025 CF Callum Wilson Newcastle United 9 August 2025 GK Mads Hermansen Leicester City £20,000,000 29 August 2025 CM Mateus Fernandes Southampton £38,000,000 DM Soungoutou Magassa Monaco £17,300,000 1 September 2025 CB Dimitri Colau Paris Undisclosed 26 September 2025 GK Reece Byrne Newcastle United Free GK Tom Wooster Manchester United 2 January 2026 CF Pablo Gil Vicente £21,800,000 5 January 2026 CF Taty Castellanos Lazio £25,200,000 28 January 2026 RW Adama Traoré Fulham £1,000,000 Expenditure: ~ £175,100,000
Out DatePos.PlayerToFeeRef. 10 July 2025 RW Mohammed Kudus Tottenham Hotspur £55,000,000 27 July 2025 RW Sean Moore Shelbourne Undisclosed 28 July 2025 CDM Patrick Kelly Barnsley Free transfer 1 September 2025 LB Emerson Palmieri Marseille £605,000 2 September 2025 CB Nayef Aguerd £19,925,000 9 September 2025 GK Wes Foderingham Aris Limassol Undisclosed 4 January 2026 RW Luis Guilherme Sporting CP £17,400,000 18 January 2026 CM Andy Irving Sparta Prague Undisclosed 26 January 2026 CDM Guido Rodríguez Valencia Undisclosed 30 January 2026 RW Elisha Sowunmi Tottenham Hotspur Undisclosed 30 January 2026 CAM Lucas Paquetá Flamengo £35,750,000 2 February 2026 LWB Emeka Adiele Utrecht Undisclosed 6 February 2026 RW Gideon Kodua Luton Town £1,000,000 Income: ~ £128,870,000 (All fees converted into GBP)
Loaned in DatePos.PlayerFromDate untilRef. 1 September 2025 CB Igor Julio Brighton & Hove Albion 27 January 2026 22 January 2026 LW Keiber Lamadrid Deportivo La Guaira 31 May 2026 2 February 2026 CB Axel Disasi Chelsea 31 May 2026
Loaned out DatePos.PlayerToDate untilRef. 22 July 2025 RW Gideon Kodua Luton Town 6 February 2026 25 July 2025 CB Michael Forbes Northampton Town 31 May 2026 4 August 2025 GK Mason Terry Braintree Town 6 August 2025 CB Kaelan Casey Swansea City 16 January 2026 23 August 2025 CDM Edson Álvarez Fenerbahçe 31 May 2026 1 September 2025 RW Maxwel Cornet Genoa GK Finlay Herrick Boreham Wood 29 October 2025 CM Lewis Orford Stevenage 26 November 2025 RB Junior Robinson Livingston 9 January 2026 18 September 2025 LB Regan Clayton Braintree Town 9 November 2025 1 January 2026 GK Krisztián Hegyi MTK Budapest 31 May 2026 2 January 2026 CF Niclas Füllkrug Milan 7 January 2026 CF Callum Marshall VfL Bochum 9 January 2026 CAM George Earthy Bristol City RB Junior Robinson Boreham Wood 16 January 2026 CB Kaelan Casey Leyton Orient 28 January 2026 CM James Ward-Prowse Burnley 21 March 2026 RB Ryan Battrum Braintree Town 26 March 2026 CF Josh Landers Boreham Wood
Released DatePos.PlayerSubsequent clubJoin dateRef.30 June 2025 AM Kamarai Swyer Northampton Town 1 July 2025 LB Aaron Cresswell Stoke City 10 July 2025 CF Brad Dolaghan Worthing 12 July 2025 RB Vladimír Coufal TSG Hoffenheim 5 August 2025 CF Danny Ings Sheffield United 27 August 2025 CB Kurt Zouma CFR Cluj 3 September 2025 CF Michail Antonio Al-Sailiya 2 March 2026 20 August 2025 CB Luizão Criciúma 19 September 2025
New contract DatePos.PlayerContracted untilRef. 2 June 2025 RW Elisha Sowunmi Undisclosed 2 July 2025 RW Andre Dike 25 August 2025 RB Callum Leacock 10 September 2025 GK Łukasz Fabiański 30 June 2026 21 October 2025 CB Ezra Mayers 30 June 2028 27 October 2025 CDM Mohamadou Kanté 30 June 2031 29 October 2025 CF Josh Landers 30 June 2028 31 October 2025 CM Preston Fearon 4 November 2025 CB Airidas Golambeckis 30 June 2029 6 February 2026 CB Rayan Oyebade 30 June 2028 6 March 2026 CF Joshua Ajala 24 March 2026 LW Joel Kerr Undisclosed 8 May 2026 CAM Lewis Beckford 18 May 2026 LW Majid Balogun
Pre-season and friendlies On 17 June, West Ham announced a home pre-season friendly against Lille. A pre-season training camp in Switzerland and a fixture against Grasshopper was next to be confirmed.
Competitions Overall record
Premier League
League table
Results summary
Results by round
Matches On 18 June, the Premier League fixtures were revealed, with West Ham away to Sunderland on the opening weekend.
FA Cup
West Ham entered the competition in the third round, and were drawn at home to Queens Park Rangers. They were then drawn away to Burton Albion in the fourth round, at home to Brentford in the fifth round, and at home to Leeds United in the quarter-finals.
EFL Cup
West Ham entered the competition in the second round, and were drawn away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Statistics Appearances and goals
Players with no appearances are not included on the list; italics indicate loaned in player