Global League Status
The world of football was impacted in the most disruptive and unprecedented of ways when COVID-19 struck in early 2020. The health crisis’s effects on football were and still are wide-ranging, but most significantly, the first real consequence of COVID-19 to become apparent was the disturbance caused to the worldwide football calendar. In the direct aftermath of the pandemic, almost all of football’s leagues around the world were suspended, with some competitions having to be cancelled altogether based on the gravity of the health situation in certain countries. Guaranteeing and safeguarding public health is and always will be the World Health Organization’s utmost priority, a stance that FIFA supports wholeheartedly and unequivocally. As a result, FIFA did not provide any particular guidelines for its member associations to adhere to with regard to the suspension and eventual resumption of league competitions, thereby respecting each individual country’s health authorities and their local assessments.
The overview below provides a snapshot of the football leagues around the world and the state of play for each nation’s competitions as far as approved league resumptions and confirmed cancellations for the 2019/20 season are concerned.