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This news story suggests two dates, Saturday August 29 and Saturday September 12.

When will Premier League 2020-21 start and finish? Teams involved and all you need to know

Ryan Kelly

As the 2019-20 campaign comes to a close, Goal takes a look at when the new one begins and ends
It won't be long after the curtain falls on the 2019-20 Premier League season that the 2020-21 campaign kicks off.

Having resumed play on June 17 following the coronavirus-enforced lockdown period, Premier League clubs will have squeezed nine (and a bit) matchdays into the space of a month, with the last games of the season being played on July 26. The FA Cup final will then bookend the term on August 1.

So when exactly will the next Premier League season begin? Will clubs have much of a pre-season?

Goal takes a look at the dates and which teams will be involved as English football looks to rebuild in the aftermath of the pandemic.

There are currently two potential 2020-21 Premier League start dates: Saturday August 29 or Saturday September 12.

The Daily Mirror reports that the Football Association favours an August start date, a position that is understood to be influenced by the fact that England's UEFA Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark are scheduled for September 5 and 8 respectively.

However, Premier League clubs themselves are reportedly more keen on the September start date and it is understandable given that their players will have just played out a gruelling end to the 2019-20 season.

In normal circumstances, teams are granted a three-month break from competitive action, with the league season usually concluding in May and starting up again in August.

Pre-season, the period when players hone their match fitness, tends to kick off around a month before the first competitive games, but that will be impossible ahead of the 2020-21 season.

When will Premier League 2020-21 finish?
The finish date for the 2020-21 Premier League season has not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to be wrapped up in May 2021 in order to minimise further disruption to normal schedules.

If the league commences at the end of August or start of September, it is entirely achievable to finish in May.

Indeed, it would be even more likely if, as has been speculated, the Carabao Cup is temporarily scrapped in order to ease fixture congestion, thus freeing up fixture slots.

Which teams will be involved in Premier League 2020-21?
There will be 20 clubs in the 2020-21 Premier League and a number of them have already been confirmed as it becomes mathematically impossible for them to be relegated.

Three clubs will be relegated to the Championship, with Norwich City, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham all very much fighting to retain their place at the top table.

Club Stadium 2019-20 position

Arsenal Emirates Stadium TBC
Burnley Turf Moor TBC
Chelsea Stamford Bridge TBC
Everton Goodison Park TBC
Leicester City King Power Stadium TBC
Liverpool Anfield 1st
Manchester City Etihad Stadium 2nd/3rd/4th
Manchester United Old Trafford TBC
Newcastle United St James' Park TBC
Sheffield United Bramall Lane TBC
Southampton St Mary's Stadium TBC
Tottenham Tottenham Hotspur Stadium TBC
Wolves Molineux Stadium TBC
TBC - -
TBC - -
TBC - -
TBC - -
TBC - 1st Championship
TBC - 2nd Championship
TBC - Championship play-offs winner

The three relegated clubs will be replaced by three teams from the Championship. Leeds United, West Brom, Brentford and Fulham in the mix for the two automatic promotion spots.

The final promotion will be decided through the play-offs, with Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Preston, Derby County and Blackburn Rovers all staking their claim - though it has not yet been confirmed.

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