The Premier League winter break is returning, as the Prem has revealed its full fixture list for the 2025/26 season.
Liverpool will kick off their Premier League title defence with a Friday night home fixture against Bournemouth in the middle of August, while Manchester United and Arsenal meet on a blockbuster opening Sunday afternoon.
With the Club World Cup taking place in 2025 and the World Cup following in the summer of 2026, lining up the domestic football calendar is no easy task.
Is there a Premier League winter break this season?
Not as such. In lieu of a winter break, the Premier League has committed to a manageable workload throughout the busy winter period, saying, "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.”
Although the Premier League has implemented a staggered winter break for its clubs in previous seasons, it has not yet embraced a Winterpause in the style of the Bundesliga and other major leagues in Europe.
With the domestic timescale squeezed from either end by major (and minor) summer tournaments, England's top flight no longer has a winter break even in staggered form.
The Premier League season will begin with one fixture on Friday, August 16 and conclude with a full slate of ten on Sunday, May 24.
Like last season, the later mid-August start date has taken the possibility of a winter break off the table but ensures a substantial summer break even for those Premier League players featuring at the Club World Cup.
The international football calendar affects the Premier League throughout the season, too. There will be four international breaks in 2025/26.
World Cup qualifiers will be played in September, October and November. In March, international friendlies and World Cup qualification play-offs will necessitate another break in the Premier League schedule.
The 2025/26 season will be played across 33 weekends and five midweek programmes. There will be no fixtures on Boxing Day; Christmas Day falls on a Thursday and the bulk of MW18 will be played on Saturday, December 27.
According to the Premier League, the mid-August start date, which is 83 days after the end of 2024/25, offers the maximum possible summer break for players.
The Premier League season will finish before squads are announced for the 2026 World Cup.
