JUST IN: PREMIER LEAGUE REDUCES BOXING DAY FIXTURES TO ONE MATCH IN 2025
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Premier League has announced that only one fixture will be played on Boxing Day, 26 December 2025 marking a historic break from the long-standing English football tradition of a full festive schedule.
According to BBC Sport on Friday, the clash between Manchester United and Newcastle United will be the sole Premier League game on Boxing Day due to scheduling constraints brought about by the expansion of European club competitions.
For over a century, Boxing Day has been one of the most anticipated dates on the English football calendar, with multiple matches providing festive entertainment for fans across the country and around the world.
However, this year’s calendar alignment and fixture congestion have forced a significant reduction. Boxing Day 2025 falls on a Friday, and the league said several structural changes including revisions to the FA Cup and European fixtures — have left fewer available weekends for domestic matches.
“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,” the League stated.
It added that the expansion of European competitions had made fixture scheduling more challenging, effectively limiting the league to a 33-weekend format fewer than previous seasons, despite maintaining its 380-match structure.
Following the Manchester United vs. Newcastle United game on 26 December, seven matches will be played on Saturday, 27 December, with two more fixtures rounding off the festive schedule on Sunday, 28 December.
The League further assured fans that the traditional Boxing Day fixture list would return in 2026 when the date falls on a Saturday.
“As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period,” the statement continued.
“This will allow greater time for players to recover, with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19, and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match.”
The move marks the first time in Premier League history that only a single fixture will take place on Boxing Day — a reflection of the growing complexity of the modern football calendar.
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