Report: Boxing Day missing from Premier League fixture list for first time | OneFootball

No Boxing Day Football? Premier League Risks Tradition for Broadcast Demands

There are few constants in English football more romanticised than Boxing Day. From frozen terraces and defrosting pies to capacity crowds still digesting turkey leftovers, December 26 has always felt sacrosanct. And yet, as the Premier League unveiled its 2025-26 fixture list, fans were met with a shocking omission: no Boxing Day matches.

At least, not officially. All 10 fixtures from round 17 of the upcoming campaign have been scheduled for December 27. That means, at this stage, there is nothing pencilled in for Boxing Day — a day which for generations has represented more than football, it has stood for tradition.

“Matches in round 18 (December 27) are available for movement to Boxing Day for live broadcast selection,” the Premier League noted. Which is another way of saying: this isn’t over yet. But what does that really mean for fans, clubs and the identity of English football?

This shift is not entirely arbitrary. The 2025-26 Premier League season is structured around 33 weekend rounds and five midweek rounds. That format is crucial because it underpins how the league sells its media rights packages.

December 26 in 2025 falls on a Friday, meaning it qualifies as part of a weekend round. Last season, when Boxing Day landed on a Thursday, it was treated differently. That quirk allowed for a full slate of matches on the 26th, with two spillover games on the 27th.

This time, however, the league is keen to ensure players get a minimum 48 hours between festive fixtures. That commitment, combined with the structure of broadcast windows, pushed the initial fixture list to December 27.

It’s a balancing act. Broadcasters demand consistency and flexibility. Clubs want player welfare and fixture fairness. Fans, meanwhile, want their traditions preserved. Boxing Day football is more than a televised product, it is a shared ritual.

What TV Wants, TV Gets

Last season, Amazon Prime Video owned the rights to the post-Christmas round. But their deal expired, and from this season, Sky Sports and TNT Sports will share all the rights between them. The new agreement allows for up to 270 games per season to be shown live in the UK, up from 200. That means every match outside the Saturday 3pm window is eligible for live broadcast.

It also means broadcasters can, and likely will, shift selected fixtures from the 27th to the 26th. As many as four could be moved, staggered throughout Boxing Day, ensuring the day does not go entirely dark.

It is, however, the first time in Premier League history that Boxing Day was not earmarked for football at the point of fixture release. That symbolic absence matters. For all the pragmatism around scheduling, this reflects the creeping prioritisation of commercial needs over cultural value.

The Premier League knows that Boxing Day is football’s equivalent of a national holiday. Attendances spike. Families build their Christmas around it. In the EFL, Boxing Day remains the pinnacle of the winter calendar. Supporters are right to be unsettled.

Credit:IMAGO

When Supporters Will Know More

The exact Boxing Day schedule should be finalised by October 15, in line with the Premier League’s broadcast commitments. That is typically six weeks before any game is moved for live coverage, giving clubs and supporters time to plan.

The first set of TV picks, covering the opening six rounds, will be released by July 9. But it is around mid-October when festive decisions will be made. However, with nine English clubs in Europe next season, the scheduling complications could be considerable.

Clubs involved in the Champions League cannot be shown on Sunday if they play Tuesday. Europa and Conference League sides playing on Thursdays are likely to shift to Sundays. “This will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches,” the Premier League cautioned.

It leaves little margin for sentiment. If broadcasters deem Boxing Day commercially beneficial, fixtures will appear. If they do not, tradition could lose.

Photo: IMAGO

Preservation or Decline of Tradition?

English football’s winter calendar is the envy of much of Europe, precisely because of its relentless, festive momentum. That Boxing Day remains a fixture on the calendar has long set it apart. Yet, this season’s initial omission shows how fragile such traditions are in the face of commercial logic.

The Premier League’s latest media deal, signed in December 2023, is worth £6.7 billion over four years — “the largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in the UK”. That deal, while lucrative, is reshaping the game’s rhythm.

In the long term, fans must brace themselves. The era of tradition for tradition’s sake may soon pass. Whether it is the Saturday 3pm blackout or Boxing Day football, the winds of change are dictated not by fans, but by broadcasters and contracts.

For now, some form of Boxing Day football in 2025-26 seems probable. But it will be television-led, not tradition-led. And the precedent of leaving December 26 blank on fixture release day is a line crossed that should not be forgotten.