Why matches move after fixtures are released

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All you need to know for 2025/26 Fixture Release Day

After the announcement of the 2025/26 fixtures on Wednesday, what happens to the dates of the matches once the fixtures are released?

While fans can see on what weekends or midweeks the 20 teams are playing each other, there is a big consideration that needs to be taken around the dates and kick-off times published on Fixture Release Day.

Most weekend fixtures are published as kicking off on Saturdays at 15:00 (or 3pm) local time, with midweek fixtures usually on or around 19:45 on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

However, all these matches are subject to change for various reasons.

Broadcast rights

One reason is because those matches have been chosen to be shown live on TV in the UK by Sky Sports or TNT Sports, who hold these rights in the UK.

They have the choice to show fixtures at a range of time slots across the weekend from 20:00 on the Friday through to 20:00 on the Monday.

They are not allowed to show these matches at 15:00 on the Saturday, where there is a “blackout” in the UK between 14:45 to 17:15 to encourage fans at all levels of the football pyramid to attend matches.

Generally about five matches each round are selected for live broadcast in the UK and move from their 15:00 spot.

The Premier League works with Sky and TNT, as well as local authorities, to confirm the new fixture dates and times with fans as early as possible, looking to announce them about six weeks before each round of fixtures prior to January and five weeks from January onwards.

This is to give fans looking to attend the matches time to prepare travel arrangements.

The provisional announcement dates are published by the league at the same time as the 380 fixtures to let fans know when they can start that planning.

A minimum of 267 matches will be broadcast live in the UK – a minimum 215 for Sky and 52 for TNT – with the increase from 2024/25 to 2025/26 mainly being a result of Sky Sports being able to broadcast from this season the fixtures moved to the Sunday 14:00 slot because of Premier League clubs’ participation in European competitions.

But there are further complications and reasons why Premier League fixtures have to move from their initial Saturday 15:00 slots.

Clubs in Europe

A considerable impact is made by UEFA competitions. Competition organisers look traditionally to give clubs at least two clear days between matches.

So Champions League matches taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings may not affect the Saturday 15:00 slots, but they can influence the dates for which Sky or TNT can select them.

A team playing on a Tuesday in the Champions League, for example, cannot play on the preceding Sunday in the Premier League.

Similarly, because the UEFA Europa League and Conference League matches take place on Thursday evenings, the Premier League clubs participating in those competitions cannot play on the Saturdays following those matches.

There are an unprecedented NINE clubs in European action this season – six in the UEFA Champions League, two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League – and there will be many Premier League weekends which have UEFA matches in midweek either side of them.

Premier League matches may also move if and when clubs progress into the later rounds of the FA Cup. The FA Cup semi-finals and final are scheduled on weekends when a Premier League round of fixtures also takes place.

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