The cherished tradition of a full slate of Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day is set to be significantly curtailed this season, with reports suggesting fans will be treated to potentially just one match.
According to reporting from FourFourTwo, the major reduction in the festive football offering is the result of a scheduling dilemma caused primarily by the date on which December 26 falls, coupled with new commitments to major competitions.
This year, Boxing Day lands on a Friday. While previous Friday Boxing Days, such as in 2014, saw all ten fixtures played, the Premier League’s current agreements make a full schedule impossible.
The main constraints stem from the league’s commitment to providing broadcasters with 33 full weekends of fixtures annually, a number that forces a key set of games onto the December 27/28 weekend.
The scheduling crunch has been exacerbated by two significant external factors: the newly expanded Champions League format, which reduces the number of free mid-weeks available, and a deal struck regarding the FA Cup.
As part of the agreement to drop FA Cup replays, the Premier League guaranteed exclusivity for the FA Cup’s fourth, fifth, and quarter-final rounds. These commitments necessitate moving league fixtures into slots that were once reserved for the festive block.
Furthermore, the existing broadcasting structure complicates matters, as every fixture played outside of the 3 pm blackout must be televised. The league currently only has one time slot designated for a Friday, the 8 pm kick-off.
Consequently, only a single game can be televised on the traditional holiday.FourFourTwo understands that this drastic fixture reduction is a temporary measure, applying only to the 2025 calendar year, with a reversion to a fuller schedule expected in 2026.
However, ongoing obligations related to the Champions League and FA Cup suggest that festive scheduling issues may continue to pose problems in the coming years.