Bath Rugby will begin the defence of their league title at Harlequins on Friday 26th September (7.45pm).
Thousands of Bath Rugby fans flocked to the city centre on 15th June to salute their heroes | Photo © Bath Echo / Richard Briggs
The champions will start the 2025-26 campaign in the rebranded Gallagher PREM – formerly the Gallagher Premiership – at Twickenham Stoop in West London in a match to be broadcast live by TNT Sports.
Bath, who secured a trophy treble last season as they also won the Premiership Rugby Cup and the European Professional Club Rugby Challenge Cup, will make their return to the Rec on Friday 3rd October when they play host to Sale Sharks in round two (7.45pm).
Next up will be a home game against Gloucester Rugby on Saturday 11th October (5.30pm). That fixture forms part of the PREM’s Derby Weekend.
There will be another derby at the Rec on Saturday 25th October, when Bristol Bears visit (3.05pm).
The PREM’s Festive Fixtures bring a double header of action to the Rec. Northampton Saints will provide the opposition on Saturday 27th December (5.30pm), and Exeter Chiefs will be the guests on Saturday 3rd January (3.05pm).
Fixtures for rounds nine to 18 have not yet been assigned specific dates and kick-off times. However, Bath will go to Gloucester over the weekend of 23rd to 25th January, to Exeter over the weekend of 8th to 10th May and to Bristol over the weekend of 29th to 31st May.
The Gallagher PREM season will get under way on Thursday 25th September, when the Sharks receive Gloucester. It will be the first time in the league’s history that a campaign has kicked-off on a Thursday.
The play-offs will take place from 12th to 14th June, with the final being held at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 20th June.
Simon Massie-Taylor, chief executive of PREM Rugby, said: “Last season was a landmark one: viewership on TNT Sports rose by 28%, attendances continued their upward trend and the league has never been more competitive as we saw a sixth different champion in six years, with Bath edging Leicester Tigers in front of a sold-out Allianz Stadium.
“And now, with the official launch of the new-look Gallagher PREM, the 2025-26 season marks the beginning of a groundbreaking and transformative new era for the sport.”
The 2025-26 Gallagher PREM fixtures were announced today (Wednesday 23rd July).
Bath Rugby’s Gallagher PREM fixtures in full:
- September: 26th Harlequins (A, 7.45pm).
- October: 3rd Sale Sharks (H, 7.45pm); 11th Gloucester Rugby (H, 5.30pm); 18th Leicester Tigers (A, 3.05pm); 25th Bristol Bears (H, 3.05pm).
- November: 30th Saracens (A, 3pm).
- December: 21st Newcastle Falcons (A, 3pm); 27th Northampton Saints (H, 5.30pm).
- January: 3rd Exeter Chiefs (H, 3.05pm); weekend of 23rd to 25th Gloucester Rugby (A).
- March: weekend of 20th to 22nd Saracens (H); weekend of 27th to 29th Sale Sharks (A).
- April: weekend of 17th to 19th Harlequins (H); weekend of 24th to 26th Northampton Saints (A).
- May: weekend of 8th to 10th Exeter Chiefs (A); weekend of 15th to 17th Newcastle Falcons (H); weekend of 29th to 31st Bristol Bears (A).
- June: weekend of 5th to 7th Leicester Tigers (H).
