Bournemouth begin the 2026-27 season under new head coach Marco Rose, who succeeds Andoni Iraola following the club's sixth-placed finish last term. Rose faces significant pressure to build on an impressive campaign in which Bournemouth absorbed player sales worth more than £250m yet remained unbeaten after mid-January, and now prepares the club for its first-ever European campaign in the Europa League. Guardian writers predict a 12th-placed finish this season, reflecting the scale of the challenge in matching Iraola's achievements while juggling continental fixtures for the first time.

Unlike last summer, Bournemouth have retained key players including Alex Scott and Rayan, though 20-year-old forward Eli Junior Kroupi, a target for Paris Saint-Germain, faces at least three months out with a foot injury. The club have strengthened by signing centre-back António Silva, striker Álvaro Rodríguez and full-back Juanlu Sánchez, while consulting Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest on managing Thursday-Sunday European scheduling. Off the pitch, Bournemouth's 11,357-seat stadium, the Premier League's smallest, is being upgraded to meet Uefa regulations, including new seating and a capacity increase of 800.