June 19 – The Premier League has warned fans to brace for short-notice fixture changes next season, as a record nine English clubs compete in UEFA competitions during the 2025/26 campaig, increasing pressure on an already congested calendar.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham will feature in the Champions League, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the Europa League, and Nottingham Forest qualifying for the Conference League. The FA Cup – with its pathway to Europe – adds another layer of complexity to an already headache-inducing scheduling procedure.
While the league welcomed the European success, it also noted that the number of clubs involved heightens the “likelihood of domestic rescheduling,” especially if sides progress deep into continental tournaments. Fans have been advised to factor this into travel and ticket planning.
“While the Premier League celebrates this success, it will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches,” a statement from the Premier League said.
“There is an increased likelihood of Premier League fixtures moving at relatively short notice, after our fixture announcements, should our clubs progress to the knockout rounds of these competitions.”
The warning comes after the Premier League announced the fixture list for the 2025/26 season on Wednesday.
Champions Liverpool will host Bournemouth in the Friday night curtain-raiser on August 15th, while Manchester United will play Arsenal in the opening weekend’s blockbuster fixture at Old Trafford.
The fixture calendar is already subject to rolling broadcast adjustments, typically confirmed with five weeks’ notice. But with this season’s added volatility, the Premier League appears to be leaning further into the NFL-style “flex scheduling” model, where match slots are more fluid based on competition narratives and television priorities and can be rearranged on short notice. No prizes for guessing how match-going fans will react to that particular decision.
The 2025/26 season is also the first under the Premier League’s record £6.7 billion domestic media rights deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sports. The deal ensures that all matches outside the Saturday 3pm blackout will be shown live — a major shift that brings at least 267 of the 380 matches to broadcast. The 3pm blackout remains in place to protect lower-league attendances.
The season will end on May 24, 2026, leaving players heading to the World Cup with less than three weeks’ turnaround — another pinch point in an already overstretched football calendar.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1750365112labto1750365112ofdlr1750365112owedi1750365112sni@g1750365112niwe.1750365112yrrah1750365112