Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Season Preview
Nottingham Forest Blog
Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Season Preview
Where Did Nottingham Forest Finish Last Season?
Ooft, where do I start?
The season before last, led by Nuno Santo, was revered around the country as one of the bigger surprises of the season. We qualified for Europe, had that spot upgrade into a Europa League spot thanks to El CASico and looked to be bang into the midst of our rise through the ranks.
Then, instead, we sacked Nuno, then sacked Ange just 39 days after he'd replaced him, and then sacked Sean Dyche four months after he had replaced him. Yes, it was a rollercoaster.
But Vitor Pereira was the man trusted with the responsibility of getting the increasinly-volatile fans back onside and save Forest's season with relegation staring them in the face. A brilliant run of form saw them do that with relative comfort, whilst also reaching the Europa League semi-finals before losing to eventual winners, Aston Villa.
Any European Cups in that record? 🤷♂️⭐️⭐️ #NFFC https://t.co/FM5dYVK5Bx
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 29, 2020
But to answer the bloody question, we finished in 16th, five points above the drop zone. The off-pitch chaos, the extra workload brough by a European run and some pesky injury troubles meant that our incredible season in the Premier League would not exactly be replicated, but in truth not many Reds were expecting that to be the case. We just weren't expecting it to be quite that bad.
Vitor Pereira has now bowed out gracefully after the club excercised a break clause in his contract to hire outgoing Crystal Palace gaffer Oliver Glasner. With many competitors in the Premier League - nine, specifically - playing in Europe this season and with all the chaos finally settling down, this season might be one with real potential for Nottingham Forest.
Best Result: Sunderland 0-5 Nottingham Forest (Hume OG 17’, Wood 31’, Gibbs-White 34', Jesus 37', Anderson 90+5').
Worst Result: Aston Villa 4-0 Forest (Europa League) _(Watkins 36’, Buendia 58’, McGinn 77’, 80')
Who Have Nottingham Forest Signed in the Summer Transfer Window So Far?
Incoming Signings
Liam Delap from Chelsea - £50 Million
Ousmane Diomande from Sporting Lisbon - £34.2 Million
Daniel Munoz from Crystal Palace - £22 Million
Boyd Fraser from Hearts - Undisclosed
Mason Ayre from Glentoran - Undisclosed
Blaine McClure from Rangers - Undisclosed
Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig - Free Transfer
Grady McDonnell from Club Brugge - Free Transfer
Kasen Brown from Man City - Free Transfer
Steven Benda - Free Transfer
Total Spent: £106.2 Million
Outgoing Sales and Loans
Elliot Anderson to Man City - £116m
Taiwo Awoniyi to Covent City - £9 Million
David Carmo to Olympiacos - £7.7 Million
Joe Gardner to Falkirk - Undisclosed
Ben Hammong to Boston United - Free Transfer
Justin Hanks to Solihull Moors - Free Transfer
Omari Hutchinson to AC Milan - Season-Long Loan with Buy Option
Morato to West Ham - Season-Long Loan with Buy Option
Dilane Bakwa to LOSC Lille - Season-Long Loan
Lamin Sillah to Gillingham - Season-Long Loan
Josh Powell to Northampton Town - Season-Long Loan
Tyler Bindon to Charlton Athletic - Season-Long Loan
Zach Abbott to Southampton - Season-Long Loan
Jota Silva to Olympiacos - Season-Long Loan
Willy Boly - Released
Angus Gunn - Released
Stefan Ortega - Released
Cormac Daly - Released
Total Received: £123.7 Million
Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Squad List (as of 24/07/2026)
Goalkeepers: Matz Sels, John Victor, Steven Benda.
Defenders: Eric Moreira, Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Luca Netz, Nicolo Savona, Omar Richards, Murillo, Ousmane Diomande, Nikola Milenkovic, Jair Cunha, Grady McDonnell, Daniel Munoz.
