Assessing Everton's pre-season plans

It’s taken a bit longer than we all would have liked, but Everton have finally confirmed their full pre-season schedule.

Here, we analyse the seven games that the Toffees will use to gear up for the 2026-27 campaign.

DUNDEE — DENS PARK, JULY 18TH

Everton are expected to begin their pre-season during the week commencing July 6th, though they will not play their first match until Saturday 18th — the day before the World Cup final, for those wondering.

The Toffees are reportedly set to head back to St. Andrews for a training camp, which would then mean a trip to Dens Park makes perfect sense as a way to round off that trip.

Dundee will be ahead of Everton in their preparations, and given they finished in mid-table in the Scottish Premiership last season, are a good pick for starters.

It would be lovely to see a new signing or two feature in this one, as well, but it’s unlikely anybody will play much longer than 45 minutes.

BOLTON WANDERERS — TOUGHSHEET COMMUNITY STADIUM, JULY 25TH

There’s always a couple of friendlies against local teams thrown into the mix in pre-season, and the 2026 schedule is no different.

Bolton, managed by Evertonian Steven Schumacher, are preparing for life back in the Championship, and this will be a good next step up for David Moyes’ men, without throwing any unnecessary travel into the mix.

It’s also convenient for Evertonians to attend, so expect a full away end at the Toughsheet.

STOKE CITY — BET365 STADIUM, JULY 28TH

A quick turnaround steps up the preparation further, and by this stage, you’d hope that key players are starting to log some serious minutes.

Stoke City are, of course, an established second-tier team, and so they should represent another level on top of Bolton.

Plus, it’s another local trip, albeit this is on a midweek evening — plenty of fans will still head to the Potteries, and it’s a great chance for Everton to start really getting into the swing of things.

HAMBURG — VOLKSPARKSTADION, AUGUST 1ST

There’s no trip to the United States this summer, but fans could make the short trip across to the fantastic city of Hamburg, which at the height of summer, should be a brilliant experience.

Hamburg are back in the big time after a few years in the wilderness, and finished 13th in the Bundesliga in 2025-26.

It’s a really decent calibre of opposition for Everton to go up against three weeks before the season starts, and is the first of a double-header in Germany.

STUTTGART — MHP ARENA, AUGUST 8TH

It would have probably made sense for Everton to play a midweek game in Germany, but instead there is a full week between their two fixtures.

It’s not yet clear whether Moyes will want to keep his squad out in Germany for another camp, or return to the UK before a clash with Stuttgart, who are probably the second-best team the Toffees are facing this summer.

The first option would make sense if Everton can get away to one of those alpine training facilities, or perhaps somewhere in the Bavarian hills. We’ll see.

Stuttgart are an excellent side, with Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling and Angelo Stiller among their star names. They will be a real test for the Toffees.

NEWCASTLE UNITED — MURRAYFIELD STADIUM, AUGUST 12TH

It’s a poorly timed, 5:15PM kick-off on a Wednesday, and that’s bizarre, but it’s great to see Everton face a Premier League rival at one of Britain’s great stadiums.

Logistics and kick-off time aside, this will be the game in which Moyes will be wanting to see how his men fare against an opponent they will take on at least twice across the campaign.

Newcastle hammered Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium last season, but the Toffees got their own back at the end of February at St James’ Park.

By this stage, results and performances do begin to matter, as well, with just 10 days to go until the real action kicks off.

LILLE — HILL DICKINSON STADIUM, AUGUST 15TH

The delayed start to the season means there’s time for a really thorough schedule, and I for one am delighted with what looks like a steady build up over the course of the summer. Everton should have no excuses when it comes to being ready physically — it’s on those in charge of recruitment to ensure the squad is well set.

The traditional curtain-raiser at home sees Everton take on Lille, which will mean a reunion for Davide Ancelotti, who has just been appointed as the French club’s boss.

Lille have some fantastic talent, including Kylian Mbappe’s younger brother Ethan, and Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has starred for Morocco at the World Cup.

They are not as strong, on paper, as Stuttgart or Newcastle, but should represent an ideal warm-up a week before Crystal Palace rock up to start the Premier League season.

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