I must post this every single year. It’s a myth.
United were champions in 1992-93 and were away first game the next season
United champions 94, home first game next season
Blackburn champions 95, home first game next season
United champions 96, away first game next season
United champions 97, away first game next season
Arsenal champions 98, home first game next season
United champions 99, home first game next season
United champions 00, away first game next season
United champions 01, home first game next season
Arsenal champions 02, home first game next season
United champions 03, home first game next season
Arsenal champions 04, away first game next season
Chelsea champions 05, away first game next season
Chelsea champions 06, home first game next season
United champions 07, home first game next season
United champions 08, home first game next season
United champions 09, home first game next season
Chelsea champions 10, home first game next season
United champions 11, away first game next season
City champions 12, home first game next season
United champions 13, away first game next season
City champions 14, away first game next season
Chelsea champions 15, home first game next season
Leicester champions 16, away first game next season
Chelsea champions 17, home first game next season
City champions 18, away first game next season
City champions 19, away first game next season
Liverpool champions 20, home first game next season
City champions 21, away first game next season
City champions 22, away first game next season
In 31 years, the champions have been at home first game the next season 16 times and away 15 times.
In United’s 13 title wins, they’ve been at home first game the next season 7 times and away 6.
In City’s 6 title wins, we’ve been at home first game the next season once and away 5.
In Chelsea’s 5 title wins, they’ve been at home first game the next season 4 times and away once.
In Arsenal’s 3 title wins, they’ve been at home first game the next season twice and away once.
In Blackburn and Liverpool’s one title each, they were at home first game the next season.
In Leicester’s one title, they were away first game the next season.
The only anomalies in any of it are that Chelsea seem to be at home a lot and City away a lot first game when champions. So it’s hardly like they’ve favoured United over the years, and nobody else other than the big three have won it enough times to see a trend with them as individuals.
But there’s no trend to the overall thing and it’s never been a “thing” to be home first game the next season when you’re champions.
The idea behind it comes from the old fashioned thing where the champions would host the FA Cup winners in the Charity Sheild, and it’s been conflated with the first Prem game for some reason.
