Premier League fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the 20 shareholder clubs have decided on a date to start next season – 12 September. The ongoing season is still ongoing and ends this weekend, on 26 July 2020, having been halted by the Coronavirus pandemic. The league also announced that the league will end on May 23, 2021.
League organizers also said that they would work with the FA and EFL in regards to scheduling the domestic competitions. Reports suggest that the Community Shield, to be played between Liverpool and one amongst Arsenal and Chelsea, will be confirmed at Wembley to be held on August 30, post which footballers would head for the first international break since November last year.
The schedule for the PL season will be set and announced by August 21, as agreed upon by the clubs. This is barely three weeks before the first ball into the new season is kicked.
Premier League organizers still have to wait for the Championship play-offs to end to know the third team that is getting promoted before they can work seamlessly on the schedule which is understandably congested. Usually, a PL season has 34 weekends, but this one has 32.
There will be no midweek PL games between end of October to middle of December, as those dates are for UEFA group stage games. Liverpool and Manchester City have already made the cut, with Manchester United, Leicester City and Chelsea in the running for the remaining two slots. It could mean at least one midweek fixture in as early as in September or October first week, uncharacteristic of the Premier League.
Premier League is set to welcome Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion to its fold with another team set to feature after winning the playoffs. Meanwhile, Norwich City has already relegated, and two more teams will join them after the last round. Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Brighton are flirting with relegation at the moment, and two of these three are expected to drop.
The Premier League is set to be another clustered affair next season as teams will participate in five other competitions apart from the league itself. January and February can be expected to be the most hectic months for top-tier clubs, with several games piled up in a span of few days.
Stay Rackonnected and learn more about sports.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram to join our community of sports lovers.