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Stuffed full of Turkey and eager to indulge, Premier League football fans are likely to have to find a new way to continue their festive celebrations on Boxing Day. Only one game in the division will be played, with the remainder of the fixture list taking place over the following weekend, this year. The day after Christmas has become an iconic part of the football calendar, with top-flight ties often filling a decent chunk of the day on December 26. Not this year, however, with the Premier League feeling unable to do so in order to fulfil their contractual obligations. The division is required to have 33 rounds of weekend fixtures and five midweek. Premier League officials must detour from a busy Boxing Day as a result, as first revealed by the Times . An increasing number of weekends are already spoken for throughout the year, with the FA Cup occupying more space after scrapping replays. The Premier League has been left needing to make use of December 27 and 28 to meet its obligations. West Ham vs Fulham , Crystal Palace vs Tottenham , Manchester United vs Newcastle , Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City , Sunderland vs Leeds, Brentford vs Bournemouth , Chelsea vs Aston Villa, Arsenal vs Brig hton, Burnley vs Everton and Liverpool vs Wolves will be in contention for the slot. This year, December 26 will see the fewest top-flight games take place since the Second World War. Eight matches were played on Boxing Day in 2024. When the festive date last fell on a Friday, 11 years ago, in 2014, all ten Premier League matches took place on the day itself. The dates and times for the fixtures have yet to be finalised this year. Clubs and broadcasters are normally notified of agreed fixture dates at least six weeks in advance. A match has not yet been chosen for Boxing Day. English Football League and National League sides are expected to see a full array of fixtures. Sides will have the weekend off before another round of games on Monday December 29. That is in contrast to the Premier League, where fixtures will begin again on December 30 following their weekend clashes. A degree of normality will return in 20266, when Boxing Day takes place on a weekend. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
