When Is Soccer Season? ( Start + Lenght – All Comps)

The soccer season has changed a lot as I’ve gone through youth, high school, college, and professional soccer. Soccer seasons vary worldwide, so it can be challenging to keep up with the timing.

Today, we’ll help you better understand when soccer season starts and ends by covering:

• Season timing for different leagues
• How many games are in a season
• How/why soccer is year-round

Let’s dive into everything you need about soccer season length and timing.

Major Soccer League Start and End Dates 2022 – 2023

How Long is a Season in Soccer?

Soccer levels have different season lengths based on the number of games and the time between games.

Here’s a breakdown of how long a season is in soccer:

• Youth Soccer: 16-20 games split into fall and spring
• High School: 8-12 games
• College soccer: about 16 regular-season games
• NWSL: 24 games
• MLS: 34 games
• Bundeliga: 34 games
• English Pemier League: 38 games

What Months is Soccer Season?

Soccer seasons run nearly every month of the year in the United States. From August to November, we have many youth soccer programs (including club and high school), college soccer, and the end of MLS and the NWSL.

In the winter, most programs do not have official seasons. However, indoor soccer seasons and winter training for teams at all levels can often be found.

By March, many youth programs start again for the spring portion of their season. High school soccer starts in spring in some states. College soccer teams have off-season training and friendlies. The MLS and NWSL start their preseason.

During summer, youth leagues wrap up. Many teams still have tournaments and training. Many players from college teams play in semi-professional summer leagues, like the WPSL. The NWSL and MLS are in full swing.

How Long is a Soccer Season in Weeks?

How many weeks a soccer season lastly varies considerably based on the level. For example, youth soccer seasons tend to be about two 8-week chunks (one in fall and one in spring), for a total of 16 weeks.

On the other hand, college soccer’s regular season is around 12 weeks. Including playoffs, it may hit closer to 16 weeks.

Professional European soccer typically runs on a 45-week season with up to 60+ matches. Here’s a breakdown of the approximate number of weeks in different soccer seasons:

Is Soccer a Fall or Spring Sport?

Soccer is now a fall AND spring sport in the majority of leagues. However, the answer really depends on which league and level you look at.

Youth soccer offers league games in the fall and spring. Note that not all kids play both. Some multi-sport youth athletes may only pay fall or spring, and dedicate the other season to another sport.

However, in college, soccer is only a fall sport. While teams train all year, the official season only happens during the fall.

At the professional level, soccer typically encompasses parts of both the fall and spring.

Is Soccer Played Year-Round?

Soccer is played year-round around the country.

Many competitive programs may play with only a short break in the winter and a short break in the summer.

US Youth Soccer

Even if a certain soccer season is only in fall or spring, the majority of players play year-round.

For example, my high school soccer season was the spring. In the fall, I played club soccer. In the winter, we had indoor training, and in the summer, we had some tournaments then preseason.

Since soccer season is all year round, you may play on a variety of surfaces. Grass in the spring and late fall may be very soft and muddy. In the winter, you may play on turf or futsal ground.

To prepare for year-round soccer, you need to ensure you have other right footwear. We recommend considering the following:

• The Adidas Mundial Goal Indoor Soccer Shoe
• Nike Tiempo Soft Ground Football Boots
• Adidas Predator Freak .3 Turf Shoes

We’ll also dive into the timing of other levels, but generally, the soccer season encompasses several seasons.

Regardless of official games, players only have a few weeks off before training starts again.

When Did MLS Start?

The MLS soccer season runs from mid-spring through late fall. In 2022, the MLS began to play on February 26. The regular season goes until October 10th.

The playoffs began on the 15th of October and finished on the 5th of November. Although 2022 was an unusual year because of the winter World Cup – this normally happens in the summer, although it will delay the MLS every four years.

• The 2023 MLS season begins on the 4th of March 2023 and will end on the 21st of October, and the playoffs will follow (dates to be confirmed).

There’s a mid-season break from the 15th of July 2023 till the 20th of August.

When Does Soccer Season Start in Europe?

Most European soccer leagues begin in August, but many in Scandinavia start between March and May.

For example, leagues in Spain, France, and Germany tend to start in August and end in May. On the other hand, leagues in Norway and Sweden start in March/April and end in November.

When Does Soccer Season Start and End in Europe?

Here’s a closer look at soccer season timing throughout Europe:

What Month is Football Season in The UK?

The Premier League, one of the most-watched leagues in the UK, begins in August and ends in May.

Therefore, the soccer season in England is played during August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, and May.

When Does Soccer Season Start 2022?

Some soccer seasons work sort of like school. The new year is often right in the middle of the season, not near the beginning.

For example, the start of 2022 is not the start of a new season for college soccer or youth soccer. On the other hand, the MLS and NWSL will begin a new season earlier in 2022.

Here is a basic idea of when different soccer seasons begin in 2022:

• Youth: August 2022
• College: August 2022
• NWSL: March 2022
• MLS: April 2022

When Does Soccer Season Start for Youth?

The timing for youth soccer season depends on the team’s age, location, and league.

There is no traditional season in youth soccer.

US Youth Soccer

Most often, youth soccer includes a fall season, starting in September, and a spring season, starting in February.

Older teams may start training several weeks before their first game. Commonly, my team began training in early August for games to start in September.

When Does Youth Soccer Season End in 2022?

Just as the beginning of youth soccer season varies, so does the end.

In general, the fall portion ends by mid-November. The spring portion of the season goes until the end of May.

However, some teams qualify for the Regional Cup or National Cup, and will then play in the middle of summer.

Furthermore, many U13+ teams compete in other college showcase tournaments throughout the summer.

Throughout my years playing high-level club soccer, the “soccer season” never really ended. While certain leagues would end, our team continued playing.

We played a fall season, trained all winter, and competed in tournaments in winter. Come spring, some of us played high school soccer and others played spring club soccer.

When summer hit, we began preparing for Regional tournaments and college showcases. We then had a few weeks off before starting preseason again in August for the upcoming fall season.

However, there are club teams at all levels. Some teams do not require a never-ending commitment and maybe a better fit for more casual players.

When does soccer season start in high school?

High school soccer season is not universal. In some states, high school soccer begins in September and ends in November.

In other states, like Wisconsin, the boys’ high school season is in the fall and the girls’ high school season is in the spring. High school soccer for girls began around March and ended at the end of May.

California is another outlier for high school soccer season. The state holds both girls’ and boys’ high school soccer in the spring.

When does soccer season start in middle school?

First, you should know that middle school soccer is not common everywhere in the country. I did not know a single middle school in my area with a dedicated soccer team.

A lot of times, middle school-aged kids will play club youth soccer. In that case, they follow the same spring and fall setup.

However, some middle schools may have soccer teams. If so, the season greatly depends on the league the middle school is in.

For example, there is a middle school in Baton Rouge with a middle school soccer team. Their regular season is about 2 months long.

They begin practices on November 2nd, and games start on the 12th. They play 6 games, with an approximate last date as Jan 2nd. The post-season tournament is on Jan 14th.

Soccer Seasons

There’s no universal start and end date for the soccer season around the world, or even in the U.S.

The exact timing of soccer season varies greatly depending on the location, level, and more.

Despite the varying season dates and lengths, most soccer players train and play all year in some capacity. Soccer has become a year-round sport, even at the youth level.

Whether you are signing up to play, enrolling your child in soccer, or just looking for a team to support, make sure you learn when the season is for that team.

The good news is that you can almost always find some soccer to play or watch no matter what time of year it is!

Joel Powel

Soccer Analyst and Publisher at Soccer Blade | Soccer Blade | + posts

Joel is a seasoned soccer journalist and analyst with many years of experience in the field. Joel specializes in game analysis, player profiles, transfer news, and has a keen eye for the tactical nuances of the game. He played at various levels in the game and coached teams - he is happy to share his insight with you.

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