Football off-season: Seven days without games - is it the shortest ever?
- Published
The Nations League, men's and women's Champions League and Scottish Premiership are just some of the tournaments with games in between the Premier League seasons
From no football for 100 days to matches almost every day for over a year.
The coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with the sporting calendar and meant there was no domestic action for three months.
But one consequence of the game's suspension is that the gap between seasons, which can leave fans starved of any competitive action for two or three months, will be dramatically shorter and packed with other matches to follow.
There are only seven weeks between the end of the 2019-20 Premier League season and the start of the 2020-21 one - but there will be only seven days in that time without games in nine selected competitions.
How, you ask? Let us explain...
The Premier League ended on 26 July, with the four Championship play-off semi-final matches being played later that week.
The FA Cup final is on 1 August, the same day the 2020-21 Scottish Premiership season begins.
The Serie A season ends the following day, with the Championship play-off final on 4 August.
On 5 August the Europa League last-16 ties resume - with Manchester United and Wolves playing in successive days.
Then Manchester City and Chelsea play their Champions League last-16 second legs on the following two days.
There will only be three days - none in a row - without a European game until the Champions League final on 23 August.
Then comes the big wait, with the Nations League not starting for another 11 days.
However, in those 11 days the Scottish Premiership continues, the Community Shield will be played, the Women's Champions League semi-finals and final take place and France's Ligue 1 starts (22 August).
Only seven of the 48 days in question do not have either Championship play-offs, Champions League or Europa League games (including qualifiers featuring British teams), the Scottish Premiership, Italian or French football, the Community Shield the Nations League or the Women's Champions League.
And six of those seven are either side of the international break - as there would be during any normal season.
Even those seven days do have football in some of Europe's smaller leagues like Belgium, the Republic of Ireland and the Nordic countries.
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland play two games each in the Nations League between 3 and 8 September.
Four days later - on 12 September - the Premier League starts and then there will be near continuous football for more than a year.
The 2021 Champions League final in Istanbul is on 29 May, with Euro 2020 starting 13 days later.
Selected games on every day between the two Premier League seasons
The 2019-20 Premier League season ended on 26 July, the 2020-21 campaign will start on 12 September
27 July - Championship play-off semi-final first leg
28 July - Italian Serie A games
29 July - Championship play-off semi-final second leg, Serie A games
30 July - Championship play-off semi-final second leg
31 July - French League Cup final
1 August - FA Cup final, Scottish Premiership opening day
2 August - Scottish Premiership games, Serie A final day
3 August - Scottish Premiership game
4 August - Championship play-off final
5 August - Europa League last-16 ties
6 August - Europa League last-16 ties
7 August - Champions League last-16 ties
8 August - Champions League last-16 ties, Scottish Premiership games, Champions League preliminary round (including Northern Irish team)
9 August - Scottish Premiership games
10 August - Europa League quarter-finals
11 August - Europa League quarter-finals, Scottish Premiership game, Champions League preliminary round (including Northern Irish team)
12 August - Champions League quarter-final, Scottish Premiership games
13 August - Champions League quarter-final
14 August - Champions League quarter-final
15 August - Champions League quarter-final, Scottish Premiership games
16 August - Europa League semi-final, Scottish Premiership game
17 August - Europa League semi-final
18 August - Champions League semi-final, Champions League first qualifying round (including Scottish and Welsh team)
19 August - Champions League semi-final, Champions League first qualifying round (including Scottish and Welsh team)
20 August - Europa League preliminary round (including Welsh and Northern Irish teams)
21 August - Europa League final, Women's Champions League quarter-finals
22 August - Scottish Premiership games, Women's Champions League quarter-finals, French Ligue 1 opening day
23 August - Champions League final, Scottish Premiership game, Ligue 1 games
24 August -
25 August - Women's Champions League semi-final
26 August - Women's Champions League semi-final
27 August - Europa League first qualifying round (including Scottish and Welsh teams)
28 August - Community Shield
29 August - Scottish Premiership games, Women's Champions League final, Ligue 1 games
30 August - Ligue 1 games
31 August, 1, 2 September -
3 September - Nations League games
4 September - Nations League games
5 September - Nations League games
6 September - Nations League games
7 September - Nations League games
8 September - Nations League games
9, 10, 11 September -
There are actually football matches on each of the eight days without games highlighted in other smaller leagues