Having mostly managed to conclude their 2019-20 seasons in full following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Europe's top leagues will return slightly later than usual for the 2020-21 season.
Of the continent's top five leagues, four squeezed the remainder of last term's matches in over the summer, with only France's Ligue 1 opting to prematurely cancel the 2019-20 campaign in April.
The rest - the Premier League in England, Serie A in Italy, Spain's La Liga and Germany's Bundesliga - waited it out and played through June and July in order to fulfil the fixture list.
Things are by no means 'back to normal', with games being played behind closed doors and players undergoing regular testing for Covid-19, but action on the pitch is at least being broadcast on television.
So, when will the new seasons begin in Europe's top leagues?
| League | Start date | Finish date |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Saturday September 12, 2020 | Sunday May 23, 2021 |
| La Liga | Saturday September 12, 2020 | Sunday May 23, 2021 |
| Serie A | Saturday September 19, 2020 | Sunday May 23, 2021 |
| Bundesliga | Friday September 18, 2020 | Saturday May 22, 2021 |
| Ligue 1 | Friday August 21, 2020 | Sunday May 23, 2021 |
Remarkably, considering the level of disruption that was caused by the lockdown measures imposed by governments across the world, the beginning of the 2020-21 season across Europe is fairly uniformed.
Ligue 1 will be the first major European league to kick off the 2020-21 season, with Marseille and St Etienne raising the curtain on August 21.
The August start date is slightly earlier than was anticipated back when French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe declared that no major sporting events would take place until September.
The Premier League and La Liga will both begin on the same date - Saturday September 12. Exact fixture dates will be confirmed before the end of August.
German football will follow a week later as the 2020-21 Bundesliga gears up for a September 18 start.
Among the standout games in the opening match week include Borussia Dortmund taking on Borussia Monchengladbach, while Bayern Munich begin their title defence at home to Schalke.
Italy's Serie A will be the last of Europe's major leagues to kick off the new campaign, having only finished the 2019-20 season at the beginning of August.
Fans will be able to follow Juventus, AC Milan, Inter and Co. as they embark on the new season on September 19.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)