Saturday 17 August - Aston Villa (H)
Julen Lopetegui will tackle his first Premier League game in charge of West Ham United on home soil, with a mouth-watering London Stadium clash against Aston Villa in store on the opening weekend of the fresh campaign.
The visitors were one of the standout teams in the top flight during 2023/24, largely defying expectations under boss Unai Emery to finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over 40 years.
A tough challenge lies in store then, no doubt, but Lopetegui will be hopeful of a positive result against a side that hasn’t won on Hammers territory since April 2011, back at the Boleyn Ground.
Indeed, the Villans’ 4-1 home win over West Ham towards the start of last season marked their first head-to-head triumph anywhere for over eight years, while the Irons have won five of the teams’ last eight meetings.
The last such clash ended in a 1-1 draw in east London on 17 March 2024, with Michail Antonio’s header being cancelled out by Nicolò Zaniolo, before a stoppage-time Tomáš Souček strike was chalked off following a lengthy VAR review.
Saturday 24 August - Crystal Palace (A)
Our first away trip of 2024/25 is set to be a short one, with London rivals Crystal Palace due to host us at Selhurst Park on the second weekend of the new term.
West Ham will be looking to eradicate memories of their last clash against the Eagles, which ended in 5-2 defeat in April 2024, and register a first win in five against Oliver Glasner’s outfit, who finished 2023/24 unbeaten in seven games.
The Hammers’ last victory against Palace did come away from home, on New Year’s Day in 2022, thanks to a Michail Antonio opener and a brace from Manuel Lanzini that earned a 3-2 scoreline.
The corresponding fixture in the previous season yielded the same result, with two Tomáš Souček goals and a Craig Dawson strike making the difference that day, and head coach Julen Lopetegui will be looking for a similar outcome this time around to help establish a strong start to 2024/25.
Saturday 21 September - Chelsea (H)
Just over a month into the new term, West Ham United are set to welcome Chelsea to London Stadium for a tantalising London derby.
We’ve enjoyed some memorable meetings with the Blues in recent times, including the unforgettable 3-2 win which sparked our run to survival in the COVID-disrupted 2019/20 season.
In 2023/24, bragging rights were shared, with Nayef Aguerd, Michail Antonio and Lucas Paquetá goals sealing a 3-1 win in August, before Chelsea exacted revenge at Stamford Bridge in May.
That result for the west Londoners came in the midst of a storming finish to the campaign, that saw them win each of their last five fixtures and seal a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Former West Ham coach Enzo Maresca has since replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the Chelsea dugout, and he will be looking to steer his new side to what would be a first away win against the Irons in four outings.
Saturday 19 October - Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Our first derby against Spurs falls two months into the 2024/25 season, with the Hammers set to try and emulate their performance on their last visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse goals sealed a memorable comeback win under the lights last December, after Cristian Romero’s header had given the north Londoners an early lead.
The sides’ most recent clash finished 1-1 at London Stadium at the start of April, with Kurt Zouma equalising just shy of the 20-minute mark following Brennan Johnson’s fifth-minute opener.
We were, of course, the first team to win at Spurs’ new home in April 2019, when Michail Antonio scored the only goal of the game to settle a tight contest, while another unforgettable occasion there in October 2020 saw us rescue a 3-3 draw having been 3-0 down until the 82nd minute.
Thursday 26 December - Southampton (A)
Everyone loves a spot of festive football, and the new season sees the Irons set for a Boxing Day trip to newly-promoted Southampton.
The Saints sealed an immediate return to the top flight last term, following relegation in 2022/23, with Russell Martin’s men beating Leeds United 1-0 in May’s EFL Championship Play-Off final at Wembley.
West Ham and Southampton previously faced off on Boxing Day in 2021 at London Stadium, with the visitors triumphing 3-2 that day, though the Hammers boast a decent record against the South Coast outfit in recent times.
Indeed, they have lost just two of their last 12 such clashes in all competitions, and won the last meeting between the sides 1-0 in east London in April 2023, courtesy of a Nayef Aguerd goal.
Saturday 4 January - Manchester City (A)
A visit to defending champions Manchester City awaits West Ham in their first match of 2025, with Julen Lopetegui set to go up against Spanish compatriot Pep Guardiola.
The Hammers’ last trip to Etihad Stadium came on the last day of the 2023/24 season, as David Moyes’ final match in charge finished in 3-1 defeat, and saw the hosts seal their fourth successive Premier League crown.
It’s nine years since the Claret & Blue Army left the blue half of Manchester with three points, thanks to goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho, but Lopetegui’s men will hope to channel the spirit of October 2021’s penalty shootout victory over the Citizens in the EFL Cup.
May’s most recent visit did feature an eye-catching overhead kick from Mohammed Kudus, and our Ghanaian No14 will be looking to make a similar impact here and ensure the New Year kicks off with a bang.
Sunday 18 May - Nottingham Forest (H)
The Irons’ 2024/25 home campaign will come to a close against Nottingham Forest, who are yet to take any points from trips to London Stadium since their promotion from the EFL Championship at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
The Reds’ first of two such visits to east London resulted in a comfortable 4-0 win for West Ham, with a Danny Ings brace preceding Declan Rice and Michail Antonio goals during a clinical second-half performance in February 2023.
Last season, a topsy-turvy affair looked to be heading for a 2-2 draw until Tomáš Souček struck late on to seal a 3-2 victory, following earlier strikes from Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen.
Clashes against Forest have been less enjoyable away from home, with both visits to the City Ground in the last two terms ending in defeat, and Julen Lopetegui will be determined to sign off on home soil in the right way here.
Sunday 25 May - Ipswich Town (A)
The season will come to a close in late May with an exciting trip to Premier League newbies Ipswich Town.
Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys incredibly secured back-to-back promotions last season, finishing as runners-up in the EFL Championship to ascend to the Premier League for the first time since 2001/02.
West Ham haven’t played Ipswich since both sides were second-tier outfits in the 2011/12 campaign, with the last match-up at Portman Road finishing 5-1 to the hosts 12-and-a-half years ago.
Julen Lopetegui and his team will be itching to put that record right, with a performance reminiscent of the one that earned a 2-0 win en route to Championship Play-Off glory in May 2005.
Certainly, a similar result would be the ideal way to bid farewell to 2024/25.
