Find out when Europe’s top leagues kick off after the World Cup

Following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, European clubs have returned to training and the five major leagues will open in the second half of August, with the season’s final stages set for May 2027; La Liga’s first match is scheduled for 16 August, a Sunday*.

La Liga’s promoted clubs are Racing Santander, Deportivo and Málaga. The opening round on 16/8 features Alavés x Getafe, Atlético de Madrid x Málaga, Celta x Osasuna, Deportivo x Elche, Espanyol x Levante, Barcelona x Athletic Bilbao, Racing Santander x Villarreal, Real Madrid x Real Sociedad, Sevilla x Rayo Vallecano and Valencia x Betis.

In Ligue 1, Troyes and Le Mans join the top flight. Fixtures begin on 20 August with Marseille x Strasbourg, continue on 21 August with Lens x Auxerre, Nice x Lorient, Troyes x Paris FC and Le Mans x Brest, and on 22 August see Angers x Lille, Le Havre x Monaco and PSG x Rennes.

Serie A welcomes Venezia, Frosinone and Monza. The schedule starts on 21 August with Inter x Monza, Udinese x Como, Genoa x Napoli and Parma x Cagliari; 22 September brings Frosinone x Juventus, Venezia x Lecce, Atalanta x Sassuolo and Torino x Milan; 23 September features Bologna x Lazio and Roma x Fiorentina.

The Premier League’s newcomers are Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Southampton. Opening games on 21 August pit Arsenal x Coventry City, 22 August sees Hull City x Manchester United and Everton x Crystal Palace, while Ipswich x Sunderland, Nottingham Forest x Leeds United and Brentford x Tottenham follow. 23 August hosts Brighton x Aston Villa, Manchester City x Bournemouth, Newcastle x Liverpool and 24 August opens with Fulham x Chelsea.

Bundesliga’s promoted sides are Schalke 04, Elversberg and Paderborn. Kick‑off begins on 28 August with Bayern x Stuttgart, 29 August features Leipzig x Borussia Mönchengladbach, Mainz x Paderborn, Union Berlin x Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne x Hoffenheim, Elversberg x Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund x Hamburg, and 30 August concludes the week with Freiburg x Werder Bremen and Augsburg x Schalke 04.

Continental competitions also have set dates: the UEFA Super Cup final on 12 August (PSG x Aston Villa), the Champions League league phase on 8 September, the Europa League on 16 September and the Conference League on 15 October.

Domestic cup fixtures begin early: the English League Cup on 1 August, the Coppa Italia and FA Cup on 8 August, the French Super Cup final on 16 August (Lens x PSG) and the English Super Cup final on the same day (Arsenal x City). The German Cup starts on 21 August, the German Super Cup final on 22 August (Dortmund x Bayern), the Copa del Rey on 26 September, and the Spanish Super Cup final is slated for 2 and 7 February 2027. The French Cup preliminary round will also commence.