The Premier League has today announced its festive schedule with only one game set to take place on Boxing Day in a significant break from decades of tradition
The Premier League has confirmed its Christmas fixture list with only one match being scheduled for Boxing Day in a huge break from tradition.
A staple in the football calendar for decades, Boxing day falls on a Friday this year so Premier League chiefs have taken the decision to treat the days after Christmas as a regular match weekend. Only one game – Manchester United vs Newcastle United at Old Trafford – will take place on the 26th with the other matches set for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Seven games will now take place on Saturday 27 December including Arsenal vs Brighton and Hove Albion. The early fixture that day will be Nottingham Forest against Manchester City at 12:30pm on TNT Sports, with the late kick-off then being Chelsea against Aston Villa.
The Premier League’s broadcasting contracts require games to be played on 33 weekends each season.
Despite this representing a shift from what football fans have come to expect from the festive season, only five rounds of mid-week games are included in the contracts – meaning that games have to be played on the weekend of 27 and 28 December.
There will also be a full midweek schedule between Tuesday 30 December and Thursday January 1 to give fans a little taste of the jam-packed Christmas period that can make or break a season.
Another key date in the football calendar – News Years’ day – will see four matches take place
Full Christmas fixture list
Friday 26 December 2025
20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle United (Sky Sports)
Saturday 27 December 12:30 Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (TNT Sports) Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion Brentford v AFC Bournemouth Burnley v Everton Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers West Ham United v Fulham 17:30 Chelsea v Aston Villa (Sky Sports)
Sunday 28 December 14:00 Sunderland v Leeds United (Sky Sports) 16:30 Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky Sports)
Tuesday 30 December 19:30 Burnley v Newcastle (Sky Sports) 19:30 Chelsea v Bournemouth (Sky Sports) 19:30 Nott’m Forest v Everton (Sky Sports) 19:30 West Ham v Brighton (Sky Sports) 20:15 Arsenal v Aston Villa (Sky Sports) 20:15 Man Utd v Wolves (Sky Sports)
Thursday 1 January 2026 17:30 Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sky Sports) 17:30 Liverpool v Leeds (Sky Sports) 20:00 Brentford v Spurs (Sky Sports)* 20:00 Sunderland v Man City (Sky Sports)* *Due to the movement of Spurs and Sunderland’s last matches to 28 December
Saturday 3 January 12:30 Aston Villa v Nott’m Forest (Sky Sports) Brighton v Burnley 17:30 Bournemouth v Arsenal (Sky Sports)
Sunday 4 January 12:30 Leeds v Man Utd (TNT Sports) 15:00 Everton v Brentford (Sky Sports)* 15:00 Fulham v Liverpool (Sky Sports)* 15:00 Newcastle v Crystal Palace (Sky Sports)* *Due to Brentford, Fulham, Liverpool and Palace all playing on 1 January 15:00 Spurs v Sunderland (Sky Sports) 17:30 Man City v Chelsea (Sky Sports)
Tuesday 6 January 20:00 West Ham v Nott’m Forest (Sky Sports)
Wednesday 7 January 19:30 Bournemouth v Spurs (Sky Sports) 19:30 Brentford v Sunderland (Sky Sports) 19:30 Crystal Palace v Aston Villa (Sky Sports) 19:30 Everton v Wolves (Sky Sports) 19:30 Fulham v Chelsea (Sky Sports) 19:30 Man City v Brighton (Sky Sports) 20:15 Burnley v Man Utd (Sky Sports) 20:15 Newcastle v Leeds (Sky Sports)
Thursday 8 January 20:00 Arsenal v Liverpool (Sky Sports)
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