Current PL season ends on Sunday; 2020/21 season starts three weeks after delayed Champions League final
Friday 24 July 2020 23:05, UK
The Premier League has revealed the 2020/21 season will start on September 12 and run until May 23, 2021.
The EFL has also confirmed the Championship, League One and League Two seasons will commence on the same weekend, with their regular seasons ending on the weekend of May 8, 2021.
The play-off finals will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May.
The announcements mean that the season will begin behind closed doors, with spectators only set to return to venues on a socially-distanced basis from October 1.
A statement from the Premier League read: "Premier League shareholders today agreed to start the 2020-21 Premier League season on September 12, 2020.
"The final match round of the campaign will take place on May 23, 2021. The Premier League will continue to consult the FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions."
The announcement confirms an already hectic and condensed fixture list due to the coronavirus pandemic disrupting the current 2019/20 campaign with a 100-day suspension.
The Premier League season concludes on Sunday, before the FA Cup final takes place on Saturday August 1 and the Championship Play-Offs end the domestic season with the Wembley showpiece final on Tuesday August 4.
The Champions League and Europa League will then take place between August 5 and August 23, with the Champions League final taking place just three weeks before next season is due to get underway.
The UEFA Nations League is also due to resume in September, with England set to face Iceland and Denmark in the week preceding the start of the Premier League season.
A date has yet to be confirmed for the Community Shield, which would usually take a week before the start of the Premier League season, a date that would clash with England's Nations League fixtures.
The agreement over the Premier League dates for next season was made without a formal vote being required, and talks will continue with the FA and EFL over the scheduling of other competitions.
The possibility of continuing to allow teams to make five substitutes per game was also discussed, but a vote is not expected to take place until the Premier League's annual general meeting on August 6, by which point all 20 teams for next season will be confirmed.
While the season will begin behind closed doors, Premier League clubs are open to the possibility of offering to use pre-season games - in August and early September - as test events for the government ahead of the planned relaxation of restrictions.
Clubs also discussed homegrown player development and the implications Brexit will have, and will continue talks with the FA.
Football is back and a new calendar is taking shape. From domestic and continental competitions to the new European Championship schedule, keep track of all the new dates...
Premier League status, European places, the Golden Boot, an assists record, and some cold, hard cash... find out what's left to play for on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Arsenal vs Watford - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Premier League
Burnley vs Brighton - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Arena
Chelsea vs Wolves - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Football
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Action
Everton vs Bournemouth - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Golf
Leicester vs Man Utd - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Main Event
Man City vs Norwich - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Pick and Sky One
Newcastle vs Liverpool - 4pm kick-off, Full Time highlights live on Sky Sports Digital
Southampton vs Sheffield United - 4pm kick-off, Live on Sky Sports Mix
West Ham vs Aston Villa - 4pm kick-off, Full Time highlights live on Sky Sports Digital
