The Premier League's fixture release for the new season generates a buzz incomparable to the major leagues over in the States given its predictability.
We get it, everybody plays each other twice, home and away. It's the same every year. It's unlike the NFL where the opponents vary every season, and prime time slots are heralded with significant value.
Nevertheless, while the excitement is tempered, there are a few key dates that supporters seek out once the fixtures are revealed. A scan through your team's opening and concluding acts are usually first on the agenda, then you've got to pencil in those all-important derby dates. Once that's done, you head to the busiest time in the calendar: the festive period.
Relentless Premier League action really does make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, and there isn't a football lover in the UK that doesn't adore a healthy dose of Boxing Day action.
Boxing Day football is steeped in tradition, and here's the action Premier League fans will enjoy the day after Christmas later this year.
What is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is a public holiday in the UK that's celebrated the day after Christmas on 26 December.
The name is derived from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Servants would typically enjoy a day off on Boxing Day, with their masters gifting them a special Christmas box.
And no, punching isn't a pre-requisite of the day...it shouldn't be anyway.
Why does the Premier League host games on Boxing Day?
While the rest of Europe sits up and sips hot cocoa enjoying their 'winter breaks', the rugged English simply get on with it over the festive period. Time with the family: minimal. Freezing temperatures: hopefully. The show must go on!
Boxing Day football on the British Isles dates back to 1860 when Sheffield FC and Hallam FC faced off. The first Boxing Day contest was also the first-ever football derby played, and Sheffield FC, the world's oldest club, came out on top 2-0.
After that, games were organised on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as both were bank holidays, which gave working people the chance to watch a game for the first time in the year - hence their immediate popularity.
However, as religion started to increase in prominence, playing games on Christmas became more troublesome. This attitude shift towards tradition and family time eventually resulted in the termination of Christmas Day games and a beefier Boxing Day schedule.
Since 1958, Boxing Day has hosted a jam-packed fixture list, and that tradition has continued right up until the present day.
2023/24 Premier League Boxing Day fixtures
*Kick-off times are subject to change.
Newcastle's rise means the idea of a mere 'Big Six' in the Premier League is outdated. The Magpies have joined the aristocracy, Nevertheless, none of the division's biggest seven clubs face off on Boxing Day in 2023.
However, there are some tasty festive fixtures for fans to enjoy as they let the obscene volume of pigs in blankets they've consumed the day prior digest. Roberto De Zerbi's swashbuckling Brighton host Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham and Man Utd host Unai Emery's resurgent Aston Villa in the two standout Boxing Day games.
West Ham visit Arsenal the day after Christmas for the second season running, and they could face up against their former skipper, Declan Rice, at the Emirates should he complete a move to north London this summer.
Man City made light work of their trip to Goodison Park on their way to Premier League glory at the end of 2022/23, and they'll take on Everton in their premier festive fixture. Two newly-promoted sides Sheffield United and Luton are also locking horns at Bramall Lane.
How to watch the 2023/24 Premier League Boxing Day fixtures?
Once again, Amazon Prime has earned the exclusive rights for the Premier League's Boxing Day action. Those in the UK will be able to watch the festive games via a Prime subscription.
Not all ten games currently scheduled for Boxing Day will take place on the 26 December. Last season, eight were held on Boxing Day, while the remaining two were played the following day.
The official dates and kick-off times for these games will be released in due course.
This article was originally published on 90min as Boxing Day 2023/24 Premier League schedule.
