{"id":12227,"date":"2025-10-31T17:21:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/31\/premier-league-explains-why-there-are-fewer-boxing-day-matches-this-year\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T17:21:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:21:28","slug":"premier-league-explains-why-there-are-fewer-boxing-day-matches-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/31\/premier-league-explains-why-there-are-fewer-boxing-day-matches-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Premier League explains why there are fewer Boxing Day matches this year"},"content":{"rendered":"


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LONDON (AP) \u2014 The Premier League has blamed the expansion of European club competitions for the decline in Boxing Day fixtures, which affects “an important tradition of English football.”<\/p>\n

Only one match will be played on December 26th, between Manchester United and Newcastle. Last year there were eight games.<\/p>\n

The league said on Friday that the expansion of competitions such as the Champions League was creating “several challenges”.<\/p>\n

“Weekend availability will be reduced and the league will be tied to what the calendar looks like,” it said in a statement. \u201cAs in previous years, and in line with our commitment to our clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow for longer intervals between matches played during the festival period.\u201d<\/p>\n

The league said it could guarantee more matches would be played as Boxing Day 2026 fell on a Saturday.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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