Brazil Serie A season to run until February

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's Serie A championship will not stop for FIFA-sanctioned international breaks under its revised 2020 calendar unveiled on Thursday.

The season will begin on Aug 9 and finish on Feb 24, with clubs mostly scheduled to play twice a week, including during the Christmas and new year period, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said in a statement.

The Serie A had been scheduled to start in May but was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

FIFA's international windows have been set for Sept 3-8, Oct 8-13 and Nov 12-17.

Most leagues usually pause their seasons to accommodate international fixtures but CBF president Rogerio Caboclo said the task was made impossible by the pandemic.

"This adjustment was the only way we could fully deliver a schedule and guarantee compliance with the commitments assumed by the clubs with the companies that hold television rights, with the sponsors and with their supporters," Caboclo said.

Brazil's congested fixture list also casts doubt over plans by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to restart its Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana continental tournaments this year.

CONMEBOL suspended the competitions in mid-March and has yet to announce when they will resume.