Why Premier League Games are Rescheduled

Why are some Premier League games moved after the schedule is announced?

This question haunts people trying to see Premier League games in person — especially if they are flying to the UK from another country. So let’s talk about why soccer matches get moved after the fixtures have been released.

The Schedule Isn’t Really the Schedule

The 2025-26 Premier League schedule was released, as every year, in mid-June. At that point, virtually all Premier League games were listed as Saturday at 3 p.m. But you will know, from watching each weekend on television, that games are not all played at the same time. So why — as well as when — do these Premier League games change?

First we’ll answer the question about when changes are made to the fixtures list.

When Premier League Fixtures are Changed

When the season’s fixtures are first announced, so too are the dates on which the fixtures will (allegedly) be changed. We say “allegedly” because they miss virtually every deadline they commit to. Still, these announcements are scheduled every month, with a minimum of six weeks’ notice to a fixture being changed. Even this is occasionally ignored, however.

Typically, the November games are adjusted in mid September, the December games in mid October, and so on. For reasons we will get to, the fall schedule is more stable than in the spring.

Here are the dates on which the 2025-25 Premier League fixtures are being changed.

Why TV Changes Premier League fixtures

Television is the primary reason for Premier League fixture changes. Television runs the sport, because they provide the money. And, of course, they want games at as many different times as possible. So, throughout the season, they change Premier League games from Saturday at 3 to other times on Saturday, various times on Sunday, often a Monday evening, and sometimes even a Friday evening.

Midweek games might be initially scheduled on Tuesday evening, but they could be on Wednesday or Thursday evening.

Do European Matches Cause Premier League Fixture Changes?

Another reason Premier League games are changed is that English clubs — this season, nine of them, almost half the Premier League — are playing in UEFA competitions: the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. Those games happen during the week, but the fall and winter schedule isn’t announced until early September.

This leads to the absurd situation in which a Premier League game is moved from Saturday to Sunday for broadcast, then one of those teams gets a Tuesday game in Europe, and their Premier League game gets moved back to Saturday! Why they can’t leave the game on Saturday, or have the league and UEFA talk to each other, is beyond us.

After the September (for November) TV announcement, this isn’t an issue, because by then the UEFA schedules are all set through January.

Another Reason why Soccer Matches get Moved: Cups

The FA Cup and the League (or Carabao) Cup go on during the Premier League season, so as clubs advance in these competitions, sometimes their league games get moved. For Premier League clubs, this isn’t as big an issue, because (A) they don’t enter the FA Cup until January and (B) both cups are now scheduled to stay out of the way of the Premier League TV games. Again, TV runs the sport.

One weekend to look out for here is the FA Cup Semifinals in London. Those happen April 25 and 26, 2026, so any Premier League club that makes it there will have their league game for that weekend moved to another week — with about three weeks’ notice!

The Carabao Cup Final is March 22, 2026 — another weekend when qualifying Premier League teams will have to have their league games moved. This will be done with about a month’s notice.

Changing Premier League Fixtures: Spring is Worse Than Fall

As mentioned above, the weekends of March 22 and April 25 are hard to plan for, because Premier League clubs playing that weekend might be in a Cup final instead. Or their opponent might be in it, meaning they have no game at all that weekend.

Also, the European fixtures are much less stable in the spring, because teams are getting knocked out. So, starting with the knockout rounds in mid-February, Premier League fixtures can be tweaked to another time the same week on pretty short notice.

More Questions About Premier League Fixtures Being Changed.

We have covered the basics, but some more questions often come up.

Does weather affect football match schedules

It is very rare for a Premier League game to be moved because of weather. They have the technology to deal with it. But in the Football League, especially in the north of England, frozen and waterlogged pitches will definitely be a factor.

How often are Premier League fixtures rescheduled?

There are 10 Premier League games per weekend, and typically fewer than half stay on Saturday at 3. The typical breakdown is 6 or 7 games on Saturday and the rest on Sunday, with occasionally one on Monday.

Which Premier League Games are Most Likely to be Changed?

Since this is mainly about television, and since there are no live games in the UK on Saturday at 3 pm, games between the traditional powerhouses are never on Saturday at 3. Typically they fall into the later spots — 4 to 5:30 pm — on Saturday and Sunday.

Are Derbies Played Earlier in the Day?

Yes, typically a derby match is played earlier in the day — we think on the assumption people will be less drunk? We’ve been there, though. It doesn’t work.

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