The Premier League fixture list is compiled with Glenn Thompson of Atos. FIFA dates are protected first, then UEFA club dates, then the eight FA Cup rounds, and only after that are all 380 league matches placed into the remaining weekends and midweeks.
How the process is built
Work on a season's fixture list starts at the beginning of the year. That is about six months before the list is released and eight months before the season begins. The Premier League also works within a bigger scheduling job, covering 2036 fixtures across the Premier League and the three divisions of the EFL.
The order matters. FIFA international dates are ringfenced first, UEFA club competition dates come next, and the eight rounds of the FA Cup follow. Premier League matches are mapped only after those dates have been protected.
There are 20 clubs in the league, and each club plays the other 19 once at home and once away. That produces 380 matches. The final club is not known until the Championship play-off final in May, so the full set of 20 clubs is confirmed very late in the process.
Rules the fixture computer follows
These are the principles the fixture computer must follow.
| Principle |
|---|
| In any five matches a club has three home and two away fixtures, or two home and three away |
| A club never has more than two home or two away matches in a row |
| Wherever possible a club is home and away either side of FA Cup ties and international breaks |
| A club does not start or finish the season with two home or two away matches |
| A club at home in the first round after Christmas Day is away on New Year's Day or an equivalent date |
| A Saturday home-and-away sequence is maintained through the season wherever possible |
The aim is to keep the home-and-away spread fair across the calendar and avoid long runs in one direction. The computer is needed because a change to one match can force 40 other changes, so the system has to keep testing alternative dates.
Before publication, the list is reviewed over several days.
Club requests and outside constraints
Around April, clubs are asked for dates when they would prefer to be at home or away. Those requests can be tied to club anniversaries or to other events at a multi-use stadium. A club redeveloping its stadium can also ask not to start the season at home.
Fan travel is also part of the build. The league considers whether supporters from the same areas would be using the same train lines on the same day, and it tries to minimise travel on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, or an equivalent date.
Clubs that cannot be at home on the same weekend
These clubs are paired so they do not host on the same weekend.
| Paired clubs |
|---|
| Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur |
| Chelsea and Fulham |
| Everton and Liverpool |
| Manchester City and Manchester United |
| Newcastle United and Sunderland |
The reason is local policing. Clubs in close proximity are paired so local police forces are not asked to cover two nearby home matches at the same time, and the paired clubs alternate home and away.
FAQ
Who decides the Premier League fixtures?
The Premier League runs the process and works with Glenn Thompson of Atos on the scheduling. The final list comes from a computer-based system working through the league's rules and constraints, then being checked before release.
When are Premier League fixtures released?
For the 2026/27 season, the fixtures were released at 10:00 BST on Friday 19 June 2026. The release covered all 380 matches at once.
Why can't one fixture just be moved on its own?
Each match sits inside a wider structure that includes cup rounds, international breaks, policing pairings and travel planning. One alteration can trigger 40 other changes, which is why the computer is used to offer alternatives.
Can clubs ask for specific dates?
Yes, clubs can ask for certain home or away dates. The league then fits those requests into the full schedule rather than letting each club set its own plan.