While it may feel as if the endless 2025-2026 season concluded yesterday, I regret to inform you that Fiorentina will be back in our lives sooner than we feared. That’s right, thee preseason calendar has started to take shape ahead of the centenary season. We’ll get our first glimpses of Fabio Grosso and his new look Viola. Here are the key dates.

• Friday, 10 July: The preseason training camp officially begins at the RBCVPetc. Most players will likely report for duty at that point, although Marin Pongračić and Tommaso Vanucchi (World Cup and U19 Euros) will likely arrive later. There could be a few other stragglers depending on fitness and off-season commitments as well. We’ll also get our first look at any new signings.

• Sunday, 19 July: The Grosso era kicks off with the traditional intraclub scrimmage vs the Primavera. Kickoff at 19:00 GMT/2:00 PM EST.

• Wednesday, 22 July: A friendly against Gubbio at the RBCVPetc will be our first glimpse at how the squad looks against professional, albeit Serie C, opposition. Kickoff at 17:00 GMT/12:00 PM EST.

• Saturday, 25 July: The first match of a mini-tournament in England pits Fiorentina against Championship side Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. The game begins at 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM EST.

• Wednesday, 29 July: It’s a 32 km/20 mi jaunt up the M1 to take on Watford (Udinese Junior if you prefer) at Vicarage Road. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:30 GMT/2:30 PM EST.

Fiorentina’s first competitive fixture is the Coppa Italia 3rd-round game against Benevento/Ravenna on Friday, 14 August. The Serie A campaign begins on Monday, 24 August, against AS Roma. The club will add a few more friendlies before that and we’ll update this story as they’re announced.