World Cup ends, but domestic and continental calendars resume at full throttle

Only a week after the World Cup concluded, top-flight competitions and cup tournaments across several countries are already restarting, creating a packed schedule for players and fans. Domestic leagues and continental qualifying rounds have returned or are about to begin, with fixtures underway in North America and Europe.

On Friday, the Scottish Premiership kicks off its 2026-27 season. The following Friday, the Dutch Eredivisie begins anew, and England’s Carabao Cup sets off on its ponderous journey. The various European club competitions have already begun their qualifying rounds – and did so on 7 July, in the case of the Champions and Conference Leagues. Liga MX is two rounds into its Apertura season; Major League Soccer resumed its regular season on 16 July. Other soccer is available elsewhere and at other times.

Leander Schaerlaeckens wrote, "The supply of soccer seems to be enormously exceeding demand. It’s made the sport feel utterly overwhelming"

It has been only a week since the World Cup ended. Despite the short interval, scheduling has produced immediate overlap between international and club activity, with many players and national teams having only recently completed the tournament.

The early return of European qualifying fixtures on 7 July for the Champions and Conference Leagues means clubs are already balancing preliminary ties with domestic preparations. That timing places additional fixtures on calendars that would normally provide a clearer post-tournament break for player recovery and tactical resets.

Across the Atlantic, Liga MX’s Apertura is already two rounds old while Major League Soccer restarted its regular season on 16 July, so North American clubs have also resumed competitive action. Meanwhile, in Europe the Scottish Premiership’s 2026-27 opening and the Dutch Eredivisie’s kickoff the following week signal the rapid reactivation of domestic campaigns, and England’s Carabao Cup adds early-season knockout commitments for many clubs.

This article is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond, helmed this week by Leander in Jonathan’s absence. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a Guardian US contributor whose book on the US men’s national soccer team, The Long Game, is out now. You can buy it here. He teaches at Marist University.

The compressed calendar means supporters can find matches almost every day, yet the proximity of these restarts to the World Cup raises questions about fixture density and player workload. Clubs and competitions will now proceed with little pause between international and domestic commitments.