The Premier League has officially announced its Christmas schedule for the 2025 festive season, marking a notable departure from longstanding traditions. For the first time in decades, only one match will be held on Boxing Day.
Major Change to the Boxing Day Fixture
Boxing Day, which falls on a Friday this year, will feature just a single match: Manchester United will host Newcastle United at Old Trafford. This significant alteration indicates that the remaining fixtures will take place over the weekend following Christmas.
Detailed Christmas Fixture List
The following is the complete schedule for the festive period:
- Friday, December 26, 2025
- 20:00 – Manchester United vs. Newcastle United (Sky Sports)
- Saturday, December 27, 2025
- 12:30 – Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (TNT Sports)
- Arsenal vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- Brentford vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Burnley vs. Everton
- Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
- West Ham United vs. Fulham
- 17:30 – Chelsea vs. Aston Villa (Sky Sports)
- Sunday, December 28, 2025
- 14:00 – Sunderland vs. Leeds United (Sky Sports)
- 16:30 – Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Sky Sports)
- Tuesday, December 30, 2025
- 19:30 – Burnley vs. Newcastle (Sky Sports)
- 19:30 – Chelsea vs. Bournemouth (Sky Sports)
- 19:30 – Nottingham Forest vs. Everton (Sky Sports)
- 19:30 – West Ham vs. Brighton (Sky Sports)
- 20:15 – Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (Sky Sports)
- 20:15 – Manchester United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (Sky Sports)
- Thursday, January 1, 2026
- 17:30 – Crystal Palace vs. Fulham (Sky Sports)
- 17:30 – Liverpool vs. Leeds (Sky Sports)
- 20:00 – Brentford vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Sky Sports)
- 20:00 – Sunderland vs. Manchester City (Sky Sports)
Impact of Broadcasting Contracts
This scheduling change results from the Premier League’s broadcasting agreements, which mandate matches occur on 33 weekends throughout the season. Although fans have become accustomed to a full slate of matches on Boxing Day, only five rounds of mid-week fixtures are included in these contracts. Thus, matches will shift to the weekend of December 27 and 28.
New Year’s Day Matches
As the festive period concludes, several matches are scheduled for New Year’s Day, bringing excitement to fans. This mid-week matchday will provide a thrilling end to holiday football.
This year’s Christmas schedule reflects a new approach to the festive period in the Premier League. Fans will have to adapt to this significant change, which emphasizes strategic planning and a variation in the traditional holiday fixtures.
