The 2026-27 Premier League season starts on Saturday 22 August 2026, one week later than usual due to the 2026 World Cup final falling on 19 July. The Community Shield takes place on 16 August 2026. The EFL Championship, League One, and League Two are expected to begin in early August 2026, with fixtures to be confirmed by the EFL in June 2026.
When Does the Football Season Start and End?
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In any organised sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regular games are in session. Depending on where you are in the world, the football season varies in time and length. Most have a single period of time in which the main competition is carried out alongside any cup competitions or tournaments.
The sporting year can be divided into three main sections. These are:
In England, the football season runs from August to May. Most major European leagues follow the same window. A handful of northern and eastern European leagues run from spring to autumn to avoid the harshest winter conditions.
Below is a full breakdown of when each major league starts and ends, what drives those dates, and how international competitions shape the football calendar.
Pre-season
The regular season is preceded by a pre-season. During this time, players are required to return to the club to begin pre-season training.
Towards the start of the regular season, pre-season friendly games will be arranged to improve fitness and test team tactics and formations. This is particularly important if new players have joined the team to give everyone time to practice together.
Regular Season
In football, the regular season is the main period of the competition. This season is also known as the “home and away season”.
Typically, the main competition takes the format of a points-based league. The competing teams are divided into groups and/or divisions, and each team plays a set number of games against a certain number of opponents.
In most areas of the world, the league is played in a double-robin format; this is where each team plays every other team twice, once at their home venue and once at the venue of the opposition.
When all games have been played at the end of the competition, the results of each game are accumulated, and a winner is declared.
Post Season
Many leagues have games that occur after the regular season has finished. Sometimes, the top teams in the league enter into a playoff tournament to determine an overall winner or who will be promoted.
In addition to English football/soccer, this is the same in the major U.S. sports leagues including the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, World Series, and the NBA Finals.
What Dictates the Start and End of the Season?
Domestic League and International Competitions
In many leagues, the dates of the regular season dictate the opening and closing of the transfer window. During this time, players can be transferred between clubs.
To avoid clashes, the timing of the regular season must be coordinated with international competitions. During international tournaments, national teams with different regular seasons will compete.
In certain countries, however, many of the best players do not participate in the domestic league program. In these cases, the coordination of the regular league and international competitions is less important as the bulk of their national team do not play in the domestic league.
The Weather
As a general rule, the football season is dictated by the weather. As most games are played on natural grass pitches, they’re not only susceptible to freezing or becoming water-logged, but they’re also vulnerable to drying out in very hot weather.
Thankfully, many leagues have various draining and heating systems in place to improve pitch quality and usability.
Who Sets the Football Calendar?
Club Football
The club football schedule is set by the organization that runs the competition the team is in so in the English Premier League the fixtures are decided by the Premier League, the Football League fixtures are decided by the EFL. In Spain, fixtures are set by La Liga.
International Football
The world football governing body FIFA governs national football. At the start of each year, they release an international football calendar that reserves certain weeks in the year for national friendly and competitive games in addition to regional club competitions.
For games that fall within the country’s domestic season, clubs are required to release any player for their international team a certain number of days before the fixture. When possible, international competitions are planned outside of the domestic season; for instance, the FIFA World Cup is always in June or July.
When Does the League Season Start and End?
The table below covers the main professional leagues. Dates reflect a standard season. In World Cup years, several leagues end a week or two earlier than usual to accommodate the tournament.
Country
League
Start
End
England
Premier League
August (15 Aug 2025 / 22 Aug 2026)
May (24 May 2026 / 30 May 2027)
England
EFL Championship / League One / League Two
August (2 Aug 2025)
May (regular season 2 May 2026; play-offs to 25 May)
Scotland
Premiership / Football League
August
May
France
Ligue 1
August
May (with a month-long winter break)
Germany
Bundesliga
August
May (with a 6-week winter break)
Italy
Serie A
August
May
Spain
La Liga
August
May (with a Christmas/New Year break)
Netherlands
Eredivisie
August
April/May
Portugal
Primeira Liga
August
May
Turkey
Super Lig
August
May (with a month-long winter break)
Norway
Eliteserien
March/April
November
Sweden
Allsvenskan
April
October/November
Republic of Ireland
League of Ireland
March
October/November
Ukraine
Premier League
July
June (with winter break Dec-Feb)
Note: winter break lengths vary year to year. The Bundesliga break is typically 6 weeks, Ligue 1 around 3 to 4 weeks, and La Liga takes a shorter break covering Christmas and New Year rather than a full shutdown.
When Does the Premier League Season Start and End?
The 2025-26 Premier League season ran from 15 August 2025 to 24 May 2026. The season finished earlier than usual to ensure it wrapped up ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup call-up period, with the tournament kicking off on 11 June 2026.
The 2026-27 Premier League season starts on 22 August 2026 and ends on 30 May 2027. The start is a week later than normal, giving 89 clear days of recovery time after the expanded 48-team World Cup final on 19 July 2026. The season concludes one week before the UEFA Champions League final on 5 June 2027. The Community Shield curtain-raiser is on 16 August 2026 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, moved from the usual Wembley venue due to a scheduling conflict.
There are 20 clubs in the Premier League. Each plays 38 matches across the season, 19 at home and 19 away.
There is no extended winter break in the Premier League, though the festive period fixture scheduling has been adjusted in recent seasons so that no two rounds of matches fall within 60 hours of each other. There is no fixture on Christmas Eve.
Kick-off times vary across the week:
The full Premier League fixture schedule is available at premierleague.com.
What About the FA Cup and League Cup?
The FA Cup and League Cup (Carabao Cup) run alongside the league season and affect the fixture calendar throughout.
The League Cup begins in August, with early rounds played before the league season gets fully underway, and concludes with the final in February or March.
The FA Cup starts in November for non-league clubs, with Premier League and Championship sides entering in the third round in January. The final takes place at Wembley in May, typically the week before the final day of the Premier League season.
When clubs progress in cup competitions, their league fixtures are sometimes rescheduled to avoid clashes. This is why the fixture list shifts throughout the season and kick-off times change from their originally announced slots.
In Summary
The football season varies in time and length around the world. The most popular time frame is from August to May, often with a short break over Christmas and the New Year.
One of the reasons that this time frame is popular is to fit around international competitions. By keeping the domestic season from August to May, there is no chance of it clashing with the FIFA World Cup which is usually held between June and July.
Avoiding the hottest summer months will also prevent the pitch from drying out during the season. Many of the European leagues also take a winter break to avoid playing when the pitch is frozen or waterlogged.
However, the integration of various draining and heating systems allows many leagues to play throughout the colder months.
FAQs
The 2026-27 Premier League season starts on Saturday 22 August 2026, one week later than usual due to the 2026 World Cup final falling on 19 July. The Community Shield takes place on 16 August 2026. The EFL Championship, League One, and League Two are expected to begin in early August 2026, with fixtures to be confirmed by the EFL in June 2026.
The 2026-27 Premier League season ends on Sunday 30 May 2027, one week before the UEFA Champions League final on 5 June 2027.
No. Most of Europe runs August to May, but leagues in Scandinavia and parts of the southern hemisphere run on opposite schedules. Norway and Sweden play their seasons from spring to autumn to avoid unplayable winter conditions.
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