By Adegboyega Adeleye
The Premier League has released a bumper Boxing Day schedule, with seven matches set to be played on Saturday, December 26, 2026.
According to the BBC, four of the seven fixtures will kick off at 3pm GMT, with the remaining matches scheduled for 12:30pm, 5:30pm and 8pm.
The programme marks a major return to the traditional Boxing Day football schedule after only one Premier League match was played on the day last year.
The seven Boxing Day fixtures are:
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth
- Aston Villa vs Leeds United
- Everton vs Sunderland
- Fulham vs Brighton
- Ipswich Town vs Brentford
- Hull City vs Liverpool
- Newcastle United vs Manchester City
The standout late fixture sees Newcastle host Manchester City at 8pm, while Hull City welcome Liverpool at 5:30pm.
The remaining three fixtures originally scheduled for Boxing Day — Coventry City vs Chelsea, Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace vs Arsenal — will instead be played on Sunday, December 27.
The festive programme will continue with three matches on December 27 before another round of fixtures on December 29 and 30.
Leeds United will host Everton in the only Premier League fixture on New Year’s Day, while the next round will be spread across January 2-3.
A further round of matches will then be staged across January 5-7.
The Premier League said the early announcement followed consultations with broadcast partners, the Football Supporters’ Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards.
Clubs have also been guaranteed at least 60 hours between matches during the festive period in response to concerns over fixture congestion following the expansion of the European and international calendars.
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