Though the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded, football’s heartbeat continues to echo, offering fans and newcomers a variety of matches to anticipate and enjoy.
Throughout the thrilling tournament, a remarkable 19 million Australians tuned in, including budding enthusiasts eager to discover a fresh favorite team or a new beloved player.
Mark your calendars: Australia’s premier A League men’s division is set to kick off again on October 16th.
Here’s a glimpse of the action awaiting us until then.
EU and US comps underway and to come
As summer bids farewell in the northern hemisphere, players are returning to their home grounds, while fans eagerly pack the stadiums for national league competitions.
In Europe, Norway’s Eliteserien is already in its sixth round and will run until December, with players such as Patrick Berg having almost no time to recover after making the World Cup quarter-finals in a historic run.
Fans hoping to get more of the charismatic Erling Haaland will have to wait until the English Premier League (EPL) kicks off on 21 August.
Haaland plays for Manchester City, along with the World Cup-winning Spanish captain Rodri, who was also awarded the tournament’s best player.
Spain’s La Liga starts on 15 August.
This star-studded comp is where you can watch 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, crucial goalscorer Ferran Torres, and Pedri take the field for Barcelona off the back of their iconic win against Argentina.
The Socceroos’ Mat Ryan is expected to take the pitch with Levante while France’s two-time World Cup Golden Boot winner, Kylian Mbappé, plays for Real Madrid.
The Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1 will both start on 23 August.
In Italy we can expect to see Socceroos Alessandro Circati and Christian Volpato play for Parma and Sassuolo respectively.
The United States’ Major League Soccer tournament has already started — tune in there to watch living legend Lionel Messi and fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul play for Inter Miami and Australia’s Lucas Herrington make an impact with the Colorado Rapids.
Champions League
The European UEFA Champions League is considered the most prestigious annual tournament in international football.
The 36-team league is made up of the best clubs on the continent, and it’s one way you can watch all of your World Cup favourites battle it out, even when they play in different national club competitions.
Qualifying rounds are already underway with the league phase starting 8 September.
Women’s World Cup countdown begins
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is over, but the build-up to the 2027 Women’s World Cup is underway.
Hosted by Brazil, the Matildas have already qualified for a spot in the July 2027 tournament while other qualifying matches are continuing this year.
Women’s club competitions start in the US and Europe shortly after the local men’s tournaments.
Many of the Matildas including Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Mary Fowler play in the English Women’s Super League, which has its first match on 4 September.
Australian Championship
The second season of the Australian Championship is set to kick off in October, with eight foundation clubs and eight NPL premiers from across the country taking part in its second edition.
This is a tournament-style format where four groups of four teams will see the top two from each progress to a sudden-death finals series, with the Australian Championship trophy the grand prize.
The competition is not connected to the A-League Men or any of its associated clubs. The Australian Championship is the national second tier for football in Australia, with no promotion or relegation between the two at this time.
The opening match kicks off on October 16, LIVE in full on SBS and SBS On Demand, with the fixture yet to be announced.