It barely seems five minutes since the Euros and the Olympics are still dominating the headlines but competitive football is officially back in England this weekend.
The traditional curtain-raiser of the FA Community Shield takes place on Saturday and sees FA Cup holders Leicester City take on Premier League champions Manchester City.
As well as firing the starting gun on the new season - the Premier League kicks-off six days later - it will mark the return of capacity crowds at Wembley as the country returns to some sense of normality post-pandemic.
The fixture will, as always, be the first real barometer of where the two teams are at ahead of the real tests to come.
Pep Guardiola's side will come into the game boosted by the news of Jack Grealish's £100million arrival and having barely introduced himself to his new team-mates, he is set for his debut, most likely from the bench.
Bringing in the England star represents one hell of a statement by City as they aim to not only retain their Premier League title but finally crack the Champions League after coming so close last season.
The prospect of a team that finished 12 points clear of their nearest rivals Manchester United in May adding not only an exceptional talent like Grealish but also potentially England striker Harry Kane as well is truly frightening.
But all champions must renew to remain on top and City have well and truly laid down the gauntlet to their challengers.
Having said that, they might be a little under-cooked here with many players who featured in the European Championship and the Copa America still not back to full match fitness after taking later holidays.
Key players Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined 'for a while', Guardiola said on Friday, the result of injuries picked up during the Euros.
Pre-season to date has consisted of matches against Championship opposition in Preston North End, Barnsley and Blackpool, which marks a contrast to the usual tours of far-flung destinations to play glamour games.
So Guardiola may field a second string team but with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Ruben Dias all involved in pre-season games, City's idea of 'weakened' is different to most other teams.
With six substitutes permitted, there will almost certainly be a stop-start feel to the second-half as both managers try and build match fitness.
Guardiola will be trying to claim his third Community Shield as City boss following a 2-0 win over Chelsea in 2018 and a penalty shoot-out triumph over Liverpool in 2019. It would be their seventh win in the Shield overall.
Leicester pass this way less often - just two previous appearances - but are certainly familiar with Wembley after their uplifting FA Cup final win over Chelsea back in May.
Brendan Rodgers has raised standards at the club and that 1-0 win was tangible proof of progress even if, once again, they slipped out of the Champions League places.
But pre-season hasn't been entirely smooth with key defender Wesley Fofana suffering a broken leg following a horror tackle by Villarreal's Fernando Nino in a 3-2 friendly win on Wednesday night.
His absence for a good chunk of the season means Rodgers will need to go into the transfer market for another defender and it's a shame given how well Fofana's debut season in England went.
There might be a glimpse of new signings Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Ryan Bertrand in a meaningful match for the first time.
Bertrand started the Villarreal friendly with the other two coming off the bench. Bertrand also provided assists for both of Leicester's goals in the first half, scored by Caglar Soyuncu and Harvey Barnes.
Having agonisingly missed out on the top four in the past two seasons, Leicester will be desperate to ensure there isn't another repeat.
But with rivals Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea sure to be stronger and more consistent this time around, there are no assurances despite all Leicester's forward progress.
They will also have to contend with the Thursday-Sunday rhythm of the UEFA Europa League once again and the demands that places on squad depth.
Leicester will look forward to the new season with confidence, however, and even more so if they upset the odds and beat Guardiola's City on Saturday night.
Not that the Community Shield is the most accurate bellwether. Last season, Arsenal beat Liverpool on penalties in an empty Wembley but went on to finish a miserable eighth to miss out on European qualification entirely.
City beat Liverpool 12 months before that but finished 18 points adrift of Jurgen Klopp's champions in the title race. So don't read too much into the outcome.
But one thing everyone can agree on is that it'll be nice to see a capacity crowd at the national stadium, with around 26,000 tickets allocated to each of the clubs and the rest either to VIP guests or general sale.
It will mean a very blue backdrop to a fixture many still view as a glorified friendly but many managers like to say is a piece of silverware well worth winning.