Why is there only one Premier League match on Boxing Day this year? | OneFootball

Boxing Day will feature only one Premier League fixture, Manchester United v Newcastle at 21:00, the sparsest schedule since 1982. The change reflects an increasingly crowded calendar and television rights constraints.

The Premier League said in an October statement that reforms to European competitions had driven the decision. The Champions League and Europa League now have two extra matches in the initial phase. The Europa Conference League, featuring Crystal Palace, also occupied the midweek of 15 December.

The extra fixtures have prompted a domestic reshuffle, including changes to the FA Cup, whose rounds are staged at weekends. That leaves fewer weekends available for the league. Contracts oblige the Premier League to schedule at least 33 rounds on weekends.

To meet that quota this season, matchweek 18 is being played on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December. That leaves only the usual single Friday night slot on 26 December.

Boxing Day is a major date in England, a public holiday long associated with bumper programmes. All top-flight sides once played, more recently usually five to eight, and the league had already eased festive congestion by scrapping every-two-day turnarounds. The tradition continues below the top flight, with full schedules in the Championship, League One and League Two.

Source: L'Équipe