EUROPEAN SOCCER
When do 2023/24 soccer seasons begin in Europe? Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1…
MLS and Liga MX have been on hold due to the Leagues Cup but will resume shortly after European leagues get underway.
There has been plenty of soccer going on to keep us all entertained in recent weeks, with the days of feeling - in Europe at least - as if the sport took a three-month break in non-tournament summers long gone now that we can follow leagues and competitions from around the world at the click of a button.
When does MLS resume after the Leagues Cup?
MLS stopped on Sunday 16 July ahead of the Leagues Cup, with all teams having played a minimum of 22 league matches (some have played up to 25). The “new” competition for clubs on both side of the US-Mexico border began on Friday 21 July, with the final to be played on Saturday 19 August.
When is Lionel Messi’s MLS debut?
The next round of fixtures in MLS is scheduled to start the following day, Sunday 20 August, although some teams will see the re-start dates pushed back if they reach the latter stages of the Leagues Cup. As it stands, Lionel Messi is scheduled to make his league debut for Inter Miami at home to Charlotte FC on 20 August.
When does Liga MX resume after the Leagues Cup?
Liga MX’s Apertura 2023 took a break just three weeks after getting underway on Friday 30 June. Play is scheduled to resume after the Leagues Cup on Friday 25 August, which will technically be matchday six, with rounds four and five to be slotted in later in the season.
When do Europe’s ‘top’ leagues start up in 2023/24?
We’ve seen some of Europe’s biggest and brightest stars in action in various pre-season friendlies scattered around the globe, when do they return to competition action?
2023/24 Premier League
The new Premier League season will kick off on Friday 11 August, when champions Manchester City travel to newly-promoted Burnley. Will the Champions League winners win the Premier League for the sixth time in seven seasons? We’ll know for sure by Sunday 19 May 2024, which is the final weekend of the season.
2023/24 LaLiga
LaLiga gets underway on that very same weekend and there is also expected to be action on Friday 11 August, although we still don’t know which games will be played when. Real Madrid kick off with a tough-looking trip to face Athletic Club, while Barcelona’s defence of their title sees them travel to the Spanish capital (more or less) to face Getafe. The LaLiga season will conclude on Sunday 26 May 2024.
2023/24 Serie A
The Serie A season will run from Saturday 19 August to Sunday 26 May 2024. The 2023/24 campaign will see the returns of top-flight regulars Cagliari and Genoa, while Frosinone are also back. 1992 European Cup runners-up Sampdoria, however, were relegated last season.
Napoli ran away with the title last season but, unusually for Europe’s top leagues in recent years, we’ve seen four different Serie A winners in the last four seasons.
2023/24 Bundesliga
Things couldn’t be different in Germany, with Bayern Munich’s monopoly of the Bundesliga continuing last season…but only just. Borussia Dortmund threw the title away in the last game 2022/23, allowing the Bavarians to win their 11th title in a row.
The new campaign will run from Friday 18 August to Saturday 18 May 2024, with Bayern first in action at Werder Bremen.
2023/24 Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain somehow managed to win Ligue 1 last season despite seemingly losing every week for two months at the start of 2023. They ultimately hung on to win their ninth title in 11 years, just pipping Lens by a solitary point.
Who could be 2016/17′s Monaco or 2020/21′s Lille in 2023/24? The league drops from 20 to 18 teams, with Le Havre and Metz coming back up and four teams relegated. The season will begin on Friday 11 August with Nice hosting Lille, and finish on Saturday 18 May 2024.