Premier League's Exciting Boxing Day Schedule for 2026
The Premier League has laid out a bumper festive schedule for 2026, confirming a full Boxing Day programme and a packed run of games through to early January.
After last year’s thin offering of just one match on 26 December, this time the traditional Boxing Day slate returns with force: seven fixtures spread across the day, starting at lunchtime and running deep into the evening.
Boxing Day back to full throttle
Aston Villa and Leeds get the holiday action started at 12:30 GMT, before the familiar 15:00 kick-off slot bursts into life with four matches: Everton v Sunderland, Fulham v Brighton, Ipswich v Brentford and Spurs v AFC Bournemouth.
The tempo then rises again. Hull host Liverpool at 17:30 in a game that will draw heavy attention at both ends of the table, before the night closes with a heavyweight clash at St James’ Park as Newcastle face Manchester City at 20:00.
The league has deliberately gone big on 26 December, with the date falling on a Saturday in 2026 and demand high from broadcasters and supporters alike.
Festive run stretched to 7 January
The Boxing Day schedule is only the start. Three more matches 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.
From there, the calendar tightens. A round of evening midweek fixtures lands on 29–30 December, with Hull v Leeds and Spurs v Brighton both at 19:30 on the Tuesday, before Everton host Manchester City at 20:15. Wednesday brings another busy night: Coventry v Brentford, Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth, Fulham v Arsenal, Manchester United v Sunderland and Newcastle v Nottingham Forest all kick off at 19:30, with Aston Villa v Liverpool and Ipswich v Chelsea both set for 20:15.
New Year’s Day is lighter but still significant. Leeds v Everton (20:00) stands alone as the only fixture on 1 January, giving it a prime-time spotlight to open 2026.
The rest of that round unfolds over the weekend of 2–3 January. Saturday’s programme features Brighton v Manchester United at 12:30, followed by a 15:00 block of Arsenal v Ipswich, Brentford v Crystal Palace, Liverpool v Coventry, Nottingham Forest v Fulham and Sunderland v Hull, before AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa at 17:30. On Sunday, Chelsea v Newcastle kicks off at 14:00, with Manchester City v Spurs taking the 16:30 slot.
The festive period then closes with a fourth round of games stretched across three nights. On Tuesday, 5 January, Arsenal v Brentford, Brighton v AFC Bournemouth, Everton v Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest v Hull all begin at 19:30, with Sunderland v Liverpool at 20:15. Wednesday, 6 January, brings Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Fulham v Spurs and Ipswich v Coventry at 19:30, followed by Leeds v Manchester City at 20:15. The final act comes on Thursday, 7 January, as Manchester United host Newcastle at 20:00.
Fixture congestion and fan concerns
This year’s announcement comes earlier than usual. The Premier League has moved the schedule release forward after talks with broadcast partners, the Football Supporters’ Association and Fan Advisory Board representatives from clubs, responding to long-running concerns over late changes and travel chaos for supporters.
Television picks have already been confirmed up to Monday, 2 November. Selections for the remaining November and December fixtures will follow in the weeks beginning 21 September and 19 October, giving fans more time to plan.
The league has also committed to a minimum 60-hour break between fixtures for each club across the Christmas and New Year period, an attempt to ease the strain created by the expanded European and international calendars.
It means the festive schedule will still be intense, still relentless, but not quite the grind it has threatened to become. With Boxing Day restored to something close to its traditional size and the final whistle of this run not blowing until 7 January, the question is simple: who will emerge from this stretch with their season transformed, and who will be left counting the cost?
