Groundhopper Soccer Guides | English Soccer in August: Not Just the Premier League

English Soccer in August:
Not Just the Premier League

Paul Gerald · Profile

Published on July 8, 2023

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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 12 with Manchester City at Burnley. Before that is … what?

Lots of stuff!

Summer Soccer in England:
The Community Shield

First up, the top two Premier League teams from the 2022-23 season are playing each other in London on August 6 — 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.) Since this time around, both of those are Manchester City, then the second-place league team — in this case Arsenal — gets the nod.

So Arsenal is playing Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 6 — 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 2023-24 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 5 in London you could see Queens Park Rangers play at Watford (where we also have tickets), and in League One you could see a London derby when Charlton Athletic hosts Leyton Orient. In League Two, you could see Notts County play at the very old-fashioned Sutton United in South London.

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

Lamex Stadium, home of Stevenage FC

August 8 and 9:
Carabao Cup Games

August 8 and 9 are a Tuesday and Wednesday 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 Millwall (where we sell tickets) and Sutton United are at home on the Tuesday, but for us the pick of the games is Watford playing at Stevenage of League One. There isn’t much history between them, as they’ve been in different leagues forever, but they are both in Hertfordshire, just north of London, and only 24 miles apart, so this should have some heat to it. Anyway, Stevenage is a cool place to see a game.

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!

Fill out the form below, let us know what you’re after, and we’ll be in touch.

Written By Paul Gerald

Paul Gerald, Owner and Founder of Groundhopper Soccer Guides · Profile

Paul is a traveler, writer, publisher and soccer freak. He started Groundhopper Soccer Guides as EnglishSoccerGuide.com in 2014. When he's not kicking around England working on this site and his book, you can find him at Providence Park in Portland, cheering on the Portland Timbers.

English Soccer in August: Not Just the Premier League

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.

Summer Soccer in England: The Community Shield

Here’s Our Master 2023-24 Calendar of English and European Football

First Weekend in August: English Football League

August 8 and 9: Carabao Cup Games