Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
After six weeks of stagnant football, fans should now find something that will be left behind by the FIFA World Cup 2026. 48 countries compete in 104 games and score 308 goals.
In a few weeks, the focus will be on the resumption of club football in Europe’s biggest leagues, with news of signings and signings. appointment of a manager doing rounds after the World Cup.
Recommended Articles
list of things 2end of series
Apart from the league and continental matches, the national teams have resumed preparations to qualify for international competitions. Places will be up for grabs at several regional and international competitions.
Al Jazeera looks at how football fans can fill in what’s left of the World Cup:
Just after the last week of the World Cup, African nations will return to Women’s AFCON (WAFCON) 2026, where Morocco will face Kenya on the opening day.
The Atlas Lionesses will look to emulate the form and success of their male counterparts, who reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup and won AFCON 2025, despite the controversy.
Nigeria will be looking to defend the title they won last year, while Ghana, Zambia and Malawi are among the other players in the tournament.
Here we are Al Jazeera’s complete guide to WAFCON 2026.
When will PSG and Aston Villa’s UEFA Super Cup match take place?
The UEFA Super Cup 2026, which pits the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League and Europa League champions against each other, will see Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Aston Villa battle it out before the restart of the European leagues.
It promises to be an exciting encounter, with Aston Villa looking to add another European trophy under Unai Emery, while PSG will be looking to retain the Super Cup after winning the 2025 edition.
Here’s what you need to know about the classic game:
When: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Start: 9pm local time (19:00 GMT)
Venue: Salzburg Stadium, Salzburg, Austria
When does the UEFA Champions League start?
The most elite club competition, where the world’s top teams fight to become champions at the end of the season, will start in the second week of September and end in May 2027.
The clubs and their supporters will know their fate on Thursday 27th August when the series of league games will be held in Nyon, Switzerland.
Of the 36 teams in the competition, 29 booked their place at the end of last season, while seven have been confirmed after qualifying.
When does the Premier League start?
Good news for football fans, the English Premier League – the most followed competition in the world – is almost a month away.
Arsenal open their defense by welcoming Coventry City to the Emirates Stadium on Friday, August 21, at 8pm (19:00 GMT).
Some of the highlights of the first weekend include:
- Hull City vs Manchester United Saturday, August 22, 12:30pm (11:30 GMT)
- Manchester City vs Bournemouth Sunday, August 23, 2pm (13:00 GMT)
- Newcastle United vs Liverpool Sunday, August 23, 4:30pm (15:30 GMT)
- Fulham vs Chelsea Monday, August 24, 8pm (19:00 GMT)
When does La Liga start?
Several players from Spain’s national champions will resume their club football at the start of La Liga, while Barcelona players, former Real Madrid players and other competitive teams will return.
A record 36 players Madrid will welcome back their World Cup players, including Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois, in their bid to win another Spanish league title. But on their way they will represent international champions led by Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Pedri and top scorer Ferran Torres.
The season kicks off on August 15 when Alaves host Getafe at 17:30 GMT.
Atletico Madrid host Malaga on August 19 at 18:00 GMT.
When will Real Madrid and Barcelona play their first La Liga match?
La Liga holders Barcelona kick off their season at Elche on August 23, with their opening game against Athletic Bilbao postponed until August 27.
Real Madrid were due to host Real Sociedad at the weekend, but the league has moved the game to August 26.
This means that the first La Liga game for manager Jose Mourinho in charge of Madrid in his second spell at the club will be at Espanyol on August 22.
When is the first Serie A game of the season?
Italian football fans had little to cheer about at the World Cup, as the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. However, the country’s sports league will be in for a treat when the 2026-27 Serie A season opens on August 22.
Here are the picks for opening weekend:
Saturday, August 22:
- Inter Milan vs Monza at 16:30 GMT
- Genoa vs Napoli at 18:45 GMT
Sunday, August 23:
- Frosinone vs Juventus at 16:30 GMT
- Atalanta vs Sassuolo at 18:45 GMT
- Torino vs AC Milan at 18:45 GMT
Monday, August 24:
- AS Roma vs Fiorentina at 18:45 GMT
When is the next UEFA World Cup?
The qualification process for European teams for the World Cup in the European groups will be different from previous tournaments, as they will use a two-team league rather than qualifying sub-groups.
UEFA’s top 36 nations will compete in League A, using a Swiss-system similar to the UEFA Champions League.
The remaining 19 UEFA countries will compete in League B.
Teams will play six qualifying matches in the first round, with promotion, relegation and play-offs showing European qualification.
When does the UEFA Nations League start?
European and international champions Spain will lead the way as the continent’s teams return to the UEFA Nations League competition, which also serves as a platform for qualifying for the World Cup and Euro 2028.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will open the next day with their match against Wales on Thursday, 24 September, 18:45 GMT.
World Cup semifinalists England host champions Spain on Saturday, September 26 at 18:45 GMT.
When will the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup start?
With 10 teams representing the whole of Africa for the first time and nine having advanced, players in the region are keen to see which countries will take part.
Based on FIFA’s international football calendar and previous competitions, it is expected that the project will start in September 2027 and that the trials will run until 2029.
With Morocco being one of the participants in the 2030 tournament, they will only win, and the remaining African places will be evaluated by other CAF countries.
Africa is expected to have nine direct qualification spots, with the possibility of additional spots through qualifying matches if FIFA keeps the quotas the same.
When will the Asian qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup begin?
Asian teams have had disappointing performances in recent tournaments, with Australia just managing to get through the group, only to be knocked out by Egypt in the round of 32.
Asian qualification (AFC) for the 2030 FIFA World Cup is expected to begin in late 2027, with the first match expected to take place in October or November 2027. The AFC has not released an official match schedule, but its international calendar and preparation documents point to that time.
The right time for qualifications to start is from the end of 2027 and will last for about two years.
