By Victor Kanayo
The English Premier League has unveiled the official dates for the 2025/26 season in a statement released late Friday.
The new campaign will kick off on Saturday, August 16, 2025, with the final match round slated for Sunday, May 24, 2026, ensuring a thrilling season from start to finish.
The league has made significant changes to the festive period schedule.
The announcement, obtained from the EPL website, titled “Dates for 2025/26 Premier League season confirmed,” emphasises a renewed commitment to player welfare, particularly during the congested festive period.
For the first time, no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other, addressing long-standing concerns about the congested holiday fixture list.
Furthermore, no matches will be held on Christmas Eve in 2025, a decision likely to be welcomed by players and fans alike.
The release read, “The schedule continues to allow more rest time for players over the festive match-round period, with no two rounds taking place within 60 hours of each other.
“This is in keeping with commitments made to clubs to address the congested Christmas and New Year schedule.”
This strategic scheduling, according to the statement, underscores the Premier League’s commitment to maintaining a competitive edge while protecting the well-being of its players.
“The 2025/26 season will consist of 33 weekends and five midweek match rounds.
“The start date of August 16 allows for the maximum player rest time available—83 clear days—from the end of the 2024/25 season.
“The season end date of May 24 2026 ensures the Premier League season finishes ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup call-up period.
“There will be no fixture on December 24, 2025,” it concluded.
