Which leagues play 38 matches?

The 20-team, 38-match standard

A 38-match league season happens when exactly 20 clubs play each other twice: 19 home games and 19 away games. That structure is shared by Europe's biggest competitions, which is why '38 games' is the natural unit for a perfect season.

The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 all settled on 20 clubs. The Bundesliga is the odd one out — with 18 clubs it plays 34 rounds, which is why Bayern's 2012-13 and Leverkusen's 2023-24 unbeaten runs were 34-game achievements rather than 38.

Which leagues play 38 matches

England — Premier League: 20 clubs, 38 rounds, home and away. The most famous 38-game league in the world, home of the 2003-04 Invincibles and City's 100-point season.

Spain — La Liga: 20 clubs, 38 rounds. Real Madrid's 2011-12 side won 32 games, the most in the competition's history.

Italy — Serie A: 20 clubs, 38 rounds. Juventus 2011-12 went unbeaten; Perugia 1978-79 drew 19 times yet stayed undefeated.

France — Ligue 1: 20 clubs, 38 rounds. No club has ever completed a perfect 38-game season.

Germany — Bundesliga: 18 clubs, 34 rounds. The shorter season makes a 'perfect record' a 34-0 target instead.

Why 38 games is the perfect challenge length

Thirty-eight is long enough that every weakness is exposed and short enough that a genuine perfect season is conceivable. It is the difference between a sprint and a marathon: a 30-game season rewards a hot start, while 38 rewards depth, rotation and consistency.

That is why the 38-0 Challenge uses a fictional 20-team division with 38 rounds. The format mirrors the real structure of the biggest leagues while keeping the clubs and players original. Win all 38 and you have done something no real top-flight team has ever done.

The alternative targets

Leagues with fewer clubs produce smaller perfect targets — 34 for Germany, and even shorter seasons in smaller divisions. Cup competitions compress further: the 7-0 Challenge tests a seven-match tournament run, and the 16-38 Challenge follows a single career.

For the full picture of how close real teams have come, read about unbeaten seasons in football and the Premier League perfect season, then try the 38-0 Challenge.