2026/27 Football Calendar: Every Key Date for the New Season

2026/27 Football Calendar: Every Key Date for the New Season The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now done and dusted, and football fans are fully focused on the upcoming 2026/27 season. Without further ado, read on as we look at all the key dates across the major European leagues and in international football. Transfer window The summer transfer window opened on June 15 and closes on September 1 (11.00 pm UK time). Turkish Super Lig clubs have slightly longer to sign new players, with their transfer window open until September 4. The winter transfer window runs from January 1, 2027, to Monday, February 1, 2027. The Turkish Super Lig window closes four days later. Major Leagues Premier League: August 21, 2026 – May 30, 2027 Championship: August 14, 2026 – May 31, 2027 Scottish Premiership: July 31, 2026 – May 16, 2027 La Liga: August 14, 2026 – May 30, 2027 Serie A: August 23, 2026 – May 30, 2027 Ligue 1: August 23, 2026 – May 29, 2027 Bundesliga: August 28, 2026 – May 22, 2027 The Scottish Premiership is the first major league to get underway for 2026/27 with an eye-catching fixture between Dundee United and Rangers on July 31. The Championship and La Liga both start on August 14, while the Premier League, Serie A and Ligue 1 join the party the following weekend. The Bundesliga season starts on August 28. The Premier League, Championship and Serie A each remain active during the festive season. La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga fixtures are paused for approximately two weeks around this period. Most of the league seasons finish on the final weekend in May. The Scottish Premiership (May 16) and Bundesliga (May 22) are the exceptions. UEFA competitions UEFA’s three club competitions started with a qualifying stage in July 2026. They are scheduled to run until the finals are played in May and June 2027. The dates are as follows: Champions League Qualifying stage First qualifying round: July 7/8 & 14/15, 2026 Second qualifying round: July 21/22 & 28/29, 2026 Third qualifying round: August 4/5 & 11, 2026 Play-offs: August 18/19 & 25/26, 2026 League phase Matchday 1: September 8-10, 2026 Matchday 2: October 13/14, 2026 Matchday 3: October 20/21, 2026 Matchday 4: November 3/4, 2026 Matchday 5: November 24/25, 2026 Matchday 6: December 8/9, 2026 Matchday 7: January 19/20, 2027 Matchday 8: January 27, 2027 Knockout stage Knockout phase play-offs: February 16/17 & 23/24, 2027 Round of 16: March 9/10 & 16/17, 2027 Quarter-finals: April 6/7 & 13/14, 2027 Semi-finals: April 27/28 & May 4/5, 2027 Final (Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid): June 5, 2027 Europa League Qualifying stage First qualifying round: July 9 & 16, 2026 Second qualifying round: July 23 & 30, 2026 Third qualifying round: August 6 & 13, 2026 Play-offs: August 20 & 27, 2026 League phase Matchday 1: September 16/17, 2026 Matchday 2: October 15, 2026 Matchday 3: October 22, 2026 Matchday 4: November 5, 2026 Matchday 5: November 26 2026 Matchday 6: December 10, 2026 Matchday 7: January 21, 2027 Matchday 8: January 28, 2027 Knockout stage Knockout phase play-offs: February 18 & 25, 2027 Round of 16: March 11 & 18, 2027 Quarter-finals: April 8 & 15, 2027 Semi-finals: April 29 & May 6 2027 Final (Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt): May 26, 2027 Europa Conference League Qualifying stage First qualifying round: July 9 & 16, 2026 Second qualifying round: July 23 & 30, 2026 Third qualifying round: August, 6 & 13 2026 Play-offs: August 20 & 27, 2026 League phase Matchday 1: October 15, 2026 Matchday 2: October 22, 2026 Matchday 3: November 5, 2026 Matchday 4: November 26, 2026 Matchday 5: December 10, 2026 Matchday 6: December 17, 2026 Knockout stage Knockout phase play-offs: February 18 & 25, 2027 Round of 16: March 11 & 18, 2027 Quarter-finals: April 8 & 15 2027 Semi-finals: April 29 & May 6, 2027 Final (Besiktas Stadium, Istanbul): June 2, 2027 International breaks Monday, September 21, 2026 – Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Monday, November 9 – Tuesday, November 17, 2026 Monday, March 22 – Tuesday, March 30, 2027 Monday, June 7 – Tuesday, June 15, 2027 The first international break of the season will last a week longer than it usually does, with the traditional October break now scrapped. There will now be a three-week gap for international fixtures across late September and early October, where countries will play four international matches instead of two. Player welfare was a key focus in discussions with stakeholders and all FIFA confederations before approval. The reduction in breaks will reduce the number of journeys where players from one continent have to travel to another for their international fixtures. The qualifying group stage draw for the 2028 European Championship will take place on December 6, 2026, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The first four qualification matches for teams drawn in groups of five will be played during the international breaks in March and June. Teams in the groups of four will start their Euro 2028 qualification campaigns in September 2027.