The 2025/26 season may not be over yet, but the calendar for the 2026/27 Premier League season is already starting to take shape, and some fans may not be impressed.
The Premier League’s calendar for next season is taking shape (Image: (Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images))
Premier League clubs will not play matches over Easter weekend next season after FIFA changed the dates of the March international break. As a result of the changes, the first international break of 2027 will include Good Friday and Easter Monday, with no Premier League or Sky Bet Championship matches expected to be played that weekend.
The Daily Mail reports that the suspension period will be Good Friday (March 26) and Easter Monday (March 29), with matches scheduled to resume with the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 3. The majority of international matches are likely to be held on Saturday and Tuesday.
It was also reported that the domestic league had not been consulted by FIFA, which set the schedule amid mounting pressure to schedule matches. The latest move to upend tradition in the competition comes after just one top-flight match was played on Boxing Day this season.
The match between Manchester United and Newcastle United was the only match played on 26 December, with most matches being played the following day. However, the Premier League has already confirmed that fans can expect a return to a more familiar Boxing Day schedule next season. This year Boxing Day was on a Friday, but last year it was on a Saturday.
Regarding international holidays next season, it has already been confirmed that the Premier League and Championship will be suspended from September 19th and will not resume until October 10th. The move to switch to a long break in September will be approved by the FIFA Council in March 2023, and will also ensure that a week of domestic football is added to the calendar.
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The first Easter Saturday match was held in 1889, and matches during Easter have been a staple for over 100 years. This season’s FA Cup quarter-finals will be played over Easter weekend, with one Championship match scheduled to be played on Good Friday and the other on Easter Monday.
There are currently five international holidays each year, held in March, June, September, October and November. Each match lasts two weeks and countries can play up to 10 matches, with the exception of major tournaments such as the World Cup, European Championship, Copa America, African Cup of Nations, Gold Cup and Asian Cup.
However, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill said in a speech last year that he believed changes to the international calendar were making it “more difficult” for small nations to succeed. “If we are going to play in the World Cup in the future (in the four-game window), which I believe we will, it will be difficult,” he said.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill gave his verdict (Image: Getty Images)
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“You need players to cover and a lot of these big countries can replace Premier League players with Premier League players. We don’t have that depth in our team at the moment.”
“If you’re looking to cover these four games, you’re probably going to pick a team of 30 people. I probably wouldn’t exclude anyone, and I’d probably exclude very few people.”
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