The 2020/21 English Premier League and English Football League will start on 12 September.

While announcing the dates, the Premier League said the new season will run until 23 May 2021.

"The Premier League will continue to consult The FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions," it said.

The final round of games in the current season will be played on Sunday 26 July.

The 2019/20 Championship season drew to a close  on Wednesday but the promotion play-offs are set to end on 4 August.

The U.K. government earlier this month paved the way for a return of fans to sports stadiums from October as the country continues its emergence from months-long COVID-19 restrictions.

“We will pilot larger gatherings in venues such as sports stadia with a view to a wider reopening in the autumn," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. "All of these measures, for August 1, should be done in a COVID-secure way.

"From October we intend to bring back audiences in stadia and allow conferences and other business events to recommence, again these changes must be done in a COVID-secure way subject to the successful outcome of pilots."

Domestic competitive sport resumed in the U.K. on 1 June, having been suspended in mid-March to curb further spread of COVID-19.

Since then, football, cricket, golf and horse racing are some of the sporting activities that resumed.

The U.K. is one of the worst hit countries worldwide by the COVID-9 pandemic, having reported more than 298,000 cases and over 45,600 deaths, according to data from the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The intended return of fans to stadium is widely expected to boost earnings for football clubs in lower leagues, which largely depend on match-day earnings.