Why 2025 Boxing Day Will Feature Only One Premier League Match
This year’s Boxing Day will see just one Premier League match take place — a rare break from one of English football’s most loved traditions.
The only top-flight game scheduled for Friday, 26 December, will be Manchester United’s home clash with Newcastle United at 20:00 GMT.
According to the Premier League, the reduction in fixtures is due to the expansion of European club competitions, which has created major scheduling challenges for domestic football.
In a statement, the league said: “The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season — impacting an important tradition in English football. There are now several challenges to fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European competitions.”
The changes, which came into effect last season, also affected the FA Cup calendar. The Premier League explained that the domestic schedule was reduced to a 33-weekend competition, even though it still includes 380 matches, as it has since 1995.
“With fewer weekends to work with, the league is bound by how the calendar falls,” the statement added.
While fans may be disappointed by the reduced Boxing Day action, more matches will follow in the days after. Seven games will take place on Saturday, 27 December, with two more on Sunday, 28 December — Sunderland v Leeds United and Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur. Matchweek 19 will then continue on Tuesday, 30 December, with six fixtures.
The Premier League assured supporters that the traditional full Boxing Day schedule will return next season when the date falls on a Saturday.
The league also said that clubs will have longer rest periods between festive fixtures this year. “Special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period,” it said. “This ensures no club plays within 60 hours of another match.”
The update follows a July agreement between player representatives and FIFA to guarantee a minimum rest period of 72 hours between matches, in a move aimed at protecting players’ fitness and wellbeing.
