Premier League Sets Seven-Match Boxing Day Schedule for 2026

The Premier League will stage seven matches on Boxing Day in 2026, a substantial increase from the single fixture played on the date last year. BBC Sport reported the confirmed festive schedule, which places the Boxing Day programme on Saturday, December 26 and distributes the games across four kickoff windows.

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Aston Villa and Leeds will open the day at 12:30 GMT. Everton will face Sunderland, Fulham will host Brighton, Ipswich will play Brentford and Tottenham will meet Bournemouth in four matches beginning at 15:00. Hull will then host Liverpool at 17:30 before Newcastle and Manchester City complete the programme at 20:00.

Three more league games are set for Sunday, December 27. Coventry will host Chelsea at 14:00, Manchester United will face Nottingham Forest at 16:30 and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal at 19:00. Together, those fixtures complete the first of four Premier League rounds arranged across the Christmas and New Year period.

The next round begins with evening games on December 29 and 30. Hull against Leeds and Tottenham against Brighton are among the Tuesday fixtures, while seven matches are scheduled for Wednesday. Those include Aston Villa against Liverpool, Ipswich against Chelsea, Fulham against Arsenal and Manchester United against Sunderland.

Leeds and Everton will contest the only Premier League game on New Year's Day, kicking off at 20:00. The rest of that round follows on January 2 and 3, including Arsenal against Ipswich, Liverpool against Coventry, Chelsea against Newcastle and Manchester City against Tottenham. A further round will be spread across January 5, 6 and 7, ending with Manchester United hosting Newcastle.

According to BBC Sport, the league brought forward confirmation of its Christmas and New Year scheduling after consulting broadcast partners, the Football Supporters' Association and representatives of club Fan Advisory Boards. The Premier League has guaranteed clubs at least 60 hours between matches during the festive programme, a measure introduced amid concerns about congestion following the expansion of European and international calendars. Broadcast selections through November and December are due to be announced in stages during September and October.