How Many Games In a Premier League Season? A Journey Through EPL Schedule

The English Premier League (EPL) season is one that fans from all over the world look forward to each year. Many believe that it is the most competitive club league in the world, and many of the top players have passed through it at some point in their careers.

So, let’s take a deep dive into the EPL schedule.

Topic	Details
Total Matches in a Season	380 matches
Matches per Team in a Season	38 matches
Premier League Season Duration	August – May
Off-Season Duration	Late May – Early August
Matches per Month:
– August	30 games
– September	30 games
– October	39 games
– November	38 games
– December	63 games
– January	30 games
– February	40 games
– March	30 games
– April	50 games
– May	30 games
EPL Schedule Creation	Random draw, ten sets mirrored for season halves
Champions League Qualification	Top 4 from Premier League
Additional Champions League Spot	Previous season’s winner (if not in the top 4)
Other Domestic Competitions	FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield
International Club Competitions	UEFA Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup
Relegation/ Promotion	Bottom 3 to The Championship; Top 3 promoted
Points System	Win: 3 points, Draw: 1 point
Tie-breakers	Goal difference, then total goals scored
League Expansion	No immediate plans for more than 20 teams

How Many Matches in the Premier League Season?

One of the interesting things about the Premier League Schedule is how each match matters. Teams are fighting for a position on the table, and they hope to put themselves in the best situation possible. Just how many chances are they get to do that?

How Many Games Are There in a Premier League Season?

The Premier League season has a total of 380 matches. Each of the 20 teams plays 38 games each. They have a home and away fixture with each team to make it as balanced as possible.

How Does The Premier League Schedule Work?

EPL Season: August – May
Off-Season: Late May – Early August

Here’s how many Premier League games that are played each month, from the first games in August to the last month of the season in May.

August: 30 Games
September: 30 Games
October: 39 Games
November: 38 Games
December: 63 Games
January: 30 Games
February: 40 Games
March: 30 Games
April: 50 Games
May: 30 Games

During the offseason, league officials put together a fixtures calendar by way of a random draw. What happens is that the season is broken down into 10 sets of games, which are then mirrored from the 1st to 2nd half of the season.

This scheduling is done to keep things as fair as possible from a rest perspective while also killing any scheduling conflicts. For example, a person will not find a Manchester City Premier League match at home going on the same time as a Manchester United Premier League match at home. The only time they are both playing in Manchester is when they are playing each other.

Officials ensure that no club is forced to have a particularly long homestand, or time on the road. This helps out the players, as well as fans wanting to support their team locally. The schedules are also balanced out well to give teams the proper amount of rest so that there are no tired legs for big matches.

EPL Matches Chosen at Random Draw

Since it is a random draw, the big matches don’t always happen on the biggest days. For example, opening day may only have one or two interesting matches, and the same goes for Boxing Day as well. On the final day of the season, it mostly comes down to what teams are fighting for to see if it’s intriguing or not.

Speaking of the final day of the season, all 20 teams start their matches at the same time. This not only makes for compelling television, but it ensures that teams all play as hard as possible instead of resting all of their players if a spot is already locked up.

The season starts in August, and ends in May. There are a total of 38 game weeks, with 10 matches in each of those weeks. The scheduling ensures that not only are players well-rested, but fans can understand exactly when their team plays.

EPL Schedule – Other Matches & Conflicts For Premier League Teams

There might only be 38 matches in the Premier League season, but players are participating in many more matches than that. That’s because other competitions are going on at the club level, and some players will leave their club team to play for their international side from time to time.

The Champions League is the ultimate international competition for clubs in the Premier League. This is when the best of the best from Europe compete throughout the year for a title. To qualify, it is based on the results of the previous year domestically. There is a maximum of five Premier League teams to make the UEFA Champions League each year.

All four of the top finishers from the previous season get automatic berths to the Champions League. There is a chance for a fifth spot in the 32-team Champions League, but that only happens if the previous season’s winner did not finish in the top four domestically. For example, if Manchester United were to win the Champions League, but finish fifth or below in the Premier League, they would still get a chance to defend their title the next season.

Other competitions include the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and the FA Community Shield domestically. Outside of England, there is the UEFA Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup, and more. These matches can clutter up a schedule in a hurry, but teams are pretty good about managing their roster and ensuring that their best players get rest when possible.

Finally, since there are many great players in the Premier League, international duties call quite a bit. There can be players missing from a Premier League match or two at any given time because they are playing internationally.

What Happens After All The Matches Are Completed?

Once the EPL season is over, teams get a bit of information on where they are playing the following year. The top four teams in the Premier League automatically qualify for the following season’s UEFA Champions League group stages. There’s a chance for a fifth team to make the Champions League, but that is based on winning the tournament the previous year (as mentioned above).

As far as regulation is concerned, three teams are at the end of the table that are then forced to drop down to The Championship, the second tier of football in England. Replacing them are the three best teams in The Championship League that year.

Position on the table is based on a point system where three points go to a team for every win, while one goes to each team that plays to a draw. If there are any ties on the table, the winner is determined first by goal difference, then by the total number of goals scored that year.

Will The Premier League Ever Grow to More Than 20 Teams?

There’s always talk about expanding in any of the top professional leagues around the world. While some proposals have been thrown around, there are no immediate plans for growth beyond the 20 teams right now.

Obviously, if there were growth in the league, there would be a chance of more matches being played during the year. That could be a positive from a revenue standpoint, but it could start to wear on the players as well. The league might have to look at some scheduling changes if that occurred.

For now, scheduling and the number of matches played per season are in a nice sweet spot. Most players and fans believe that the league is in a good spot right now, and as long as competition stays fierce, it will likely stay how it is.