How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season? (Every Major League in the World)

In this post, I’ll tell you EXACTLY how many games are played in a soccer season.

Before we start, you must know that different leagues have different numbers of games in a season. So, I’ll also cover the number of games and formats of every major league.

In this post, you’ll learn:

How many games are played on average in a soccer season?

Factors affecting how many games a team plays in a season
How many games do teams in different leagues play?
And much more!

So, if you’re looking for the number of games in a soccer season across different leagues, then you’re in the right place!

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season?

The number of soccer games in a season isn’t set in stone.

It depends on the specific league and competition format.

National Leagues

Different national leagues have different numbers of games in a season. But typically, they have seasons ranging from 30 to 40 games.

This variance is because of the number of teams in the league. Leagues with more teams will generally have a higher number of games per season.

For example, in the English Premier League and La Liga, each team plays 38 games throughout the season.

But in the Bundesliga, each team plays 34 games during a season.

Here’s a breakdown of all the major leagues.

League	Country	Teams	Total Games in a Season
English Premier League	England	20	38
La Liga	Spain	20	38
Serie A	Italy	20	38
Ligue 1	France	18	34
Bundesliga	Germany	18	34
MLS	USA	29	34 (Regular Season) + 13 (Playoffs)
NWSL	USA	12	22 (Regular Season) + 3 (Playoffs)
Primeira Liga	Portugal	18	34
Dutch Eredivisie	Netherlands	18	34
Argentine Super League	Argentina	28	27
Brasileirão	Brazil	20	38

Cup Competitions

Cup competitions have fewer games, often leading to a single final match.

For instance, the FA Cup and Copa del Rey follow a knockout format where the loser is eliminated.

Embed from Getty Images

So, in these tournaments, a team could just play one game. Or a team could go all the way and play more than 10 games.

The UEFA Champions League, on the other hand, follows a round-robin + knockout format.

So, a participating team has to play at least eight games.

International Tournaments

Leagues and cups aren’t the only games played in a soccer season.

Players also have to play with their national teams in friendlies and tournaments.

The FIFA World Cup consists of 64 matches in total. This includes the group stage and knockouts.

Embed from Getty Images

So, a single team has to play at least three matches in the group stages of the tournament.

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season in Europe?

The number of games played in a season in Europe depends on the specific league. But it normally falls between 30 and 40 games.

Let’s look at the number of games played in the major European leagues.

English Premier League

The English Premier League season runs from August to May and each team plays 38 matches.

These matches consist of each team playing every other team twice, once at home and once away.

So in a Premier League season, there are a total of 380 games played. Each team plays 19 games at home and 19 games away.

La Liga

In a La Liga season, each team plays a total of 38 games.

There are 20 teams in the league, and each team plays the other 19 teams once at home and once away.

These games are spread out over 38 weeks for a total of 380 matches.

Serie A

In a Serie A season, each team plays a total of 38 games.

The 20 teams face each other twice during the campaign – once at home and once away.

So, in a Serie A season, there are a total of 380 games across 38 weeks.

Bundesliga

In a Bundesliga season, each team plays a total of 34 games.

The league consists of 18 teams, and each team plays against every other team twice, once at home and once away.

So, there are a total of 306 games played in a Bundesliga season.

Ligue 1

In a Ligue 1 season, each team plays a total of 38 games.

The 18 teams face each other twice during the campaign – once at home and once away.

So, in a Ligue 1 season, there are a total of 380 games.

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season in North America?

Major League Soccer (MLS)

In Major League Soccer (MLS), each team plays a total of 34 games during the regular season. This consists of 17 home games and 17 away games.

Each team plays against another team in their conference twice (home and away). But they also have to play a varying number of games against teams from the other conference.

For example, LA Galaxy will play against each team in the Eastern Conference twice. Since, the Eastern Conference has a total of 14 teams, it would mean that LA Galaxy has only played 26 games.

So, LA Galaxy will play the remaining 8 games against teams in the Western Conference.

