Dec. 26, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET
Boxing Day and the English Premier League go hand-in-hand, similar to Thanksgiving Day and the NFL in the United States.
Typically a huge day for soccer football games in England, Boxing Day this year will feature just one match: Manchester United vs. Newcastle United. For comparison, there were eight Premier League games on Boxing Day last year. Part of the reason for the light slate is that the holiday lands on a Friday (with most other matches being held on Saturday and Sunday) — though in 2014, the last time Boxing Day landed on a Friday, there was a full slate of Premier League matches.
The Premier League has cited schedule congestion for the lack of Boxing Day games.
“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,” the Premier League said in a statement. “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. The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day – as the date falls on a Saturday.”
Here’s what to know about the Premier League on Boxing Day 2025:
What is this year’s Premier League game on Boxing Day?
Manchester United will host Newcastle United in a showdown of mid-table clubs.
➤ Complete Premier League schedule
Stream Premier League games on Peacock
EFL Championship Boxing Day fixtures
While the Premier League is nearly sitting out Boxing Day, the second-division English Football League Championship has 12 games scheduled with all 24 teams in action on the holiday.
Here are those matchups:
- Birmingham City vs. Derby County, 7:30 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Millwall vs. Ipswich Town, 8 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Coventry City vs. Swansea City, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Leicester City vs. Watford, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Middlesbrough vs. Blackburn Rovers, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Norwich City vs. Charlton Athletic, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Oxford United vs. Southampton, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Portsmouth vs. Queens Park Rangers, 10 a.m. ET
- Sheffield Wednesday vs. Hull City, 10 a.m. ET
- Stoke City vs. Preston North End, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- West Bromwich Albion vs. Bristol City, 10 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
- Wrexham vs. Sheffield United, 12:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
What is Boxing Day?
Celebrated in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries, the modern Boxing Day is a holiday — officially in the United Kingdom — observed on Dec. 26 during which people relax after Christmas Day activities. It’s also a big day for shopping (it’s been compared as the British version of Black Friday in the U.S.), and consuming drinks and leftovers after the holiday feast. Sporting events have become a huge part of the holiday.
Originally, Boxing Day was a gift-giving day during which the upper class would “box” up leftover food, money or goods and give those boxes to their tradesmen and servants for their service over the year. The initial intent of Boxing Day — which dates back to the Victorian Era — has mostly disappeared as new traditions (like soccer games) have become synonymous with the holiday.
