The end of the 2026 World Cup opens a packed calendar until September
Six weeks of uninterrupted football have come to an end, and fans now face that typical post-World Cup emptiness. The most bloated edition in history, with 48 teams, 104 matches and 308 goals, left a sense of longing, but the calendar will not leave anyone without something to talk about for long.
Africa reacts quickly, with women’s football
Just a week after the World Cup final, the African continent will already have the ball rolling at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The host, Morocco, opens the competition against Kenya, trying to repeat the feat of the Atlas Lionesses, who dream of matching the good run of the men’s team, quarter-finalists at the World Cup and champions of the 2025 AFCON in a controversial final. Nigeria arrive as defending champions, and names like Ghana, Zambia and Malawi enter the list of favourites.
The UEFA Super Cup precedes the race for national titles
Before the ball rolls in the big European leagues, PSG and Aston Villa face off in the UEFA Super Cup, scheduled for August 12 at Stadion Salzburg in Austria. Unai Emery seeks another continental trophy at the helm of the English side, while the Parisian team tries to keep the cup won in 2025.
Next, the Champions League resumes in September, with the league-phase draw scheduled for August 27 in Nyon. Of the 36 participating clubs, 29 have already secured their place last season, and seven still depend on the play-offs.
Premier League, La Liga and Serie A return in August
In England, Arsenal, the current champions, begin the defence of their title against Coventry City at the Emirates on August 21. Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea also take the field on the opening weekend.
In Spain, Barcelona try to keep the national title with much of their world-champion squad, such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Ferran Torres. Real Madrid, meanwhile, welcome back Mbappé, Bellingham and Courtois, with José Mourinho making his debut away, against Espanyol, on August 22. In Italy, Serie A begins on the same weekend, with the fixtures of the opening round.
An eye already on the 2030 qualifiers
While the clubs take the stage in the coming months, the national teams are also on the move. The UEFA Nations League, which also serves as a gateway to the next World Cup and to Euro 2028, returns with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal facing Wales on September 24, and Spain, the world champions, visiting England two days later.
For 2030, Europe will adopt an unprecedented qualification format, split into two leagues along the Swiss lines of the Champions League. Africa, which had a record ten representatives at the 2026 World Cup, is expected to begin its qualifiers in 2027, with Morocco guaranteed as one of the hosts. Asia, which disappointed in the last edition, is also preparing its qualifying round for the end of that year.
