START of Serie A reshaped: five games before September break

The 2024/25 Serie A season will open with a revised schedule that features five league matches before the first international break, abandoning the traditional two‑match August start. This new START is designed to give early results genuine weight in the league table.

In recent seasons August has effectively acted as an extension of pre‑season. Clubs only managed two league fixtures before the early international pause. Those early games were often seen as an opening chapter rather than a decisive phase of the campaign.

The shift is less dramatic than the unprecedented interruption caused by the winter World Cup in Qatar in November 2022. That tournament set a historic precedent for calendar disruption. The current adjustment, however, focuses on domestic rhythm rather than a global tournament.

This season the pace will be very different, as AC Milan’s schedule illustrates. Torino will host AC Milan on 23 August, followed by AC Milan’s visit to Lecce on 20 September. These two fixtures mark the start of five Serie A matches before the September break.

The early schedule will allow the league table to take shape much earlier than before. Early results will therefore carry genuine weight in the standings. Clubs can no longer treat August games as mere warm‑ups.

The overhaul stems from a revised international calendar introduced by FIFA. The former September and October windows have been combined into a single extended September block. This design aims to reduce physical demands by limiting travel and fixture fragmentation.

From the 2026/27 season onward, Serie A and other domestic competitions will pause for an around three‑week international break, including a 16‑day FIFA window. The new format promises benefits such as less long‑haul travel and a more compact period for international fixtures. Players should experience a steadier rhythm throughout the season.

Once the four international matches are completed, clubs will resume domestic and European competition without the additional October interruption that traditionally fragmented the season. The result is a smoother calendar that should keep momentum flowing throughout the campaign. Serie A hopes the change will enhance competitive balance.