Kenya Sport

Premier League Festive Schedule: Boxing Day and January Fixtures

The Premier League has laid out a bumper festive schedule, confirming seven Boxing Day fixtures and a packed run of games stretching into the first week of January.

After last year’s muted 26 December, which featured just a single match, the league is restoring Boxing Day to something closer to its traditional chaos. In 2026, with the date falling on a Saturday, fans will get football from lunchtime through to late evening.

Boxing Day back with a bang

Aston Villa and Leeds open the day at 12:30 GMT, before a 15:00 block loaded with storylines: Everton v Sunderland, Fulham v Brighton, Ipswich v Brentford and Spurs v AFC Bournemouth.

The tempo then cranks up into prime time. Hull host Liverpool at 17:30, with Newcastle v Manchester City closing the day under the lights at 20:00. Seven games, three broadcast windows, one long stretch of Premier League drama.

Festive run stretches into January

The schedule doesn’t ease up. Three more fixtures follow on Sunday, 27 December: Coventry v Chelsea at 14:00, Manchester United v Nottingham Forest at 16:30 and a 19:00 London clash as Crystal Palace face Arsenal.

From there, the league moves into a dense block of evening football. A full midweek round is split across Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 December:

Tuesday, 29 December

  • 19:30 Hull v Leeds
  • 19:30 Spurs v Brighton
  • 20:15 Everton v Manchester City

Wednesday, 30 December

  • 19:30 Coventry v Brentford
  • 19:30 Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth
  • 19:30 Fulham v Arsenal
  • 19:30 Manchester United v Sunderland
  • 19:30 Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
  • 20:15 Aston Villa v Liverpool
  • 20:15 Ipswich v Chelsea

New Year’s Day brings a solitary fixture with its own spotlight: Leeds v Everton at 20:00, the only match on 1 January and a standalone evening occasion at Elland Road.

The rest of that round unfolds over the weekend of 2–3 January:

Saturday, 2 January

  • 12:30 Brighton v Manchester United
  • 15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich
  • 15:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace
  • 15:00 Liverpool v Coventry
  • 15:00 Nottingham Forest v Fulham
  • 15:00 Sunderland v Hull
  • 17:30 AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Sunday, 3 January

  • 14:00 Chelsea v Newcastle
  • 16:30 Manchester City v Spurs

The festive period then closes with a fourth wave of fixtures spread across three nights from 5–7 January:

Tuesday, 5 January

  • 19:30 Arsenal v Brentford
  • 19:30 Brighton v AFC Bournemouth
  • 19:30 Everton v Aston Villa
  • 19:30 Nottingham Forest v Hull
  • 20:15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Wednesday, 6 January

  • 19:30 Crystal Palace v Chelsea
  • 19:30 Fulham v Spurs
  • 19:30 Ipswich v Coventry
  • 20:15 Leeds v Manchester City

Thursday, 7 January

  • 20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle

Early clarity, tighter protections

This time, the Premier League has moved early. Fixture timings for Christmas and New Year have been brought forward after talks with broadcast partners, the Football Supporters’ Association and Fan Advisory Boards at clubs, giving fans more time to plan travel and tickets.

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

Amid growing concern over player workload after the expansion of European and international calendars, the league has also guaranteed every club at least a 60-hour gap between fixtures across this festive spell.

The schedule is heavy. The breaks are minimal but protected. Titles, European places and survival hopes will all feel that little bit sharper when the first whistle blows on Boxing Day.

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