This archive report was first published on 19 May 2020.
As the world slowly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, European football leagues are resuming their activities. The German Bundesliga was the first to restart, returning on May 17, 2020, behind closed doors.
However, it was not the first European league to return. The Faroe Islands resumed its league a week earlier, and Belarus was the only European country where football carried on throughout the last two months.
On Tuesday, football also returned in Estonia, with the top-flight Meistriliiga making its comeback behind closed doors.
Here are the confirmed restart dates for other European leagues:
- Czech Republic - May 23
- Denmark - May 28
- Serbia - May 30
- Austria - June 2
- Portugal - June 4
- Slovenia - June 5
- Croatia - June 6
- Turkey - June 12
- Norway - June 16
- Russia - June 21
- Finland - July 1
However, England, Spain, and Italy remain hopeful of completing the season but ongoing concerns about the health crisis mean nothing is set in stone.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said he needs “more guarantees” before the green light could finally be given for football to resume.
Other European countries that have ended their seasons include the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Scotland, Luxembourg, and Cyprus.