After the regular season, the top seven teams from each conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The playoffs have single-elimination matches leading to the MLS Cup final.

The Eastern and Western champions face off in the final to determine the champion of the USA.

MLS also has a mid-season All-Stars game. But this game does not have any bearing on the league standings.

Liga MX

Liga MX consists of 18 teams that play in two annual tournaments. These tournaments are the Apertura and Clausura.

The season opens with the Apertura tournament (Jul-Dec) and closes with the Clausura (Jan-May).

Each team plays a total of 17 games in the regular season of each tournament.

Then, the top 12 teams advance to the “liguilla”. This is the play-off stage of these tournaments.

So, Liga MX has two champions each season. One for each tournament.

Canadian Soccer League (CSL)

In the Canadian Soccer League, each team used to play 18 or 22 games during a league season.

But, in recent seasons, the total games have gone down to 10 to 14 games per team.

There are seven clubs in the CSL and the club with the most points is crowned the regular season champion.

After the regular season, teams play in a playoff competition. The playoffs operate as a knockout tournament with single-match legs.

The winner of the final becomes the CSL champion.

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season in South America?

In some Latin American countries like

Chile,
Colombia,
Ecuador,

Haiti,
Paraguay,
and Peru,

the soccer season follows the calendar year.

This means that the league season starts from January or February until the end of the year.

They also have two separate seasons known as the Apertura (“opening”) and Clausura (“closing”).

Let’s take a look at the number of games in the major South American leagues.

Brasileiro Série A

In a Brasileiro Série A season, each team plays a total of 38 games.

The league consists of 20 teams, and each team plays against every other team twice during the season. Once at home and once away.

So, the teams play a total of 380 matches in a Brasileiro Série A season.

Argentine Primera División

The Argentine Primera Division follows an unorthodox structure.

The league consists of 28 teams but each team plays a total of 27 matches.

This is because every team plays each other once, resulting in an odd number of matches per team in the season.

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season in Asia?

Here’s a breakdown of the number of games in major Asian leagues.

J1 League (Japan)

In a J1 League season, each team plays a total of 38 games.

The league consists of 20 clubs that compete in a double round-robin format. Each team plays against other teams twice – once at home and once away.

This results in a total of 380 matches in a J1 League season.

K League 1 (South Korea)

In a K League 1 season, each team plays a total of 33 games during the regular season.

The 12 teams in the league play each other three times. This results in a total of 33 games per team.

After the regular season, the league splits into two rounds, Final Round A and Final Round B.

In these rounds, each team plays five more matches, bringing the total games to 38 games.

The top 6 teams of the regular season compete in the Final Round A. They play against each other once to determine the league champions.

Meanwhile, Final Round B consists of the bottom 6 teams. They compete to determine which teams will go down to K League 2.

Chinese Super League

In a Chinese Super League season, each team plays a total of 30 matches.

There are 16 teams in the league, and play against each other twice in the season – once at home and once away.

So, there are a total of 240 games in a Chinese Super League season.

Saudi Pro League

In the Saudi Pro League season, each team plays a total of 34 games.

The league consists of 18 teams. Each team plays against every other team twice, once at home and once away.

This means that there are a total of 306 matches in a Saudi Pro League season.

How Many Games Are There in a Soccer Season in Africa?

Here’s a breakdown of the number of games in major African leagues.

Tunisia Ligue Professionnelle 1

In the Tunisia Ligue Professionnelle 1, each team plays a total of 26 games during the regular season.

The league consists of 14 teams, and each team plays against every other team twice.

This means that there are a total of 182 matches in a season.

MTN Ligue 1 (Ivory Coast)

In the MTN Ligue 1, each team plays a total of 30 games during the regular season.

The league consists of 16 teams, and each team plays against every other team twice, once at home and once away.

This means that there are a total of 240 matches in a season.

South Africa Premiership Division

Each team plays a total of 30 games in the South Africa Premiership Division.

The league consists of 16 teams, and each team plays against every other team twice.

This results in a total of 240 matches in a season.

Thank You For Reading

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