The Premier League has attributed the expansion of European club competitions as the reason behind scheduling only one match on Boxing Day this year. The enlarged 36-team format adopted by the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League has resulted in more European matches being scheduled midweek, thereby reducing available days for Premier League fixtures.
Fixture congestion due to increased European matches is not the only challenge faced by English soccer’s top flight. The new UK£6.7 billion (US$8.8 billion) domestic broadcast contracts with Sky Sports and TNT Sports also play a significant role in shaping the league's schedule. These contracts dictate a minimum of 33 rounds of weekend fixtures, further limiting flexibility in scheduling games during weekdays. As such, adjusting the calendar to accommodate an expanded Boxing Day programme is simply not feasible this year due to December 26th falling on a Friday.
As a result of these constraints, Manchester United's home game against Newcastle United at 8pm is set to be the only game scheduled for Boxing Day this year. This match forms part of Sky Sports' standard allocation of weekend games which permits it to show matches on Fridays.
Changes from previous seasons
This situation marks a significant departure from previous seasons where every single match on Boxing Day was available on British television. However, with seven games now slated for Saturday 27th December and two more on Sunday 28th December, not all will be available for live broadcast in the UK due to existing regulations.
The Saturday scheduling means that the traditional '3pm blackout', which prevents soccer from airing between 2:45pm and 3:15pm, will still be enforced despite unique circumstances this season. Reports indicate that an offer was made to relax these blackout rules, but the Premier League has reportedly declined.
Premier League released statement:
‘The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition in English football,’
‘There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions – which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup. This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995. With fewer weekends to work with, the league is bound by how the calendar falls.’
While the Premier League grapples with fixture congestion and broadcast constraints, both the English Football League (EFL) and National League plan to proceed with a full day of fixtures on Boxing Day. This highlights the differing approaches taken by football leagues in response to scheduling challenges posed by expanded European competitions.
