Brentford Under-21s begin their 2026/27 Premier League 2 campaign away at Stoke City Under-21s on Friday 21 August (7pm kick-off BST).
The young Bees will play their first-ever match in the competition under the lights at the Bet365 Stadium, as they look to start the new challenge with a win.
After the academy's securing of Category One status earlier this year, Sam Saunders' side will compete on three fronts this year: the PL2, the Premier League Cup and, for the first time in the club's history, the EFL Trophy.
The PL2 sees each team play 20 games, with the top side at the conclusion of those fixtures crowned league phase winners.
The top-16 ranked teams then compete in a knockout competition to crown the overall PL2 champions, which Brighton & Hove Albion claimed last season.
Teams ranked 17th-24th will contest a similar knockout competition against the top eight sides from the Professional Development League.
Summer recruits Donal O'Connor, Aidan Stokes and Ben Wilson will all be looking to make their debuts in red and white during the clash on Friday night.
Their opening day opponents, the Potters, finished 20th out of 29 teams last season in PL2, and were subsequently knocked out by Peterborough in the opening round of the PDL play-offs, losing 3-1.
They opened their 2026/27 campaign with a 0-0 draw with Leeds United in the Premier League Cup, before losing 4-0 to Scunthorpe United on Tuesday night in the National League Cup.
Saunders: The boys are chomping at the bit
Brentford B head coach Sam Saunders discussed Friday's clash away at Stoke.
"Since we got the Category One status, everyone's been looking forward to testing ourselves against the best academies in the country," said Saunders.
"The first game of the league season is always special, but particularly when you've gone up a category. The boys are chomping at the bit, and we feel more than ready.
"Playing at Stoke's first-team stadium makes it even better for the lads, so it's something that we're really looking forward to.
"We've got a good pre-season under our belts, and we're excited to put a good account of ourselves and put into practice the things we've been working on over the last few weeks."
Last time out
Josh Dasilva got on the scoresheet and Fábio Carvalho impressed as the Bees opened the 2026/27 campaign with an impressive victory against Wycombe Wanderers in the Premier League Cup last weekend.
Ellery Balcombe, Ji-soo Kim, Yunus Emre Konak, Jayden Meghoma, Gustavo Nunes and Jannik Schuster were also involved in the Group J fixture, earning valuable minutes in the build-up to the Premier League opener at home to Spurs on Saturday 22 August.
Dasilva opened the scoring with a delicate volley at the back post from Nunes' corner, before Michel Boni started the new season as he ended the last, bagging the goal that gave Brentford all three points late on with an instinctive finish.
Ticket information
Tickets are available to purchase here.
Adults and 65+ - £5
U18 - £3
U15 - £2
Match coverage
Supporters can follow live updates from the game against Stoke across the club's social media channels, with a full match report available on the club's official website and app shortly after full-time.