Bundesliga

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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Source: Footballtoday.com