How are Premier League fixtures decided?
According to the Premier League, putting together the fixture schedule takes up to six months.
The process is managed by multinational IT company Atos, which has its headquarters just outside of Paris.
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A slew of information about the football calendar - international dates, European matchweeks, and the scheduling of the lower leagues - is inputted into the system so it can generate a list which functions.
Further information such as policing capacity and geographical proximity are also taken into account. For example, the system is told that Liverpool and Everton cannot play at home on the same weekend, because doing so would put too much on strain on police resources and transport infrastructure in one city.
The same goes for other closely situated rivals, like Manchester United and Manchester City, but the rules are more relaxed in London owing to the prevalence of top-flight clubs in the capital.
Clubs can also make requests in case there is a potential stadium clash. For example, Old Trafford will host the Super League Grand Final on Saturday, 11 October 2025, so Manchester United are likely to request their fixture is away that weekend.
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Once all of the background information has been inputted, clubs are put in a pairing grid, which defines when they will play at home and when they will play away. From there, the system generates a randomised set of fixtures.
The fixture list is manually verified by Atos staff and representatives from the Premier League and Football League. If any issues are spotted, the process is repeated again and a new set of fixtures is generated until one is deemed to satisfy all requirements.
Liverpool will enter the 2025-26 Premier League season as champions [Getty Images]
What rules are there for home and away Premier League fixture scheduling?
There are three key home and away rules which the fixture generator must abide by.
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In any period of five matches, a club must play either three times at home and twice away, or vice versa.
A club cannot start or end the season with two home or two away matches.
A club cannot play at home twice or away twice for the fixtures which take place on or around Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
When are football fixtures for the 2025-26 announced in other leagues?
Other British leagues will announce their fixture lists on the following dates:
Scottish Premiership - 09:00 BST on Friday, June 20 2025
National League - on Wednesday, 9 July 2025
Welsh Premier Division - 10:00 BST on Thursday, 10 July 2025
EFL - 12:00 BST on Thursday, 26 June 2025
Women's Super League - July 2025
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