When does the Premier League re-start? New 2020-21 season dates, confirmed teams, TV details and everything else we know

After the longest of Premier League seasons the next campaign will be squeezed into nine months before a summer of major international tournaments.

Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for the league title when winning in a season which lasted almost a year, and they are set to start their title defence in under two months.

Meanwhile, Leeds United will be preparing for a first season back in the top-tier since 2003-04, but how long does Marcelo Bielsa have to plan for this long-awaited return?

Here’s everything we know about the 2020-21 campaign so far…

When will the Premier League start?

With the 2019-20 season finishing more than two months later than planned, the start of the 2020-21 campaign has been pushed back.

Originally scheduled for 8 August, the Premier League announced it will now start on the weekend of 12-13 September.

This falls after a weekend of international fixtures, meaning managers will be without some players in the build-up to their first Premier League match back.

The international break runs from 3-8 September, with Uefa Nations League matches scheduled to take place across Europe.

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Leeds United will return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence next season (Photo: PA)

When will the Premier League finish?

A 23 May finish has been confirmed, meaning the season will last just over eight months. The campaign also finishes under three weeks before the postponed Euro 2020 is scheduled to start on 11 June, 2021, while in South America the Copa America begins on the same day.

“The Premier League will continue to consult The FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions,” a statement read, with the FA Cup and League Cup to consider as well as the Champions League and Europa League.

The curtailed season could see the five-substitution rule remain in place for next season, with the Premier League yet to finalise their decision after FIFA granted an extension of the rule until the end of 2020-21.

“Some competitions which resumed in 2020 may have a shorter-than-usual recovery/preparation period before the start of their next season,” FIFA said.

“For many competitions, the 2020-21 season will involve matches being played in a condensed period due to a delayed start and the inability to end later than usual because of major international tournaments.”

Henderson lifts the Premier League trophy aloft (Photo: Reuters)

Which clubs will be in the Premier League?

There are two places to be finalised, with one of Aston Villa, Watford or Bournemouth set to stay up and avoid relegation, while one of Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff City or Nottingham Forest will be promoted from the Championship via the play-offs.

1. Arsenal
2. Brighton
3. Burnley
4. Chelsea
5. Crystal Palace
6. Everton
7. Leeds United
8. Leicester City
9. Liverpool
10. Manchester City
11. Manchester United
12. Newcastle United
13. Sheffield United
14. Southampton
15. Tottenham
16. West Brom
17. West Ham
18. Wolverhampton Wanderers
19. TBD: Aston Villa or Bournemouth or Watford
20. TBD: Brentford or Fulham or Cardiff City or Swansea City

Premier League on TV

Following the three-month break due to coronavirus, every remaining Premier League match was made available to watch through Sky Sports, BT Sport, Amazon Prime or BBC with all games taking place behind closed doors.

However, despite grounds not expecting full capacities any time soon, this special agreement is not expected to be extended into next season, with broadcasters reverting to the three-year package agreed back in 2019.

That means Sky Sports is set to show 128 live Premier League games, BT Sport to broadcast 52 matches, while Amazon will stream 20. BBC will not show live matches as it stands, but Match of the Day will continue to show highlights until at least the 2021-22 season.

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More on the Premier League

• Transfer window: 8 players who could be on the move this summer
• What the overturned Champions League ban means for Man City’s rivals
• Kevin Garside: Man City’s attention should now turn to Europe… with hope of becoming Liverpool 2019
• Leicester’s Morgan reveals PL plans on taking a knee for rest of the campaign and beyond
• From world-beater at Liverpool to a failure at Barça, Newcastle may be Coutinho’s only hope

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