Football on Boxing Day, also known as St Stephen’s Day, usually marks the beginning of a crowded fixture list over the Christmas and New Year period. It’s a tradition as old as English football itself, dating back to the first top-flight season in 1888 – but when Manchester United game newcastle At Old Trafford on 26 December, it will be the only Premier League The game maintains the tradition of Boxing Day fixtures in England.
Historically, the glut of games after Christmas has been a time when coaches have complained about the workload and lack of recovery time for players. Frank Lampard said it was “Regressive to the quality of the Premier League” when his chelsea side had to play armory Then Aston Villa On 26 December and 28 December in 2020.
But it’s easy to see why this tradition has persisted: many clubs have recorded their biggest attendances of the season on Boxing Day as fans have taken advantage of the holiday to avoid family gatherings and watch their team play.
Yet as the global football calendar becomes increasingly crowded due to the expansion of European club competitions and the emergence of the FIFA Club World Cup, which was held for the first time in the United States this summer, the Premier League has opted to schedule Matchweek 18 of this season’s fixture list over three days rather than restricting it to December 26.
So, how did it go from having just one Premier League game on the schedule to one of the biggest dates in the English football calendar?
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Has the Premier League ever been short of a full schedule of games on Boxing Day?
There has always been a Premier League game on Boxing Day, but never just one game.
Top-flight games have generally been played on Boxing Day since Preston North End’s 5–0 victory at West Bromwich Albion in December 1888 – a long tradition that has seen a few exceptions in 1948, 1954, 1965, 1971 and 1976, when there were no top-flight Boxing Day games in those years.
But this year will see the fewest top-flight games on Boxing Day since 1982, when there were no top-division matches due to December 26 falling on a Sunday. At the time, the tradition was that when Boxing Day fell on a weekend, the occasion was held on the following weekday, but this tradition has faded and Boxing Day games have since been played on a Sunday if 26 December fell on that day.
Has Boxing Day been a good event for classic sports?
Nothing beats the incredible results of Boxing Day 1963, when 66 goals were scored in 10 games, including Fulham’s 10–1 win against Leicester and Burnley’s 6–1 win against Manchester United.
But in the Premier League era, Thierry Henry’s hat trick helped Arsenal to a 6-1 win against Leicester in 2000, and Southampton beat the Gunners 4-0 in 2015.
Chelsea and Aston Villa played out a 4–4 thriller at Stamford Bridge in 2007, and Manchester United came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 at Sheffield Wednesday in 1992 with Eric Cantona’s equaliser.
United have the best record in the Premier League and historically on Boxing Day, with 22 wins in the Premier League era and 54 wins overall.
What does the Premier League say about this year’s fixture list?
The Premier League blamed the global fixture calendar for its decision to hold only one game on Boxing Day when announcing its Christmas schedule in October.
“The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances which have led to the reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition of English football,” the league said in a statement.
“There are now a number of challenges in Premier League fixture scheduling inherent in the expansion of European club competitions – which led to amendments to our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.
“This ultimately made the Premier League a 33-weekend competition – fewer than last season, despite it being a 380-match competition since 1995. With fewer weekends to work with, the league is tied to how the calendar falls.”
So why is spreading the games over three days better than Boxing Day for crowds?
No one gave a logical answer to this question.
The Premier League’s explanation is that games need to be spread out to allow players adequate rest periods between match days.
“As in previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games to be played over the festive period,” the league said in a statement. “This will allow players more time to recover and extend the rest period between Rounds 18, 19 and 20 to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match.”
However, if the Premier League had stuck to tradition and scheduled all of this week’s games for 26 December, all clubs would have had at least three days’ rest before Matchweek 19 began on 30 December.
In many ways, the Premier League was in a dilemma regarding Matchweek 18 due to Boxing Day falling on a Friday. If it had scheduled all games on Boxing Day, it would have resulted in empty schedules on the weekend of 27 December and 28 December, leaving broadcasters with no Premier League games to televise and fans also being disappointed.
So perhaps the worst option was to play Matchweek 18 on Saturday and Sunday and choose just one game – Man United v Newcastle – on Boxing Day to appease traditionalists.
How do fans react to this deviation from tradition?
There has been a reaction in the media regarding the reduced fixture list, but no major outcry among supporters over the lack of Boxing Day games.
In recent years, the Boxing Day schedule has often been played over two days – 26 December and 27 December – so fans have become accustomed to the schedule extending beyond the boundaries of Boxing Day.
When the Premier League confirmed the Christmas fixture list on 31 October, the Football Supporters’ Association simply posted a tweet In response, the Premier League was called “thoughtless” for scheduling the United-Newcastle game at 8pm local time on 26 December. There was no condemnation of the remaining games played on Saturday and Sunday.
It should also be mentioned that there will be a lot of football organized in England on Boxing Day. The EFL and National Leagues have a full list of fixtures, so if fans want to respect the tradition of attending a game on Boxing Day they won’t have to look far to find a game in their area.
So, what will the Premier League do next year?
Don’t worry: the Premier League will return on Boxing Day 2026 with a comprehensive fixture list.
“The League can assure that there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day next season as the date falls on a Saturday,” the Premier League said.
But if you really need to watch some English football this year and can’t wait until 8pm local time (3pm ET) to see United take on Newcastle, watch one of the 36 EFL games – including Wrexham vs Sheffield United and Swansea against Championship leaders Coventry – or 12 games in the National League.
Play continues in England this Boxing Day, but this year the Premier League has only one fixture to keep supporters happy.
