England’s top football league breaks with a tradition – and clearly names those responsible.
The English Premier League has drastically reduced the number of matches on the traditional Boxing Day out of necessity. Instead of playing several matches as usual, this year on December 26th in England’s highest football league, only the duel between Manchester United and Newcastle United, the club of national striker Nick Woltemade, will take place. The remaining matches of the matchday are distributed across December 27th and 28th (Saturday and Sunday). The league cited the expansion of European cup competitions by UEFA as the cause.
“The Premier League wishes to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day – thereby impacting an important tradition in English football,” stated a biting announcement from the league on Friday.
The adjustment of the schedule is a consequence of the increased burden from the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, whose matchdays require increasingly more dates until the start of the knockout phase. Additionally, the league referred to guidelines from the world governing body FIFA, which require a minimum break of 72 hours between two matches.
“As in previous years – and in line with our commitment to the clubs – special arrangements have been made to allow more time between matches during the holidays,” explained the Premier League. For the upcoming season, the league announced a return to the usual Boxing Day tradition, as December 26th, 2026 falls on a Saturday, several matches should take place on that day again.