The Times: There may be only one Premier League game on Boxing Day this year, but it has not been confirmed which two teams it will be

The Times reported on October 28 that there may be only one game in the Premier League on Boxing Day this year.

The long-standing tradition of watching football on Boxing Day may be completely abandoned by the Premier League this year, with just one game expected to be played on December 26.

Boxing Day falls on a Friday, so a further nine games may be postponed to the weekend and the following Monday, December 29. This will mean the number of top-flight games played on December 26 will be at its lowest since 1982.

The specific date and time of the Christmas schedule has not yet been finalized, but the "Times" learned that Premier League officials were forced into this situation by the broadcast contract. The contract requires that each season must have 33 weekend games, and there are only five rounds of mid-week games. The December TV broadcast schedule was originally scheduled to be announced on October 15.

With the expansion of UEFA competitions and the FA Cup now taking up more weekends, this has resulted in the Premier League needing to use Saturday, December 27, and Sunday, December 28 (Sunday) to fulfill their contractual obligations.

In 1993, Boxing Day fell on a Sunday, and only three top-flight games were played. There were two in 1981, the lowest number since the end of World War II in 1945. However, the last time Boxing Day fell on a Friday was in 2014, when all ten Premier League games were played on that day.

Clubs and broadcasters typically expect to receive confirmed fixture dates at least six weeks in advance, and so far games until December 20 have been confirmed. But the potentially divisive issue is still being discussed and exactly which game will be scheduled for this year's Boxing Day has yet to be decided.

Since Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, the Premier League is expected to return to normal. But this year will likely be viewed as a typical weekend, with the majority of games taking place on Saturday and Sunday, with the final of ten races scheduled for Monday.

The English Football League (EFL) and the National League maintain their tradition and all their games are still scheduled to be played on Boxing Day. This will be followed by another round of EFL matches on Monday, December 29, while most Premier League teams will play again in the next round on Tuesday, December 30.