Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Thursday, December 25, 2025, 8:04 p.m. / Updated Thursday, December 25, 2025, 8:05 p.m.
Manchester United v Newcastle will be the only match of the day which has traditionally been synonymous with afternoons and evenings of non-stop football in England. The game is scheduled for Friday, December 26, from 22:00.
For decades, 'Boxing Day' has been one of the most powerful symbols of English football. The day of December 26 has turned into an almost sacred tradition, synonymous with packed stadiums, cascading matches and a stage that transcends borders, conquering fans from all over the world. This year, however, the scenario will be completely different… and the weirdness starts with the calendar itself.
Contrary to custom, the Premier League will have just one match on Boxing Day. A piece of information that, in itself, sounds like heresy to those who grew up associating the period after Christmas with afternoons and evenings of non-stop football in England. The duel will be a gala one, Manchester United-Newcastle, at Old Trafford, but it will remain isolated on a day that usually “breathes” the Premier League.
One 'Boxing Day' match
The absence of the other parties inevitably raises questions. It is not about a whim of the calendar, nor about a symbolic gesture related to the Christmas holidays. It is not directly related to meteorological or logistical problems either. The explanation is much more structural, according to abola.pt.
In the contracts signed with the television stations it is stipulated that 33 of the 38 stages of the Premier League must be played at the weekend. A rule that has taken on even more weight in a season where the number of European matches has increased and the FA Cup has seen more rounds pushed onto Saturdays and Sundays.
In order to comply with this contractual obligation, the Premier League was forced to schedule a full round immediately on the weekend after Christmas.
With this comes another issue: player rest. Most teams cannot meet the minimum recovery intervals if they were to play that weekend and at the same time on December 26. The regulations allow, however, for one match in each stage to be played outside the regular period. And this exception opened the door to the only “Boxing Day” game.
Even so, the tradition is not completely disappearing from English football. In the lower divisions, the Championship, League One and League Two, the 26th remains intangible with full stages and packed stadiums. In contrast, at the elite level, the rupture is historic: the last time a single English Premier League match was played on 'Boxing Day' was during the Second World War…
