Premier League announces major changes in traditional Boxing Day games

The Premier League has announced that only one fixture will take place on Boxing Day this year, marking a major break from one of English football’s oldest traditions.

According to BBC Sport, Manchester United will host Newcastle United on December 26, 2025 — the sole top-flight game scheduled for that day. The decision stems from the growing demands of expanded European competitions, which have tightened the domestic football calendar.

For more than a century, Boxing Day has been a staple of English football, offering fans and families a full slate of matches as part of the festive season. But this year’s schedule will look very different.

“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 said while confirming the 2025 festive fixtures.

“There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions, which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.

“This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995.

“With fewer weekends to work with, the League is bound by how the calendar falls,” the statement added.

Boxing Day 2025 falls on a Friday, with seven matches scheduled for Saturday, December 27, and two more on Sunday, December 28. Sunderland will take on Leeds United, while Crystal Palace will face Tottenham Hotspur before matchweek 19 kicks off on Tuesday, December 30, featuring six games.

The league further assured fans that the Boxing Day tradition would return in fuller form next season, as the date falls on a Saturday.

“The league can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day, as the date falls on a Saturday,” it said.

“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.

“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.”