Soccer traditions are disappearing as Premier League scraps post-Christmas matches

In the 2025/26 season of the Premier League schedule, there is an important change that has attracted a lot of attention: on the day of December 26, no more matches are scheduled.This news made many old fans feel lost.Because this day used to be a very special day in the English soccer culture.

In the past, December 26th was known as “Boxing Day”, the first day after Christmas.It was not only a day of rest, but also an important day for British people to watch soccer.In those days, families would go to the stadium or sit in front of the TV to watch the game after dinner.But now, such a tradition is slowly disappearing.

In fact, not only Boxing Day, many features that originally belonged to English soccer are also changing a little bit.For example, the third round of the FA Cup has become more and more drawn out; the prime time of playing football at 3:00 pm on Saturdays is almost invisible; and even the FA Cup final is no longer valued as much as it used to be.Now that even the most important holiday matches have been canceled, many people feel that soccer seems to have changed its flavor.

According to the newly released schedule, the 19th round of EPL matches will all be concentrated on December 27th instead of December 26th in the past.Although Premier League officials said that up to five matches can be arranged to be played on the 26th in case of special requests from TV stations, the day is no longer a fixed date for soccer matches anyway.

The reason given by the Premier League is that it is to protect the health of the players.This is a time of intensive matches and it is difficult for players to regain their strength.Head coaches also often complain that having to play a match in two days is too much of a burden on the body.Moreover, leagues in other European countries take a vacation in the winter to give their players more time to rest.

However, the question arises: why do you say you want to protect the players on one side, but on the other side you let them play Champions League matches frequently?And in the summer, they have to fly to Asia to play commercial matches and even participate in the new Club World Cup created by FIFA?If it is really for the good of the players, then these arrangements should be adjusted together.

In fact, we all know that the real reason is still “money”, although Boxing Day is one of the most popular festivals for English fans, but from the perspective of the global market, it does not bring in much commercial income.Nowadays, the Premier League is more interested in the international market, especially the audience in the United States, Asia and other places.So the fixture schedule is also becoming more and more skewed towards TV airtime in these regions.

Boxing Day used to be a day for family reunions and a great opportunity for fans to go and watch soccer.On that day, no matter how cold it was, fans were willing to walk into the stadium and cheer on their favorite team.That kind of enthusiasm and atmosphere can’t be compared to other game days.

Even if the transportation is inconvenient, fans will try their best to get to the venue.In the past, some local derbies (same-city matches) were usually arranged on this day so that fans could watch the game without traveling too far.However, nowadays, there are fewer such arrangements due to “safety” and “broadcasting convenience”.

Nowadays, the Premier League fixtures are more like tailor-made for the global TV audience.Morning matches, evening matches, everything revolves around ratings and royalties.Whether or not it’s convenient for the average fan to go and watch is rather less of a priority.

For many British people, Boxing Day is not just a match day, but also an emotional attachment.It represents an era when the fans were the core of soccer.And now, many people can only reminisce through memories of a time when fans were put first.

Perhaps one day in the future, we will see Premier League matches actually move abroad, such as in a city in the United States.By then, “Overseas Boxing Day” could be a reality.

When that day comes, maybe we’ll smile and remember the time when we used to crowd the stadium to watch matches on cold winter days.It was cold, but our hearts were warm.Because at that moment, we felt like we were part of soccer.

In short, Boxing Day hasn’t completely disappeared, but its importance is being constantly diminished.And English soccer seems to be moving away from its original form.