It has been only a week since the World Cup ended, but the onslaught of soccer relentlessly rolls on. On Friday, the Scottish Premiership kicks off its 2026-27 season. The following Friday, the Dutch Eredivisie begins anew, and England’s Carabao Cup sets off on its ponderous journey. The various European club competitions have already begun their qualifying rounds – and did so on 7 July, in the case of the Champions and Conference Leagues. Liga MX is two rounds into its Apertura season; Major League Soccer resumed its regular season on 16 July. The sense of relentlessness that soccer impels is never more obvious than in the wake of its signature event, when we are reminded that the sport didn’t stop even as the world sort of did.
This relentless schedule stands in stark contrast to the just-concluded Premier League season, which offered a different kind of intensity. As Jonathan Wilson reflected, the final day of the season saw 10 games going on at once, each with their own rhythm and dynamic. From the mass of narratives, one key theme emerged: that this is a brutally hard, extremely competitive league in which any slip-up is punished. Arsenal became champions – perhaps not the most thrilling, but a champion who seemed constantly to be battling their own doubts, who did not bludgeon the league into submission with their wage bill. The days when champions gathered points tallies in the high 90s seem over, and hopefully so too are the days when points totals in the mid-30s were enough to stay up.
“Just a week after the World Cup, football's relentless schedule resumes, as Arsenal's title win and Tottenham's escape highlight a brutally competitive Premier League season.”
Tottenham avoiding relegation at West Ham’s expense was the biggest issue to be settled. There was clear anxiety around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in injury time as Spurs held on to their 1-0 lead with everybody well aware that West Ham were 3-0 up against Leeds. Still, that Tottenham were in that mess in the first place suggests how badly the club has been run over the past couple of years. West Ham learned that lesson even more painfully: given the advantages they should accrue from renting the 2012 Olympic Stadium on extremely generous terms, their fall was a stark reminder that nobody is safe. Everton needed two goals to send Roberto De Zerbi’s team down but never really threatened.
The World Cup derives its power from its rarity: absent for 47 months out of 48. Yet the forces of the sport are arrayed against this moderation. This World Cup grew by 50% from the last one, to 48 teams. If Fifa had its druthers, it would have a biennial tournament with 64 teams. The only idea in the sport’s executive class is more soccer. As the new season begins, the lesson from the Premier League – that wisdom can still elevate a club, but slip-ups are brutally punished – feels more relevant than ever.
