Forget birthdays, forget Christmas, an avid soccer fan’s favorite time of the year is undoubtedly soccer season! Non-stop soccer playing all season round, what could be better?
But you need to be well prepared for such a time, which is why it is imperative that you know exactly when it begins. Plus, you need to set your countdown on the calendar!
Whether you’re a fan of MLS, Youth soccer, or European soccer, we’ve got you covered throughout this article. Now typically, most soccer will begin during the fall and will end in the Spring of the year ahead.
This is usually the case for most European and Youth matches, though MLS tends to start in the Spring and then end in the Fall.
The duration of the soccer season will also vary depending on the type of soccer that you’re watching as well as the league and level. However, throughout this article, we’ll go over what you can expect out of the three main soccer sports.
Let’s take a look!
MLS Soccer Season
MLS will usually start up around the end of February and will go on all the way to December. From that initial date though, for the next eight months, there will be two different conferences taking place.
Then the final two months will involve the playoffs which are finally rounded up with the Championship game that takes place in December.
At the beginning of the year you’ll be watching the league stage. This is where all teams compete to come away with the best record. The teams will be divided into two different leagues.
An Eastern and a Western Conference. Within these leagues, they will play every team twice. From each league, the teams with the highest overall record win the Supporters Shield.
Then the next stage is the cup playoffs that start around the middle of October. The top teams from the league then qualify to compete in an elimination tournament where the undefeated team will win the MLS cup in December.
Youth Soccer Season
A youth soccer season doesn’t go on for quite as long. This season is usually expected to last 3 months.
This can be either February until May or September until November. It tends to alternate each year but there is no strict schedule for whether it happens during the spring or the fall.
Youth soccer tends to have a less rigid schedule than that of MLS or European football and leagues and tournaments will often differ from year to year depending on the teams.
However, one thing you can be sure of is that the soccer season will commence in either February or September.
European Football
European football will typically kick off at the end of Summer and will continue up until the Spring of the following year. Generally, you can expect to get ready for European football to hit the screens around August time, and then say goodbye around May time.
Now, it’s worth noting that European soccer has quite a few different leagues and tournament taking place during this time. This is because each nation has its own personal league, the good news, though, is that they all take place around the same time.
The main soccer leagues and start times are as follows:
You will also find that there will be European competitions throughout these time periods.
The two televised European football tournaments are as follows:
Champions League – Top four teams from each European league compete in the Champions League, this tends to take place throughout the fall and winter months.
Europa League – The teams from each European league that finish from 5th to 8th place compete in the Europa League, this too takes place throughout the fall and winter months.
The World Cup
This is arguably the biggest tournament in terms of soccer. It only comes around every four years which leaves a long wait. But it is certainly worth it once the game begins.
The qualifying matches for these games usually take place during early summer and continues through until the end of summer and early fall.
Though the World Cup for 2022 is set to begin during the winter due to it being held in Katar. This is to allow the games to be played in a less hostile climate.
Final Thoughts
Soccer fans love soccer season. It’s a great time to settle down and watch match after match as the tournament continues.
Fans can cheer on their favorite team, sit on the edge of their seat in anticipation, and wait for that one pass, that one play, that one goal, that gets their team the win.
They can share their team’s joys as they triumph and their sorrow for the matches that don’t go their way.
But regardless, you are still there, right along with them, cheering them along the entire way, hoping, in the end, to see them proudly hold up the trophy that represents their victory.
Soccer fans love soccer season. Because soccer is more than just a game. More than just a sport. It’s a community, a family. And it brings people together in ways that nothing else in the world can.
So, set the alarms, and the reminders on your phone. Circle your calendars. Cancel your plans and free up your time this soccer season.
Whether that is during the summer for the MLS, to cheer on the youngsters falling in love with the game this February/November, or it’s during the Fall-Spring for European football, make sure that you’re ready. Make sure that you’re prepared.
You never know, this coming year could be the year that your favorite team reigns supreme.
Soccer is the most popular sport played and watched in the world, yet it is one rarely talked about in the United States. Why is this?
Hi, my name is Adrian Turner and I am a self-proclaimed soccer head.
Since I was young, I have always been fascinated by soccer, and any of the games I could find on the TV channels. There weren’t many games broadcast, so thankfully I could find more on the internet as I grew up.
I turned all of my friends onto soccer and we’d play into the evenings after school.
