Route Planner/Popular trips
Boxing Day Football 2026: Which Christmas Matches You Can Combine
One city, one game a day, no trains needed
English football plays right through Christmas and New Year, and the fixtures are close enough together that one base city gets you several matches in a week. London and the North West are the two that work without an intercity train, which matters because the railway barely runs on Boxing Day.
Covering Sat, Dec 26 to Thu, Jan 7 (2026/27). Last checked Thursday, September 17, 2026. Fixtures update daily.
Based in London
9 games across 9 daysTen clubs across the Premier League and Championship, all on the Underground or a short overground ride. Nothing here needs an intercity train, which is what makes it work over Christmas.
Sat, Dec 26
- 3:00 PMFulham FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 3:00 PMTottenham Hotspur FC v AFC BournemouthPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 3:00 PMWest Ham United FC v Norwich City FCChampionship · LondonSee tickets
- 3:00 PMQueens Park Rangers FC v Bristol City FCChampionship · LondonSee tickets
- 3:00 PMCharlton Athletic FC v Southampton FCChampionship · LondonSee tickets
Sun, Dec 27
- 7:00 PMCrystal Palace FC v Arsenal FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Tue, Dec 29
- 7:30 PMTottenham Hotspur FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 7:45 PMMillwall FC v Portsmouth FCChampionship · LondonSee tickets
Wed, Dec 30
- 7:30 PMFulham FC v Arsenal FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 7:30 PMCrystal Palace FC v AFC BournemouthPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Fri, Jan 1
- time TBCMillwall FC v Wolverhampton Wanderers FCChampionship · LondonKickoff not confirmedSee tickets
Sat, Jan 2
- 3:00 PMBrentford FC v Crystal Palace FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 3:00 PMArsenal FC v Ipswich Town FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Sun, Jan 3
- 2:00 PMChelsea FC v Newcastle United FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Tue, Jan 5
- 7:30 PMArsenal FC v Brentford FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Wed, Jan 6
- 7:30 PMFulham FC v Tottenham Hotspur FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
- 7:30 PMCrystal Palace FC v Chelsea FCPremier League · LondonSee tickets
Every pair on the same day here kicks off too close together to do both, so this is one game a day.
Arsenal
Premier League · London
Members / ballotTicket guideChelsea
Premier League · London
Members / ballotTicket guideTottenham Hotspur
Premier League · London
Members / ballotTicket guideFulham
Premier League · London
Members firstTicket guideBrentford
Premier League · London
Members / ballotTicket guideCrystal Palace
Premier League · London
Members / ballotTicket guideWest Ham United
Championship · London
General saleTicket guideQueens Park Rangers
Championship · London
Millwall
Championship · London
Charlton Athletic
Championship · London
Based in The North West
9 games across 9 daysManchester and Liverpool are about half an hour apart by train, with Championship clubs in the towns around them. Two big-city grounds plus a lower-division game is a realistic week.
Sat, Dec 26
- 3:00 PMEverton FC v Sunderland AFCPremier League · LiverpoolSee tickets
- 3:00 PMBlackburn Rovers FC v Birmingham City FCChampionship · BlackburnSee tickets
- 3:00 PMStoke City FC v Wrexham AFCChampionship · Stoke-on-TrentSee tickets
- 3:00 PMPreston North End FC v Derby County FCChampionship · PrestonSee tickets
Sun, Dec 27
- 4:30 PMManchester United FC v Nottingham Forest FCPremier League · ManchesterSee tickets
Tue, Dec 29
- 6:00 PMWrexham AFC v Blackburn Rovers FCChampionship · WrexhamSee tickets
- 7:45 PMBurnley FC v Lincoln City FCChampionship · BurnleySee tickets
- 8:15 PMEverton FC v Manchester City FCPremier League · LiverpoolSee tickets
Wed, Dec 30
- 7:30 PMManchester United FC v Sunderland AFCPremier League · ManchesterSee tickets
Fri, Jan 1
- time TBCBurnley FC v Sheffield United FCChampionship · BurnleyKickoff not confirmedSee tickets
- time TBCWrexham AFC v Bolton Wanderers FCChampionship · WrexhamKickoff not confirmedSee tickets
Sat, Jan 2
- 3:00 PMLiverpool FC v Coventry City FCPremier League · LiverpoolSee tickets
Sun, Jan 3
- 4:30 PMManchester City FC v Tottenham Hotspur FCPremier League · ManchesterSee tickets
Tue, Jan 5
- 7:30 PMEverton FC v Aston Villa FCPremier League · LiverpoolSee tickets
Thu, Jan 7
- 8:00 PMManchester United FC v Newcastle United FCPremier League · ManchesterSee tickets
Every pair on the same day here kicks off too close together to do both, so this is one game a day.
