Premier League 22/23: Everything you need to know ahead of the new season

The Premier League is back! 75 days after the dramatic conclusion to last season, the most exciting league in the world returns for another action-packed campaign.

BT Sport will, once again, be with you every step of the way as the English top flight returns for a season unlike any other.

So, are you ready to do it all over again? Here’s everything you need to know with days to go before the new season begins.

When does the Premier League start?

The new season commences this week, on Friday 5 August, when Crystal Palace host Arsenal in a London derby.

There are six more games the next day including Liverpool’s trip to newly-promoted Fulham exclusively live on BT Sport.

It’s a week earlier than the previous season began and just an 11-week break between the final day of 2021/22 campaign and the opening game of 2022/23.

A full list of confirmed televisied Premier League games and where to watch them can be found here.

When does the Premier League season end?

The Premier League will end on Sunday 28 May with all 10 matches kicking off simultaneously as is customary for the final match of the season.

Who won the Premier League last season?

Man City staged an incredible rally to clinch their fourth Premier League title in five years.

Pep Guardiola’s side recovered from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on the final day and deny rivals Liverpool on a dramatic afternoon.

They finished one point clear of the second-placed Reds to seal their ninth major trophy under the Spaniard.

When does the Premier League end and World Cup begin?

For the first time ever, the Premier League will take a prolonged mid-season break to accommodate the World Cup which takes place in Qatar.

The final weekend before players are called up by their respective countries will be November 12/13, which is Matchday 16 of the Premier League season.

The Premier League campaign will then resume on Boxing Day with Matchday 17, just eight days after the World Cup final on Sunday 18 December.

When does the transfer window close?

The transfer window for the new season reopened on Friday 10 June and runs for 12 weeks before closing on Thursday 1 September at 11pm.

The Premier League’s winter transfer window opens on Sunday 1 January and closes on Tuesday 31 January at 11pm.

How can I watch the Premier League on BT Sport?

BT Sport will show 52 games exclusively live from the upcoming Premier League season.

17 games will be shown live before the end of September, including the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool on Saturday 3 September.

Our first offering from the new season sees Liverpool kick off their campaign against newly promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.

View all the upcoming televised Premier League games here.

What is new for the 2022/23 Premier League season?

Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are all newly-promoted to the top flight. Fulham are back after just one season in the Championship, Bournemouth after just two but Forest are preparing for a first top-flight campaign since 1999.

The biggest change aside from the 2022 World Cup is that managers will once again have five substitutes at their disposal, just as they did when football returned from the Covid-enforced break in 2019/20.

It was scrapped to the traditional three for the following two seasons, yet in March the Premier League voted in favour of bringing five substitutes back for the upcoming campaign.

Premier League rule changes

Penalty kicks

IFAB, football's law-making body, have moved to clarify the rule on goalkeepers facing penalties. 

The law now says: "When the ball is kicked, the defending goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, or in line with, or behind, the goalline."

Previously the goalkeeper was required to have part of at least one foot on or above the goalline at the moment when a penalty was taken.

This meant if the goalkeeper had one foot in front of the goalline and one behind it, this was deemed an offence even though no unfair advantage was gained.

The return of five subs

Five substitutes were originally introduced in May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league reverted back to three subs for the 2020/21 campaign and last season.

Teams had previously voted against five subs on several occasions in the past two years but top-flight clubs voted in favour of the substitution rule change at a shareholder meeting of all 20 Premier League clubs back in March.

Its hoped the implementation of the five substitution rule would help tackle issues surrounding player fatigue amidst another action packed campaign of club and international football.

Offside

IFAB have clarified what constitutes defending players "deliberately playing" the ball, making clear that an attacking player who is offside will not automatically become onside as soon as a defender touches the ball.

The law now says: "'Deliberate play' is when a player has control of the ball with the possibility of passing the ball to a team-mate, gaining possession of the ball, or clearing the ball.

"If the pass, attempt to gain possession or clearance by the player in control of the ball is inaccurate or unsuccessful, this does not negate the fact that the player 'deliberately played' the ball."

Are Premier League players going to take the knee?

After a meeting between Premier League captains, will stop taking the knee before every match.

Carried out as an anti-racism gesture, top-flight clubs started taking a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020.

Now players will take the knee before certain rounds of games, including the Boxing Day fixtures and cup finals.

When does the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup take place in 2022/23?

The Champions League will begin proper on 6 September with Matchday 1 of the group stages and run until the final at Istanbul's Ataturk Stadium on 10 June. 

The six group-stage matches will take place from 6/7 September until 1/2 November 2022 meaning all six will be played over the course of just nine weeks.

The FA Cup third round involving all the Premier League teams is on the weekend of January 8/9 as it was in 2021/22 but the FA Cup final will be on June 3, three weeks later than normal.

The Carabao Cup commences on August 8 weekend and finishes with the final from Wembley on Sunday 26 February.