LONDON, England — Chelsea have unveiled the squad numbers their players will wear during the club’s 2026 pre-season tour of Australia and Asia as preparations intensify for the new campaign under head coach Xabi Alonso.
The Premier League side departed for Sydney on Saturday with a 28-man squad for the opening leg of their tour, which will allow Alonso to evaluate his squad and integrate several new signings before the start of the 2026/27 season.
Chelsea’s pre-season itinerary begins with matches against Western Sydney Wanderers and Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Australia before the squad travels to Asia. The Blues are scheduled to face Italian giants Juventus in Hong Kong, AC Milan in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim as part of an extensive series of preparations.
The club clarified that the shirt numbers announced are for the pre-season tour only and should not be regarded as the official squad numbers for the upcoming campaign. Chelsea said permanent squad numbers will be confirmed closer to the start of the new season.
Among the headline assignments, goalkeeper Robert Sánchez will wear the No. 1 shirt, while England international Cole Palmer has been allocated the iconic No. 10 jersey for the tour. Summer signing Jamie Gittens has received the No. 11 shirt, João Pedro will wear No. 20, and Dutch defender Jorrel Hato has been handed No. 21.
New midfielder Dário Essugo has been assigned No. 14, Marco Palestra will wear No. 2, while defender Tosin Adarabioyo has been given the No. 4 jersey for Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures.
Several promising young talents have also been included in the travelling squad as Alonso looks to assess the club’s next generation. Brazilian prospect Estêvão Willian has been allocated No. 41, Kazakhstan forward Dastan Satpayev will wear No. 36, Landon Emenalo has received No. 56, and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen will wear No. 76 throughout the tour.
Chelsea’s pre-season schedule is expected to provide valuable opportunities for the club’s younger players to impress alongside established first-team stars, with Alonso expected to rotate his squad across the five fixtures.
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is preparing for his first full season in charge at Stamford Bridge and will use the tour to implement his tactical ideas while building cohesion within the squad.
The club also confirmed that additional first-team players are expected to link up with the squad during the tour as they complete recovery programmes or return from international commitments.
With competitive football just weeks away, Chelsea will be hoping the demanding schedule across Australia and Asia provides the ideal platform to sharpen fitness levels, integrate new arrivals and finalise preparations before the 2026/27 Premier League season gets underway.
