Boxing Day in the Premier League will be different this year with a public holiday set aside to secure just one match on the top-flight football calendar.
Premier League football fans looking to indulge in plenty of Turkish atmosphere will likely have to find new ways to continue their Boxing Day celebrations. Only one game will be played in the division this year, with the remaining games taking place the following weekend.
The day after Christmas has become an iconic part of the football calendar, with 26th December often featuring a significant portion of top-flight matches. But that is not the case this year, with the Premier League feeling unable to do so to meet their contractual obligations.
The division must play 33 rounds over the weekend and five rounds during midweek. As first revealed by The Times, Premier League officials have had to avoid the busy Boxing Day period as a result. The number of weekends has already increased throughout the year, and the removal of replays means the FA Cup now takes up more space. The Premier League will need to use December 27th and 28th to meet their obligations.
The competition for this spot will be West Ham vs Fulham, Crystal Palace vs Tottenham, Manchester United vs Newcastle, Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City, Sunderland vs Leeds, Brentford vs Bournemouth, Chelsea vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Brighton, Burnley vs Everton and Liverpool vs Wolves.
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On December 26th of this year, the lowest number of top league matches will be held since World War II. Eight matches were played on Boxing Day 2024.
The last time the holiday was celebrated on a Friday, 11 years ago in 2014, all 10 Premier League matches were played on that day. The dates and times for this year’s games have not yet been determined.
Clubs and broadcasters are normally notified of agreed match dates at least six weeks in advance. A Boxing Day match has not yet been selected.
Teams from the English Football League and National League are expected to attend every game. Both teams will have the weekend off and their next match will be played on Monday, December 29th.
This is in contrast to the Premier League, which resumes play on December 30th after a weekend of matches. Some peace will return in 20266, when Boxing Day falls over the weekend.
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