Premier League's Exciting 2026 Boxing Day Schedule

The Premier League has laid out a bumper festive schedule for 2026, with Boxing Day back to something like its traditional heavyweight status.

Seven matches will be played on Saturday, 26 December, a significant jump from last year’s meagre offering of a single game. Four of those kick off at 15:00 GMT, wrapped around televised slots at 12:30, 17:30 and 20:00.

Aston Villa open the day at 12:30 at home to Leeds, before a 15:00 slate that feels straight out of an old-school vidiprinter: Everton v Sunderland, Fulham v Brighton, Ipswich v Brentford and Spurs v AFC Bournemouth. Hull then host Liverpool at 17:30, with Newcastle v Manchester City closing out Boxing Day under the lights at 20:00 in what could be one of the standout fixtures of the entire period.

The action does not ease up. Three more games follow on Sunday, 27 December: Coventry v Chelsea at 14:00, Manchester United v Nottingham Forest at 16:30, and Crystal Palace v Arsenal at 19:00 to round off the weekend.

From there, the calendar becomes relentless. A full round of midweek evening fixtures lands on 29-30 December. Tuesday sees Hull v Leeds and Spurs v Brighton both at 19:30, before Everton face Manchester City at 20:15. On Wednesday, 30 December, five matches kick off at 19:30 – Coventry v Brentford, Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth, Fulham v Arsenal, Manchester United v Sunderland and Newcastle v Nottingham Forest – followed by two 20:15 games: Aston Villa v Liverpool and Ipswich v Chelsea.

New Year’s Day belongs to one fixture alone. Leeds host Everton at 20:00, the only match on 1 January and a rare standalone spotlight for both clubs.

The rest of that round is spread across the weekend of 2-3 January. Saturday starts with Brighton v Manchester United at 12:30, then a busy 15:00 block: Arsenal v Ipswich, Brentford v Crystal Palace, Liverpool v Coventry, Nottingham Forest v Fulham and Sunderland v Hull. AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa takes the 17:30 slot. On Sunday, 3 January, Chelsea v Newcastle kicks off at 14:00 before Manchester City v Spurs at 16:30 in another marquee meeting.

One more burst of fixtures then carries the league into early January. The fourth round of games is scattered across 5-7 January, again in evening windows. Tuesday, 5 January features Arsenal v Brentford, Brighton v AFC Bournemouth, Everton v Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest v Hull, all at 19:30, with Sunderland v Liverpool at 20:15. On Wednesday, 6 January, Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Fulham v Spurs and Ipswich v Coventry all start at 19:30, followed by Leeds v Manchester City at 20:15. The festive run closes on Thursday, 7 January at 20:00, with Manchester United v Newcastle.

This year’s calendar has been mapped out earlier than usual. The Premier League brought forward the announcement after talks with broadcast partners, the Football Supporters’ Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards, with fans’ travel and planning concerns pushed higher up the agenda.

Television picks are already confirmed up to Monday, 2 November. Broadcast selections for the remaining fixtures in November and December will follow in the weeks starting 21 September and 19 October.

Amid the expanded European and international calendars, fixture congestion has become a running battle. In response, the Premier League has guaranteed every club at least a 60-hour break between matches over the Christmas and New Year period.

The schedule is packed. The breaks are minimal but protected. Now it’s down to the squads, and the depth behind the star names, to decide who emerges from this festive gauntlet in control of their season – and who gets left chasing.