Midfielders: Ibrahim Sangare, Xaver Schlager, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ryan Yates, Nicolas Dominguez, James McAtee
Attackers/Wingers: Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jimmy Sinclair, Chris Wood, Liam Delap, Igor Jesus, Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Home, Away and Third Kits
Home Kit
First outing for the new home kit. 🤩
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 19, 2026
Away Kit
The return of the trefoil. Inspired by our name. 🌳
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 8, 2026
The Forest 26/27 away kit is here.
Third Kit
Front and back. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/B7Q3b7Ggha
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 28, 2026
What is Nottingham Forest’s Opening Premier League Fixture?
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds | The City Ground, Nottingham | Saturday, August 22nd, 15:00
How Can I Watch Nottingham Forest vs Leeds?
This game will not be available to watch on UK programming as it occurs during the blackout period for televised football.
What Are Nottingham Forest’s First Five Fixtures?
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Nottingham Forest vs Leeds – Saturday, August 22nd.
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Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest - Saturday, August 29th.
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Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham – Saturday, September 5th.
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Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest – Saturday, September 12th.
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Nottingham Forest vs Coventry – Saturday, September 19th.
When Do Nottingham Forest play rivals Leeds in 2026/27?
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Nottingham Forest vs Leeds | The City Ground, Nottingham | Saturday, August 22nd, 15:00
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Leeds vs Nottingham Forest | Elland Road, Leeds | Saturday, April 27th 2027.
Last Five Meetings:
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06/02/2026: Leeds 3-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
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09/11/2025: Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds (Premier League)
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04/04/2023: Leeds 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
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05/02/2023: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Leeds (Premier League)
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08/02/2020: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Leeds (EFL Championship)
Who is Nottingham Forest’s Manager for the 2025/26 Season?
Oliver Glasner
Good grief, if there was ever an appointment to cause some drama!
Oliver Glasner is heralded across Selhurst Park as the man who delivered Crystal Palace their best ever period of time, winning three major trophies in two seasons with the first being their first in history - the FA Cup in 2025.
That win over Man City at Wembley did earn them a spot in the Europa League for last season, with Nottingham Forest qualifying for the Conference League by their league position, but some off-field chaos caused by John Textor's multi-club-ownership breach saw the two swap places. That was popular.
As such, there has been a small rivalry ever since between the two clubs, but only one will be in Europe this season. However, they will be doing it without their master tactician, as he has made his way to the East Midlands to lead Forest into the next step of their adventure.
Nottingham Forest is delighted to announce the appointment of Oliver Glasner as the Club’s new Head Coach.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 6, 2026
One of Europe's most respected and progressive coaches, Glasner joins Forest with an outstanding reputation for developing players, building ambitious attacking teams and… pic.twitter.com/sh7sY2lHWG
Known for his three at-the-back setup and exhausting, suffocating pressing systems, Glasner was the tinkerer behind Frankfurt's success in the Europa League some years back before heading to London with Palace. Forest were looking at him following the dismissal of Steve Cooper, but now they have their man. And their man has brought two of his as well.
He likes progressive defenders in his three at the back, so Murillo will be a treat to watch under him and so too may be Ousmane Diomande, an Ivorian wonderkid from Sporting CP that Glasner chased at Palace and is moments away from securing at Forest. He'll follow Xaver Schlager through the door, a tough-tackling and industrious midfield engine out of the Bundesliga who played under Glasner with Wolfsburg in the past.
Who is Nottingham Forest’s Player to Watch?
Morgan Gibbs-White
The talisman, the multi-time captain and the star turn of this team. Morgan Gibbs-White raised some eyebrows when he arrived from Wolves for big money in Nottingham Forest's first season back in the Premier League, but his star and what he means to the club and the fans has only risen ever since.
Now aged 26, he is a leader of the squad and has made over 150 appearances in all competitions for the club, and was robbed of a spot in England's World Cup squad under Thomas Tuchel this summer. He is the beating heart of the squad and the drama surrounding his potential move to Tottenham last summer broke all of our hearts.
We aren't naive enough to think he'll retire here, and might be off to a 'big six' side next summer with a European Championship on the horizon, but this potential last dance in the Garibaldi Red might be his best ever.
Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Season Prediction
Football Park’s Prediction: 8th.
Simon Miller 
Harry Pascoe 
Matty Connelly 