Premier League key dates 2025-26: When will the fixtures be released?

We have barely said farewell to the 2024-25 Premier League season, but the fixtures for next season have been released, and the countdown to the opening weekend of the season is well and truly on.

The summer transfer window is now in full swing, and several Premier League clubs have already made multiple signings. Next up, pre-season friendlies.

So, when will the 2025/26 Premier League season start? Discover that information and learn about other key dates in our article below.

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Premier League key dates 2025/26

Opening weekend of the season

The opening weekend of fixtures will have four days of fixtures. These will take place from Friday, 15 August to Monday, 18 August.

International breaks

The 2025/26 international breaks are as follows:

1 – 9 September: All
6 – 14 October: All
10 – 18 November: All
21 Dec – 18 Jan: Africa Cup of Nations
23- 31 March: All

Key derby matches

Notable derby matches during the 2025/26 season include:

Manchester City vs Manchester United – 13/09/2025
Liverpool vs Everton – 20/09/2025
Arsenal vs Tottenham – 22/11/2025
Sunderland vs Newcastle United – 13/12/2025
Manchester United vs Manchester City – 17/01/2026
Tottenham vs Arsenal – 21/02/2026
Newcastle United vs Sunderland – 21/03/2026
Everton vs Liverpool – 18/04/2026

Check out our extensive list of Premier League derbies in 2025/26.

Potential top-of-the-table clashes

Some potential top-of-the-table clashes this season include:

Liverpool vs Arsenal – 30/08/2025
Arsenal vs Manchester City – 20/09/2025
Manchester City vs Liverpool – 08/11/2025
Arsenal vs Liverpool – 07/01/2026
Liverpool vs Manchester City – 07/02/2026
Manchester City vs Arsenal – 18/04/2026

Festive fixtures

Controversially, there are currently no Premier League matches set to be played on Boxing Day, which hasn't gone down well with football fans. There is a full set of fixtures on 27 December, and there is a chance that TV broadcasters could move some of these matches to Boxing Day.

Final weekend of the season

As usual, all matches in the last round of the Premier League will be played on the same day and at the same time. For the 2025-26 season, the final matchday is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 2026.

How are Premier League fixtures decided?

According to the Premier League, it can take up to six months to put together the fixture schedule, with the entire process managed by a multinational IT company, Atos.

There are many factors that contribute to creating a Premier League schedule, including consideration of key dates from the football calendar as a whole, as well as local issues such as policing capacity and geographical proximity.

Once all the key factors are taken into account, the system randomly generates a set of fixtures, which is then manually verified by Atos, the Premier League, and the English Football League. The EFL is a separate entity and thus has a different set of key dates, but they still have to coordinate with the Premier League to avoid any date clashes.

When is the 2025 summer transfer window?

The summer transfer window for Premier League clubs opened on 1 June and will close on 1 September. There was a brief period between 10 and 16 June when the window was shut, due to complications around the Club World Cup.

In any case, the Premier League clubs have been very active so far, and with one month left until the start of the next season, we can expect to see more moves in the coming days.