For a lot of football fans, Boxing Day means one thing: Premier League football.
The day has been marked on the competition’s calendar for so many years now it’s become a firm tradition.
Other leagues around Europe take a break over Christmas and New Year, but the UK piles on the fixtures. U.S. fans can equate the day to how the NFL is synonymous with Thanksgiving, or (to a lesser extent) how Christmas Day is for the NBA. This year, of course, sees the NFL return to screens on December 25.
Premier League games rack up ratings as fans plan to be home planted on the couch, feasting on Christmas Day leftovers and enjoying Premier League action.
So what is Boxing Day and how did it come to such prominence? Here’s a brief run-through of its history and tradition in the UK.
MORE: All the latest EPL club news | Team-by-team Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
What day is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day falls on December 26 every year.
Always the day after Christmas Day, it’s a vital 24 hours for many after the chaos of Christmas.
Why is it called Boxing Day? Explaining meaning
Boxing Day is an annual holiday in the UK that falls on December 26, or the day after Christmas.
It is a “bank holiday” — essentially what Americans refer to as a federal holiday — meaning most businesses are closed and most employees have the day off, or can at least claim an extra day of annual leave at a later date.
“Boxing Day” has been traced back to Charles Dickens, who coined the term in 1833, and Boxing Day has been an established holiday since 1871, although references to a day of gift-giving on this date go back even further.
It is named after the tradition of employers handing out boxes of Christmas gifts to employees, especially to servants and other household employees who were required to work on Christmas.
Today, while the original intent of the holiday has all but disappeared (most holiday charity events now take place in the run-up to Christmas instead), the day has become known for two things: sports and shopping.
Who has the best record on Boxing Day?
In the first year of the Football League in 1888, Derby County played Bolton Wanderers and West Brom hosted Preston North End on Boxing Day. Since, there have been over 4,000 matches in the English Football League played on Boxing Day.
West Brom has played the most Boxing Day matches in league history, with 107 games played to a 46W-39L-22D record. Manchester United has gained the most points on Boxing Day, with 174 points gathered on a 52W-27L-18D record across 97 Boxing Day matches.
Harry Kane holds the record for the most goals scored on Boxing Day with 10, while the highest-scoring Boxing Day fixture in Premier League history was Manchester City’s 6-3 win over Leicester City in 2021.
The highest-scoring Boxing Day in English top-flight history happened in 1963, when an outlandish 66 goals were scored across 10 matches, marked by a bonkers 10-1 win for Fulham over Ipswich Town and an 8-2 drubbing by Blackburn Rovers over West Ham.
Premier League Boxing Day schedule in 2024
Eight games are scheduled to take place across December 26 this year with Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all in action.
| Match | Time (GMT) |
Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Man City vs. Everton | 12:30 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. |
| Newcastle vs. Aston Villa | 3:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham | 3:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace | 3:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| Chelsea vs. Fulham | 3:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| Southampton vs. West Ham | 3:00 p.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| Wolves vs. Man United | 5:30 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| Liverpool vs. Leicester City | 8:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. |
