Sports Season Calendar

Not sure what is on this month? This guide shows the usual shape of each season. Exact dates move a little every year, so use the daily schedule for the real days.

NFL

Preseason games happen in August. The regular season starts in early September and runs to early January, mostly one game per team per week. The playoffs follow in January and the Super Bowl is in February.

NBA

Preseason is in October and the regular season opens in the second half of that month. It ends in mid-April, then a Play-In Tournament and the playoffs run into June.

NHL

The season starts in October and finishes in mid-April. The Stanley Cup playoffs follow and usually end in June.

MLB

Spring training is in February and March. The regular season starts in late March or early April and ends in late September. The postseason is in October, finishing with the World Series.

UFC and PFL

Combat sports do not have one season. The UFC holds a numbered event roughly every month, with Fight Night cards on many other weekends, all year round.

Football

The Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A play from August to May, with the Bundesliga taking a winter break. The Champions League has a league phase from September to January, knockout rounds from February, and a final in late May or early June.

Busiest times of year

October brings the NBA and NHL openers while baseball plays its postseason and football leagues are in full swing. January has the NFL playoffs. Late spring has the NBA and NHL playoffs together with the end of the football season.