In the Premier League, the end of a long-standing tradition appears to be approaching. This year, Boxing Day might proceed with only one match.
The traditional Premier League Boxing Day is apparently facing the end in its current form—at least temporarily. According to consistent reports from English media outlets The Times and Daily Mail , only a single league match might be played on December 26, 2025.
Reportedly, scheduling constraints and a new agreement between the Premier League and the English Football Association are driving this change.
The two parties agreed last year that the FA Cup round of 16 would also take place on a weekend in the future. In return, there will no longer be replay matches in case of draws.
Premier League: Only one match on Boxing Day 2025?
Since then, the Premier League has had to offer its media partners 33 matchdays on weekends and five during the week.
Because the current season is relatively tight due to the Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup, it is very likely, according to reports, that December 26, 2025, will be treated as a “normal” Friday with only one league match taking place.
However, the schedule for the affected 18th matchday has not yet been finalized. Among other fixtures, Liverpool and Wolverhampton, Nottingham and Manchester City, Arsenal and Brighton, as well as Manchester United and Newcastle are set to face each other.
2026 could see multiple matches again
In 2026, December 26 falls on a Saturday, which is why a larger number of matches are expected to take place on Boxing Day again.
In the leagues below the Premier League, however, Boxing Day is set to proceed as usual with multiple matches this year as well.
In 2024, eight of the ten Premier League matches still took place on December 26. The last time a full matchday was played on this day was in the 2015/16 season. The tradition of English top-flight football on December 26 dates back to 1958 and has long been a holiday ritual—this time, however, most fans will likely have to adjust.