Manchester United
Premier League · Manchester
Members / ballotTicket guideManchester City
Premier League · Manchester
Members / ballotTicket guideLiverpool
Premier League · Liverpool
Members / ballotTicket guideEverton
Premier League · Liverpool
Members / ballotTicket guideBolton Wanderers
Championship · Bolton
Blackburn Rovers
Championship · Blackburn
Burnley
Championship · Burnley
Preston North End
Championship · Preston
Wrexham
Championship · Wrexham
Members / ballotTicket guideStoke City
Championship · Stoke-on-Trent
When the times are confirmed
- The Premier League confirms its festive kick-off times earlier than the rest of the season. For 2026/27 it published the 26 December to 7 January round dates and times on 10 September, which is more than three months of notice.
- Championship dates are set but many kick-off times follow later, so those fixtures show the day only until the league confirms them.
- Television can still move a game inside its weekend. Check the club page in the week of the match before you book anything you cannot change.
Before you book
- 1Pick your base city first. Over Christmas the trip works because you are not moving between cities, so choose the one whose fixtures you want.
- 2Be in that city by 24 December. There are no trains on Christmas Day and most operators run nothing on Boxing Day, so arriving on the day of the game is not a plan.
- 3Book a refundable room for the whole run rather than one night at a time. Rates rise over the holiday and the fixtures are spread across a week.
- 4Buy tickets club by club, in each club’s own sale phases. Members and season ticket holders come first almost everywhere, so check each guide for when the public window opens.
Travelling on different dates?
Put your own dates in the planner to see what is on in each city.
Plan this trip with your datesBoxing Day Football 2026: common questions
Is there football on Boxing Day in England?
Yes. Boxing Day is one of the fullest matchdays of the English season, across the Premier League, the Championship and the divisions below. Christmas Day itself is blank in the English leagues, and the football starts again on Boxing Day.
How many matches can you see over Christmas and New Year?
From one base city, usually one a day across several days rather than two in a day. Clubs in the same city tend to kick off at the same time, so the trip is built on consecutive days, not doubles. The day-by-day list on this page shows what fits, from live fixtures.
Do trains run on Boxing Day?
Barely. There are no National Rail services on Christmas Day, and on Boxing Day most train operators run nothing at all, with a very limited service from a few of them. That is why this trip is built around one city, and why you want to arrive by Christmas Eve.
Which city is the best base for Christmas football?
London, because ten Premier League and Championship clubs are inside the city and reachable on local transport. The North West is the other one that works, with Manchester and Liverpool about half an hour apart by train and Championship clubs in the towns around them.
Are the Christmas kick-off times confirmed?
The Premier League confirms its festive times unusually early, months rather than weeks ahead, because the schedule is so compressed. Championship times often follow later. On this page a game shows a kick-off time only when the league has confirmed it, and the day alone when it has not.
Can you get tickets for Christmas matches without a membership?
It depends on the club, and the biggest clubs are the hardest. Each club on this page shows what its own guide says about members, ballots and public sales. Championship clubs are usually the more realistic option for a visitor.
Is it worth including Championship games?
For a festive trip, yes. Championship clubs play on Boxing Day, around 29 December and on New Year’s Day, which fills the gaps between Premier League rounds, and their tickets are generally easier to get.