2023/24 key dates: Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and transfer window dates revealed

With a seemingly never-ending campaign culminating with Manchester City’s Champions League triumph, attention is already turning to next season.

Pep Guardiola led City to a treble, but his focus will shift to winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title when the new fixtures are released tomorrow.

Burnley and Sheffield United both return to take their places back among the elite of English football, while Luton are certainly mad as Hatters after ending a 31-year absence from the top flight.

Newcastle have made tremendous progress under Eddie Howe, and Magpies fans can now look forward to Champions League football for the first time in 21 years.

West Ham will be competing on the continent again after winning the Europa Conference League, as the Hammers have Europa League football to look forward to in the new campaign.

They are joined in Europe’s secondary competition by Brighton and Liverpool, while Aston Villa take their place in the Europa Conference League after sealing an impressive seventh-place finish last season.

Here are some of the key dates to look out for in 2023/24.

What are the key dates in the Premier League?

Thursday June 15 is a date etched in the minds of fans from all 20 Premier League clubs.

Fixture release day will see all 20 clubs learn their first opponents of the new season at 9am UK time, and anticipation will be at an all-time high for Clarets, Blades and Hatters supporters.

The season starts on August 12, 2023 and ends on May 19, 2024.

A mid-season break is scheduled between January 13-20, while a further development means no club will play matches within 48 hours of each other between Christmas and New Year.

When does the transfer window open and close?

The transfer window officially opened in England and Scotland on June 14 and closes on September 1 at 11pm.

Meanwhile, the winter window begins on January 1 2024, and closes on February 1. The Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 windows will operate using the same dates, but the times may differ.

When does the Women’s Super League start?

We have a bit longer to wait until the WSL restarts, with Chelsea set to begin their title defence across the weekend of September 29 – October 1.

The final weekend is across May 18-19.

When do the FA Cup finals take place?

The men’s FA Cup final date has yet to be confirmed, but the Women’s FA Cup final is scheduled to take place across the weekend of May 11-12.

How about the Carabao Cup?

The first round takes place on the week commencing August 7, while the final takes place at Wembley on February 25.

When does the Champions League start again?

Amazingly, the 2023/24 Champions League season starts only 17 days after City’s triumph in Istanbul on June 27. This is the date of the preliminary round semi-finals though, so no British clubs will be involved at this very early stage.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle and Celtic all enter the competition at the group stage, which begins on September 19.

The knockout stages start on March 5, while the final at Wembley is scheduled for June 1.

Group Stage

Matchday 1: September 19/20
Matchday 2: October 3/4
Matchday 3: October 24/25
Matchday 4: November 7/8
Matchday 5: November 28/29
Matchday 6: December 12/13

Knockout Stage

Round of 16: March 5/6/12/13, 2024
Quarter-finals: April 9/10 and 16/17, 2024
Semi-finals: April 30/May 1 and May 7/8, 2024
Final: June 1, 2024

How about the Europa League?

Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham will be preparing for September 21, which is when the first round of Europa League group stage fixtures take place.

It is set to be an historic night for the Seagulls, who are preparing for the club’s first-ever match in European competition.

The full schedule is below:

Matchday 1: September 21
Matchday 2: October 5
Matchday 3: October 26
Matchday 4: November 9
Matchday 5: November 30
Matchday 6: December 14
Knockout round play-offs: February 15 and 22, 2024
Round of 16: March 7 and 14, 2024
Quarter-finals: April 11 and 18, 2024
Semi-finals: May 2 and 9, 2024
Final: May 22 2024

The Europa League will conclude at the Dublin Arena in the Republic of Ireland.

When does the Europa Conference League start?

Aston Villa are England’s sole representatives in Europe’s tertiary cup competition, and Unai Emery’s side will have their eyes on the play-off round first leg on August 24.

Should they progress through that two-legged tie, the Villans will progress to the group stage, which begins on September 21.

The full list of dates are below:

Play-offs: August 24 and 31
Matchday 1: September 21
Matchday 2: October 5
Matchday 3: October 26
Matchday 4: November 9
Matchday 5: November 30
Matchday 6: December 14
Knockout round play-offs: February 15 and 22, 2024
Round of 16: March 7 and 14, 2024
Quarter-finals: April 11 and 18, 2024
Semi-finals: May 2 and 9, 2024
Final: May 29, 2024

The Europa Conference League final will be held at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece.