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The start of the 2026/27 Premier League season has been filled with thrills, excitement, and intrigue.
Many of the established Premier League giants have struggled to begin the campaign, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham all falling short of expectations through the opening five matches.
Even defending champions Arsenal slipped up just before the break, leaving Manchester City as the only side perfect through the first five games.
Unfortunately, Premier League fans must now temper their excitement for the next two weeks, as the league pauses for a longer than usual for international teams to contest matches.
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When is the Premier League back?
The Premier League schedule will return on Saturday, October 10 with a whole slate of weekend matches.
With the four-game international break, the Premier League must wait until players return from international duty before reconvening club fixtures.
Premier League matchday six schedule
All times ET.
Saturday, October 10
- Arsenal vs. Leeds United (7:30 a.m.)
- Aston Villa vs. Brentford (10 a.m.)
- Chelsea vs. Bournemouth (10 a.m.)
- Ipswich Town vs. Fulham (10 a.m.)
- Sunderland vs. Brighton (10 a.m.)
- Man United vs. Tottenham (12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, October 11
- Crystal Palace vs. Nottingham Forest (9 a.m.)
- Hull City vs. Everton (9 a.m.)
- Liverpool vs. Man City (11:30 a.m.)
Monday, October 12
- Coventry City vs. Newcastle (3 p.m.)
Why is this international break so long?
In the recent past, the FIFA international match calendar has allocated one week in September and one week in October for two different international breaks.
However, in 2026, that has changed in a significant way.
Due to the length of the World Cup in 2026, which expanded to 48 teams for the first time in history and took six weeks to contest through the summer, FIFA has decided to give players a little more time for recovery and re-integration at their club teams before returning to international duty.
To do so, they combined the September and October international breaks into one, giving national teams two weeks for camp across the two months during which they will play four games.
National team coaching staffs will love the chunk of time with their players, as they rarely get so long to implement their philosophies with a squad.
When is the next international break?
With the combined September/October international break encompassing both months, the next break will take place in November 2026.
From November 9 to November 17, national teams will convene across the globe to play up to two matches, returning to the traditional international break structure.
English (US)