2017/18 fixtures: What are the EFL, Carabao Cup and Community Shield dates?
Wednesday 14 June 2017 10:42, UK
The 2017/18 Premier League fixtures are out but the EFL, cup and European schedules are still to come, while Sky Sports will announce its televised games.
The reigning champions Chelsea and runners-up Tottenham will go head to head at Wembley in just the second week of the Premier League season, as the top-flight managers will now begin frantically planning for their curtain-raisers, run-ins, Christmas programme and derby dates.
There is still plenty more to add to the diary though as the 72 football league clubs learn their long season run-ins, with relegated sides Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull to find out which Championship grounds they will be heading to and when.
With Sky Sports' televised games and a host of Europe's top leagues still to release their schedules, here's all the information you need to plan your football season.
When will Sky's first live games be announced?
That's still to be confirmed but we expect to bring you details of the first batch of Premier League fixtures - those to be shown live on Sky Sports in August and September - at the beginning of July.
Sky Sports, the home of Premier League football, will show 126 live top-flight games in 2017/18 and mobile users will once again be able to see in-game goals and match highlights.
When are the EFL fixtures announced?
Fans of Sky Bet EFL clubs have had to wait a little longer than their top-flight counterparts. The schedules for the Championship, League One and League Two are out on Wednesday, June 21 and the SPFL fixtures will be published two days later on June 23.
What about the League Cup and Community Shield?
The Community Shield clash between champions Chelsea and FA Cup winners Arsenal is scheduled to take place on August 6.
Newly named the Carabao Cup, the competition starts for lower-league clubs in the week commencing August 7. The first-round draw for the Carabao Cup will be streamed live on skysports.com from Bangkok on Friday.
When do Europe's other big leagues kick off?
La Liga's fixtures will be released on Thursday July 20, with Real Madrid set to begin their title defence on the weekend of August 11-12.
The schedule for the 2017/18 Bundesliga fixtures is to be announced on June 29, with the season to commence on August 18.
Serie A fans can find out their team's run-in on July 21, with the opening weekend to take place on August 11-12.
Any other key dates?
Manchester United have a European Super Cup clash with Real Madrid on August 8, while Liverpool have a Champions League play-off tie to navigate (August 15/16) just days after the start of the league season. Everton's bid to reach the Europa League proper starts even earlier, on July 27.
The Champions League group stage gets underway on September 12/13, while Arsenal will begin their Europa League group campaign on September 14.
How can I stay up-to-date with the fixtures?
Fixtures by club will be available on skysports.com and via the Sky Sports apps.
