Why are there no Premier League games on Saturday?

Cody Gakpo of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal with teammates Virgil van Dijk and Hugo Ekitike during the Premier League match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield on February 28, 2026 in Liverpool, England.
Liverpool kick-off the Premier League weekend with their trip to Aston Villa (Image credit: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

The Premier League season ends next weekend and there are plenty of issues to be resolved at both ends of the table.

Arsenal are two games away from a first title in 22 years, Bournemouth and Brentford are eyeing European football for the first time in their respective histories, and Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are fighting to avoid relegation to the Championship.

It promises to be another captivating weekend of Premier League football, but a glance at the fixture list throws up an unusual quirk in the calendar.

The reason why there are no Premier League games on Saturday

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The weekend begins with Aston Villa's home game against Liverpool on Friday night, but there are no top-flight fixtures on Saturday, with six matches on Sunday followed by Arsenal's clash with Burnley on Monday evening.

The Sunday schedule looks like a normal Premier League Saturday, with Manchester United hosting Nottingham Forest at lunchtime, four 3pm kick-offs and West Ham's must-win trip to Newcastle United at 5.30pm - so why aren't these games taking place 24 hours earlier?

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 6: West Ham United manager Nuno Espírito Santo during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Nottingham Forest at London Stadium on January 6, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo faces a must-win game on Sunday (Image credit: Getty Images)

The unusual schedule is due to the FA Cup final taking place on Saturday, when Chelsea will face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

This is the second season of a six-year deal between the FA and Premier League which sees the FA Cup showpiece take place on the penultimate weekend of the top-flight season, with any league games moved to the Sunday.

The cup final has traditionally been played after the end of the league campaign, with the 2023 and 2024 editions held on the Saturday following the Premier League finale.

However, league fixtures have been played on the same day as the Wembley showpiece on several occasions, most recently in 2021 when three top-flight matches were played on the afternoon that Leicester City beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup for the first time.

It means all eyes will be on Wembley at 3pm on Saturday, as the Blues aim to lift the trophy for the first time since 2018 and City contest their fourth successive final.

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Manchester United's hospitality offers comfortable, padded seating in the North West Quadrant. The package includes a concourse meal deal (hot food, drink, and snack) and the official matchday programme. Guests also receive a 10 per cent Megastore discount and non-matchday Museum entry, providing a great value, family-friendly match experience for home fans.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that there are only eight Premier League games across the weekend, which is because Chelsea and City's scheduled matches had to be rearranged after they made the final.

But both teams face a tight turnaround as they will be back in action on Tuesday night, with Pep Guardiola's men travelling to Bournemouth and Chelsea hosting Spurs.

All 10 games kick-off at 4pm on the final day of the season next Sunday.

Ilkay Gundogan celebrates after scoring for Manchester City against Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup final at Wembley.

City last won the FA Cup in 2023, beating Manchester United at Wembley (Image credit: Getty Images)
Freelance writer

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo and other titles. He started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away, before becoming a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers.

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