Home of football statistics and historyFootball bettors are in for a treat over the next few weeks, with numerous top leagues and competitions scheduled to get underway.
Betting site operators have already published a vast array of football markets and more will be added into the mix ahead of the big kick-off. European club football pulls steady interest from bettors in the United States, and most of that action now runs through mobile.
Florida is a good example. Washington City Paper’s rundown of the leading betting apps in Florida ((https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/749454/betting-apps-in-florida/) compares the available sportsbook apps on soccer coverage, live in-play markets and payout speed, which is exactly the shortlist that matters if you plan to follow the big five leagues week to week. Deep soccer pricing, alternate lines and same-game parlays separate the stronger apps from the rest, and operators are braced for a significant uptick in activity once the fixtures begin.
With that in mind, read on as we look at the season schedule. We also highlight some of the key talking points for the new campaign and the standout matches in August.
Season 2026/27 – Schedule
- 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
- Champions League: July 7, 2026 – June 5, 2027
- Europa League: July 9, 2026 – May 26, 2027
- Europa Conference League: July 9, 2026 – June 2, 2027
Season 2026/27 – Preview
The reigning champions in each of the big five leagues in Europe will be eager to retain their respective titles this season.
Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years last term and are the bookmakers’ favourites to hang on to the trophy.
Barcelona will face a stern challenge from Real Madrid in La Liga, while several teams have the ability to knock Inter Milan off their perch in Serie A.
Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) and Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1) are long odds-on to win their respective titles and are impossible to oppose.
PSG will also be hoping to continue their dominance in the Champions League having lifted the prestigious trophy in each the past two seasons.
The Europa League looks wide open this year. AC Milan, Juventus and Benfica are teams worth monitoring in the ante-post market.
The Europa Conference League is impossible to predict, with the line-up yet to be confirmed as the qualifiers for the other two European competitions are still progressing.
Season 2026/27 – Standout games in August
The clash between Newcastle United and Liverpool (August 23) is the headline fixture on the opening weekend in the Premier League.
Both clubs underperformed last season and will be desperate to kick off the new campaign with a victory at St James’ Park.
Defending champions Arsenal will face an early test of their title credentials when they head to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on August 31.
Barcelona versus Athletic Bilbao (August 27) is the standout game in La Liga, while Napoli’s Serie A fixture against Como (August 20) should be entertaining.
Ligue 1 champions PSG face a tricky trip to Lille on August 26. Lille finished third last season and will fancy their chances of making life difficult for the reigning champions.
Monaco’s home game against Marseille on August 30 is another Ligue 1 fixture which has the potential to be feisty during the early part of the campaign.
Elsewhere, the culmination of the qualifying process for UEFA’s three club competitions will garner plenty of attention over the next few weeks.
Celtic are hoping for a favourable draw in their Champions League play-off having suffered an embarrassing exit at this stage of the competition last season.
Rangers are scheduled to face Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok in a Europa League qualifier. If they win that tie, they will progress to the play-off round.
However, they will drop into the Europa Conference League if they are defeated.
0 Comments