Sunday, December 22, 2024

Summer 2024: Key football dates for your calendar

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It promises to be a busy summer of footballing action before the first ball is kicked on 17 August in the 2024/25 campaign.

International football takes centre stage with the UEFA European Championship and Copa America being held over the coming weeks and the Olympics following soon after. Premier League clubs will also return to pre-season action from mid-July ahead of 17 August. Here are all the key dates you need to know.

7 June – Final Euro 2024 squads announced

With most managers opting to select extended squads for their pre-Euros friendlies, the time has come for them to whittle their list down to the 26 players they will take to the tournament in Germany.

England manager Gareth Southgate announced his final 26-man squad on Thursday, which includes four Crystal Palace players.

12 June – Final Copa America squads announced

Just over a week before the start of the Copa America, the 16 managers must also reduce their extended squads down to the 26 who will travel to the United States for the tournament.

Top Premier League players expected to make the cut include Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa), Cristian Romero (Argentina/Tottenham Hotspur), Moises Caicedo (Ecuador/Chelsea) and Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool).

14 June – Euro 2024 begins

The battle to be crowned Europe’s top nation begins at 20:00 BST (21:00 local time) when hosts Germany take on Scotland in the first match of the 24-team tournament.

Germany failed to get beyond the last 16 in the 2020 European Championship, while Scotland have never advanced from the group stage.

Reigning champions Italy begin their title defence against Albania at 20:00 BST (21:00 local time) on 15 June, while England start against Serbia at 20:00 BST (21:00 local time) on 16 June.

14 June – Premier League transfer window opens

On the same day that the European Championship gets under way, Premier League clubs will start their summer dealings when the English transfer window opens.

Clubs will have around six weeks to complete all their incomings and outgoings before the window closes at 23:00 BST on 30 August.

See: Summer 2024 Transfers & News

18 June –  Premier League fixtures released

Just under two months before the start of the new Premier League campaign, dates for all 380 fixtures will be released at 09:00 BST.

The 2024/25 season will consist of 33 weekends, four midweek rounds of matches and one Bank Holiday Matchweek. there will be no mid-season player break in this campaign.

The final matches will be played on 25 May 2025, when all matches will kick off simultaneously.

Get the 2024/25 fixtures straight onto your phone by Downloading the Premier League’s digital calendar 

21 June – Copa America begins

The first match of the 2024 Copa America sees reigning champions Argentina take on Canada in Atlanta, Georgia, at 01:00 BST on 21 June (20:00 local time on 20 June).

Featuring 16 teams, the tournament goes straight to the quarter-finals after the conclusion of the group stage.

1 July – Premier League clubs resume training

With the European Championships and Copa America in full swing, most Premier League clubs will return to pre-season training in the week commencing 1 July.

Players involved in those tournaments (and/or the Olympics that follow) will return to their clubs at a later date.

14 July – Euro 2024 final

After 14 knockout matches, the two Euro 2024 finalists will lock horns in Berlin at 20:00 BST (21:00 local time).

Italy defeated England on penalties to win the last edition as the Three Lions aim to go one better this time around and win the tournament for the first time in their history.

Germany and Spain are the most successful nations with three wins apiece.

15 July – Copa America final

The Copa America final will take place at 01:00 BST on 15 July (20:00 local time on 14 July) in Florida.

Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the final of the last edition thanks to a goal from Angel Di Maria, securing a first Copa America triumph since 1993.

Argentina and Uruguay have both won the tournament 15 times, with Brazil nine-time winners.

15 July – First Premier League pre-season fixture

As preparations gear up for the Premier League’s resumption, Manchester United are currently the first top-flight club scheduled to return to action when they take on Norwegian side Rosenborg in Trondheim at 17:00 BST (18:00 local time).

Arsenal, Villa, Chelsea, Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Man Utd, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are all due to play friendly matches in the United States, while three other clubs will head to Asia.

24 July – Olympic football tournament begins

Spain will play Uzbekistan and Argentina take on Morocco at 14:00 BST (15:00 local time) in the first matches of the Paris Olympics men’s football competition.

Men’s teams are restricted to Under-23 players, with a maximum of three overage players allowed.

Brazil have won the last two Olympic men’s gold medals.

The men’s final will take place on 9 August.

10 August – FA Community Shield

A week before the Premier League kicks into action, the first competitive fixture of the English season takes place as Premier League champions Man City take on FA Cup winners Man Utd at Wembley in a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final.

Pep Guardiola‘s side have lost the last three editions of the Community Shield but gone on to win the Premier League on each occasion.

17 August – Premier League begins

Exactly 90 days after the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign, the 2024/25 Premier League season will begin.

Last season’s opening fixture began on Friday 11 August at Turf Moor where City began their successful title defence with a 3-0 win over Burnley.

This season’s promoted sides are Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.

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