Global diary
Games and dates to pencil in for the month ahead
(All kick-off times are BST)
Friday August 6
JAPAN: The Olympics reach their conclusion, with the women’s final (3am) followed by the men’s bronze medal match at midday. ENGLAND: The first game of the 2021-22 domestic season takes place, with Bournemouth hosting West Bromwich Albion in the Championship. GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s season begins in the first round of the German Cup, as they travel to face fifth-tier Bremer SV.
Saturday August 7
JAPAN: The final match of the Olympics takes place at 12.30pm, with the men’s final. ENGLAND: Manchester City go in search of their third Community Shield in four seasons when they face Leicester City at Wembley. Kick-off at 5pm. NETHERLANDS: The Dutch Super Cup – aka the Johan Cruyff Shield – also takes place, with Ajax facing PSV at the Amsterdam Arena, also named after the legendary No.14. PORTUGAL: The new Primeira Liga campaign gets underway, with champions Sporting hosting newly-promoted Vizela.
Sunday August 8
FRANCE: The new Ligue 1 season begins, starting with Rennes hosting Lens at midday.
Tuesday August 10
EUROPE: Qualifying for the Champions League continues, with the first legs of the third qualifying round. Spartak Moscow v Benfica and Genk v Shakhtar Donetsk are the first confirmed fixtures.
Wednesday August 11
NORTHERN IRELAND: Belfast’s Windsor Park plays host to the UEFA Super Cup, with Champions League winners Chelsea facing Europa League holders Villarreal.
Thursday August 12
EUROPE: Europa League qualifiers take place, with St. Johnstone of Scotland and Czech Republic’s Jablonec among the clubs involved.
Friday August 13
ENGLAND: Brentford host fellow
London club Arsenal in their firstever Premier League game to kick-start the 2021-22 season. GERMANY: The Bundesliga season begins with Borussia Monchengladbach against champions Bayern Munich. NETHERLANDS: Eredivisie newcomers Go Ahead Eagles face Heerenveen in the first game of the new campaign. SPAIN: In La Liga, the season begins at the Mestalla, with Valencia taking on Getafe.
Saturday August 14
ITALY: The Italian season gets underway with the first round of the Coppa Italia, featuring teams who finished outside last season’s top eight in Serie A.
Sunday August 15
TURKEY: The Turkish Super Lig also begins, with newly-promoted Adana Demirspor hosting Istanbul giants Fenerbahce, while reigning champions Besiktas face Rizespor.
Tuesday August 17
EUROPE: The first round of qualifying takes place for the Women’s Champions League.
Wednesday August 18
EUROPE: Arsenal, Juventus and Celtic are among the teams in action for the second day of qualifying for the Women’s
Champions League.
Saturday August 21
ITALY: The new Serie A season kicks off with champions Internazionale hosting Genoa and Verona taking on Sassuolo.
Tuesday August 24
USA: The best players in the American and Mexican leagues meet as the MLS All-Stars take on the Liga MX All-Stars in California.
Tuesday August 31
EUROPE: The 2021 summer transfer window closes across Europe’s major leagues.
AFRICA: The road to Qatar 2022 continues, as the second round group stage gets underway. Current African champions Algeria host Djibouti, Senegal face Togo, and Nigeria meet Liberia.
Wednesday September 1
EUROPE: The first international break of the season begins, with European World Cup qualifiers. Stand-out games include Denmark v Scotland, France v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Norway v Netherlands and Portugal v Republic of Ireland. ASIA: The final round of Asian World Cup qualifiers begin, with Iran v Syria among the games in Group A, and Australia v China topping the billing in Group B.
CONCACAF: Qualifying also takes place in North and Central America, including Mexico v Jamaica and El Salvador v USA. SOUTH AMERICA: The seventh round of World Cup qualifying takes place in South America, with Chile hosting Brazil in a repeat of their Copa America quarter-final clash, and Peru hosting Uruguay.
Thursday September 2
EUROPE: World Cup qualifying continues, with Sweden and Spain renewing their Euro 2020 rivalry. Belgium, England, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland are also all in action.