The World Cup trophy has been lifted, Spain and Argentina have taken their final bow, and football moves straight back to its weekly rhythm.
SuperSport carried all 104 matches of the 2026 tournament live on DStv and GOtv. Starting in August, that same coverage shifts to a full season of Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Betway Premiership football, with new managers, marquee transfers and title races reshaped by a summer of change.
Kickoff Dates To Know
The season opens with two curtain raisers before any league ball is kicked. Paris Saint-Germain, winners of the UEFA Champions League, face Europa League champions Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Leipzig on Wednesday, August 12. Four days later, Arsenal take on Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at Wembley on August 16.
League football follows quickly. South Africa’s Betway Premiership resumes first, on the weekend of August 1. La Liga kicks off August 15, with Deportivo Alavés hosting Getafe in the opening fixture. Serie A follows on August 22, when Inter Milan host newly promoted Monza. The Premier League completes the set on August 21, as champions Arsenal host Coventry City, and runs through to May 30, 2027.
Premier League: A Different Team In Every Dugout
Arsenal begin the season as champions after ending their long wait for the title, but the division around them looks unrecognisable in the dugouts. Andoni Iraola takes over at Liverpool, Enzo Maresca moves to Manchester City, Xabi Alonso arrives at Chelsea, and Manchester United have backed Michael Carrick to build on last season’s turnaround. Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town join the top flight, adding three more sides to a league where the champions are one of the few constants left standing.
La Liga: Barcelona’s Third Title Bid Meets Mourinho’s Return
Barcelona head into the season chasing a third straight title under Hansi Flick, whose side has built its recent dominance on positional control and attacking fluidity. The summer signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for €80 million sharpens their options in wide areas, and history says the third title in a row is always the hardest to win.
Real Madrid have responded with the season’s biggest storyline. Jose Mourinho returned to the Santiago Bernabéu on a three year deal in June, thirteen years after his first spell in charge, following Florentino Pérez’s re-election as club president. Madrid backed the appointment with a rebuilt squad: Marc Cucurella arrives from Chelsea for €55 million, Ibrahima Konaté and Bernardo Silva join on free transfers from Liverpool and Manchester City, and Denzel Dumfries moves from Inter Milan for €20 million. Mourinho’s task is turning that talent into a unit capable of unseating Barcelona, something he last managed at the same club more than a decade ago.
Atlético Madrid enter the conversation too. The signing of Morten Hjulmand from Sporting for €40 million adds control in midfield, and a side built on structure and resilience could be well placed if the teams above them take time to settle into new systems. Further down the table, three names return after long absences: Racing Santander are back after fourteen years away, while Deportivo La Coruña and Málaga return after eight years apart from the top flight. Barcelona open their title defence against Athletic Bilbao, now managed by Edin Terzic after Ernesto Valverde’s long spell in charge. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have had their opening fixtures pushed back, giving World Cup winning players extra recovery time before La Liga’s 96th edition gets under way, 20 teams playing 38 games each, as usual.
Serie A: Inter Defend Their Crown In A League Rebuilt Around Them
Inter Milan return as champions under Cristian Chivu, who delivered the club’s 21st Scudetto and has since signed a contract extension. A defensive reshuffle after key departures leaves questions over how quickly Chivu can rebuild that side of the pitch, though the attacking core that won the title stays intact.
The chase behind them looks different from a year ago. Massimiliano Allegri takes over at Napoli following Antonio Conte’s departure, while Ruben Amorim starts fresh at AC Milan after a disappointing campaign forced a reset, backed by the €74 million signing of Gonçalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain. Roma have gone the other way, keeping Gian Piero Gasperini in charge after he found form and identity with the club late last season, and adding Donyell Malen on a permanent deal after a loan spell. Juventus have moved for Loïs Openda, also after a loan spell, for €43 million, while Gennaro Gattuso takes charge at Lazio and Domenico Tedesco arrives at Bologna as part of what is turning into one of the most youthful coaching lineups Serie A has seen in years.
Three promoted clubs round out the 125th season of Italian top flight football: Venezia, Frosinone and Monza, all with recent experience of what Serie A survival demands.
Betway Premiership: Pirates Look To Hold Their Ground
Orlando Pirates ended Mamelodi Sundowns’ long run at the top of South African football last season, and Sundowns will be looking to take the title straight back. Kaizer Chiefs enter the campaign under yet another new coach, while Milford FC and Kruger United step up as newcomers to the top flight. Pirates open their defence against Milford in Soweto on the opening weekend.
One Season, Every Match
From 104 World Cup matches delivered without missing a beat to a full continent of league football starting within days of each other, SuperSport carries the coverage straight through, on DStv and GOtv, at home or on the move. The transfers are in, the dugouts have turned over, and by the third week of August every major European league and South Africa’s top flight will be back in motion. What happens next plays out live, week after week, all the way to next May.
