In a major departure from decades of custom, the Premier League today revealed its holiday schedule, with just one match scheduled for Boxing Day.
In a significant departure from custom, the Premier League has finalized its Christmas schedule, with just one game set for Boxing Day.
Premier League executives have decided to treat the days after Christmas as regular match weekends because Boxing Day, which has been a mainstay of the football calendar for decades, falls on a Friday this year. Manchester United vs. Newcastle United at Old Trafford is the only game scheduled for the 26th; the other games are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion is one of seven games that will now take place on Saturday, December 27. That day’s early matchup is Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City on TNT Sports at 12:30 p.m., followed by Chelsea vs. Aston Villa at 9:30 p.m.
According to the Premier League’s television agreements, games must take place on 33 weekends every season.
Only five rounds of midweek games are included in the contracts, which means that games must be played on the weekends of December 27 and 28, even though this is a change from what football fans have become accustomed to throughout the holiday season.
To give fans a sneak peek at the busy Christmas season that can make or break a season, there will also be a full midweek schedule from Tuesday, December 30 to Thursday, January 1.
Four games will be played on News Years’ Day, another important date in the football calendar.
Complete list of Christmas fixtures
Friday, December 26, 2025
Newcastle United vs. Manchester United, 20:00 (Sky Sports)
Saturday, December 27, at 12:30 Manchester City vs. Nottingham Forest (TNT Sports) Brighton & Hove Albion versus Arsenal AFC Bournemouth versus Brentford Burnley versus Everton Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool Chelsea vs. Aston Villa 17:30 West Ham vs. Fulham (Sky Sports)
Sunderland against. Leeds United (Sky Sports) Sunday, December 28, 14:00; Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Sky Sports), 16:30
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)
Bournemouth vs. Spurs, Wednesday, January 7, 19:30 (Sky Sports) 19:30 Sunderland vs. Brentford (Sky Sports) 19:30 Aston Villa vs. Crystal Palace (Sky Sports) 19:30 Wolves vs. Everton (Sky Sports) Chelsea vs. Fulham, 19:30 (Sky Sports) Brighton vs. Man City, 19:30 (Sky Sports) 20:15 Manchester United vs. Burnley (Sky Sports) Leeds vs. Newcastle, 20:15 (Sky Sports)
Arsenal vs. Liverpool, Thursday, January 8, 20:30 (Sky Sports)
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