Whether or not there is any football on Christmas Day, a break from a century-old Boxing Day tradition in Premier League is something else. Normally, there is a full slate of English top tier football action on December 26, but for 2025/26 there is just one - Manchester United vs Newcastle United.
Amid all the fixtures from across various competitions on TV on Boxing Day, and while all other Premier League games from Matchweek 18 are instead spread across Saturday (December 27) and Sunday (December 28), GOAL looks at why it was necessary...
Why only one Premier League game on Boxing Day?
The Premier League intentionally scheduled just one match on December 26 — Manchester United vs Newcastle — due to wider fixture congestion and broadcast contract requirements.
To put it into context, with December 26 falling on a Friday and the league committed to 33 weekends of matches, plus the expanded European season, the only broadcast slot available that day went to the United–Newcastle match.
As a result, this season, only one Premier League match was scheduled for December 26.
Football on Boxing Day (Fri, Dec 26, 2025)
Football fanatics need not fear, however, since there is still a plethora of matches on TV on Boxing Day 2026.
Liverpool fans can keep a close eye on Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations, with Egypt vs South Africa live on Channel 4 at 3pm. There are three other AFCON games on TV on Boxing Day, with Angola vs Zimbabwe on at 12:30pm, Zambia vs Comoros on at 5:30pm and Morocco vs Mali on at 8pm.
Fans of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham can watch their game against Sheffield United at 5:30pm live on Sky Sports Main Event. In fact, there is a whole slate of Championship action on Sky Sports+, including Birmingham City vs Derby County and Millwall vs Ipswich Town.
| Kick-off (UK time) | Match | Competition | TV channel / stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 pm | Angola vs Zimbabwe | AFCON 2025 | 4seven / All 4 |
| 12:30 pm | Birmingham City vs Derby County | Championship | Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports+ |
| 1 pm | Millwall vs Ipswich Town | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Egypt vs South Africa | AFCON 2025 | Channel 4 / All 4 |
| 3 pm | Coventry City vs Swansea City | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Leicester City vs Watford | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Rovers | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Norwich City vs Charlton Athletic | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Oxford United vs Southampton | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Portsmouth vs QPR | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Sheffield Wednesday vs Hull City | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Stoke City vs Preston | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | West Brom vs Bristol City | Championship | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Wimbledon vs Stevenage | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Barnsley vs Mansfield Town | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Blackpool vs Doncaster Rovers | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Bolton Wanderers vs Rotherham | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Bradford City vs Wigan Athletic | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Burton Albion vs Northampton Town | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Cardiff City vs Exeter City | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Huddersfield Town vs Port Vale | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Luton Town vs Wycombe Wanderers | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Peterborough United vs Leyton Orient | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Plymouth Argyle vs Reading | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Stockport County vs Lincoln City | League One | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Accrington Stanley vs Barrow | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Bristol Rovers vs Bromley | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Cheltenham Town vs Shrewsbury Town | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Chesterfield vs Notts County | League Two | Sky Sports Football |
| 3 pm | Crawley Town vs Colchester United | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Gillingham vs Cambridge United | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Grimsby Town vs Oldham Athletic | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | MK Dons vs Swindon Town | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Newport County vs Barnet | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Salford City vs Harrogate Town | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Tranmere Rovers vs Fleetwood Town | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 3 pm | Walsall vs Crewe Alexandra | League Two | Sky Sports+ |
| 5:30 pm | Zambia vs Comoros | AFCON 2025 | 4seven / All 4 |
| 5:30 pm | Wrexham vs Sheffield United | Championship | Sky Sports Main Event |
| 8 pm | Morocco vs Mali | AFCON 2025 | 4seven / All 4 |
| 8 pm | Man Utd vs Newcastle United | Premier League | Sky Sports Main Event / NOW TV |
Will Premier League games on Boxing Day return?
With just the United-Newcastle game on December 26 this season, Premier League has acknowledged this impacts a long-standing Boxing Day tradition in English football. However, the league has assured that when the date falls on a weekend in future seasons, more Boxing Day matches will return. So next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day – as the date falls on a Saturday.
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