Major European leagues: start dates and season storylines
La Liga begins on Saturday 15 August with Alaves v Getafe (18:30 BST), as the continent’s top divisions prepare to restart their domestic campaigns later in August and into October.
The season is already getting under way in parts of Europe while the Premier League remains a week away, with La Liga kicking off this weekend and Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga set to follow; BBC Sport has compiled the main storylines to watch, including a first Clasico at the end of October at the Camp Nou where Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham will face one another.
Real Madrid are central to La Liga’s early narrative after Jose Mourinho returned to the club 13 years on from his first spell; Mourinho previously won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during his earlier time in charge of Real Madrid. Real’s 2024 signing Kylian Mbappe has impressed but the side has at times appeared disjointed, described in the source as “two teams on the same pitch” with a group of four attackers and a vulnerable defence; summer arrivals Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva, plus Yan Diomande, are noted as reinforcements while Vinicius Junior recently agreed a new deal after links to Arsenal. Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis are named among the challengers, Malaga return to the top flight after rising from the third tier and will aim to avoid relegation on a tight budget, Valencia will play their final season at the Mestalla and Rayo Vallecano face uncertainty after the regional government of Madrid stripped the club of its licence to host matches at the Vallecas stadium; La Liga will also inspect Celta Vigo's pitch following a fungus outbreak.
Serie A opens on Saturday 22 August with Udinese v Como and Inter Milan v Monza (17:30 BST), where Inter arrive as favourites to defend the title. Napoli, AC Milan, Atalanta and Lazio have new managers, while Juventus and Milan are under pressure after missing out on the top four last season; the report notes that absence from the Champions League could aid some title bids but that Europa League Thursday nights might hinder others. Como’s rise — and Cesc Fàbregas’ role at the club — is highlighted as a major story, with Como needing stadium improvements if they are to host European fixtures; Fàbregas has pledged to try to bring through more young Italian players. Roma, who finished third last season, have backed manager Gian Piero Gasperini, and additional items in the coverage record that mourners lined the streets of Milan for legend Baresi’s funeral and that defender John Stones joins Inter Milan on a free transfer.
The Bundesliga season begins with Bayern Munich v VfB Stuttgart on Friday 28 August (19:30 BST), with coverage focused on Bayern’s attacking firepower and Harry Kane’s form. The piece states Harry Kane is 33 and has scored 98 goals in 94 Bundesliga games; Bayern’s forward line is listed to include Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, with Morocco international Ismael Saibari also added. Questions are noted about 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Bayern’s backline, while Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are cited as potential title challengers. The return of Schalke 04 to the top flight is recorded, bringing back the Revier derby with Dortmund, and Elversberg completed a rapid rise to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history, representing Spiesen-Elversberg — a town of about 13,000 — in the league; the coverage also records that former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, 40, has signed a new deal with Schalke.
Ligue 1’s opening fixture is Marseille v Strasbourg on Friday 21 August (19:45 BST), where Paris St-Germain remain the dominant side on paper. The article states PSG have won Ligue 1 12 times in the past 14 seasons and are described as heavy favourites to claim the title again — the wording used is that it is hard to see anything other than PSG winning Ligue 1 for the 13th time in 15 seasons — and notes their back-to-back Champions League triumphs. PSG summer additions listed include Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco and Lucas Digne from Aston Villa, with the possibility that Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye could be sold amid Liverpool interest; Monaco (2016-17) and Lille (2020-21) are cited as the most recent sides to have toppled PSG. The piece records financial constraints at Marseille with more key players expected to depart following Mason Greenwood’s exit, the returns of Will Still (Auxerre) and Liam Rosenior (Paris FC) to the French league after managerial spells in England, Felipe Luis being installed as Monaco boss, and managerial changes at Lens (Dino Toppmoller) and Lille (Davide Ancelotti). Strasbourg are described as having lost the spine of the side that reached the UEFA Conference League semi-finals last season and suffering heavy pre-season defeats, with Hugo Oliveira now in charge.
Coverage of other European competitions notes Mohamed Salah’s surprise move to Trabzonspor after leaving Liverpool at the end of his contract, and domestic title races elsewhere: PSV Eindhoven aim for a fourth successive Eredivisie title, Ajax and Feyenoord have appointed new managers (Spaniard Michel at Ajax and Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Feyenoord), Porto seek to defend the Primeira Liga for the first time since 2013 while Benfica are now managed by Marco Silva, and Sporting CP aim to reclaim the Primeira title after winning in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Eredivisie and Primeira Liga are already under way; the next confirmed domestic kick-off on the calendar is the start of the Turkish Super Lig on Friday 14 October with Galatasaray v Corum (19:30 BST).
