If you’re coming to England in August and want to see some soccer, you should know that it’s not just about the Premier League. Here are some other great options for seeing English soccer in August in London or many other places around the UK.

For many people, it’s all about the Premier League, and we get it: It’s glamorous, filled with top players, and offers top-notch entertainment. It’s also where, for most non-British people, their understanding of English football begins.

So, you may look at the soccer schedule for August and see the Premier League starts on August 16 with Fulham at Manchester United. Before that is … what?

Lots of stuff!

Summer Soccer in England:
The Community Shield

First up, two of the top Premier League teams from the 2023-24 season are playing each other in London on August 10 — but it’s not a Premier League game.

It’s the Community Shield, an annual preseason friendly between last season’s winners of the FA Cup and the Premier League. (Read more here.) As Premier League champions (again) Manchester City will take on FA Cup winners Manchester United in a rematch of the 2024 FA Cup final.

So Manchester United is playing Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 10 — and Groundhopper Guides has Community Shield tickets! Fill out the form at the bottom of this post for a detailed quote. (And here is more on our Wembley ticket options.)

Here’s Our Master 2024-25 Calendar of English and European Football

First Weekend in August:
English Football League

The three levels below the Premier League on the English football pyramid (what’s that?) make up the English Football League, and they start playing the weekend before the Premier League.

So on August 10 in London, you could see Watford play at Millwall (where we also have tickets), and in League One you could see a quality game as Leyton Orient hosts Bolton Wanderers. In League Two, you could see AFC Wimbledon (where we have tickets) host Colchester United in their new home in southwest London.

And that’s just London! If you’re up around Manchester or Liverpool, you could go to Salford City, Tranmere Rovers, or even Wrexham if you can manage to get a Wrexham ticket.

Plough Lane, home of AFC Wimbledon.

August 13:
Carabao Cup Games

August 13 is a Tuesday evening on which all the clubs of the Football League play first-round matches in the Carabao Cup, which you might also see called the EFL Cup or the League Cup. It’s all the same thing, and it starts this week.

In London, both Charlton Athletic (where we sell tickets), Preston North End, Watford (where we sell tickets), and Carlisle are at home on the Tuesday.

Digging Deeper into the London Soccer Schedule

If you want to go way down into the world of non-league football, looking for some August soccer in London, you should definitely read a blog called The London Football Guide. We even did a great interview with James, the founder of that blog and Non-League Day in the UK, and he told us there are nearly 100 non-league clubs in the Greater London area!

Here’s that whole interview.

Premier League Preseason Friendlies

And finally, if you just can’t be bothered for anything but Premier League games in August, then you should know the clubs do play preseason friendlies. Many of those are international, and many are in the United States, but many are also in England. And PremierLeague.com has a full guide to when and where they are happening.

Looking to Buy English Soccer Tickets? We Can Help!

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