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Premier League abandons Boxing Day tradition as festive fixture schedule released
Oct 31 2025 18:16 · By Jamie Braidwood · 132 Reads
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The Premier League has announced its fixture schedule for the festive period, with just one game scheduled for the traditional Boxing Day slot due to complications with a congested calendar.
Manchester United will host Newcastle United at 8pm on Friday 26 December, with a further nine fixtures to be played across Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December.
There were eight Premier League games played on Boxing Day last season, with all a full round of 10 top-flight fixtures played on Boxing Day the last time it fell on a Friday in 2014.
There will then be six matches on Tuesday 30 December, and a further four on Thursday 1 January.
The Premier League must fulfil 33 weekends of fixtures as part of its arrangements with broadcasting partners and following an agreement with the FA over the exclusivity of certain FA Cup weekends.
The Premier League scheduled this season’s midweek rounds for the start of December, January and March, another in mid-February and the fifth from Tuesday December 30.
With FA Cup replays scrapped , the FA Cup has been granted exclusive weekends for the fourth, fifth and quarter-finals rounds, while the expanded Champions League league phase now concludes across two midweeks in late January.
There will be a full programme of EFL and non-league fixtures on Boxing Day, however, with a further round of games in the lower divisions expected on Monday 29 December.
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