{"id":14322,"date":"2024-12-16T12:19:44","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T09:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/?p=14322"},"modified":"2026-03-02T12:34:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T09:34:05","slug":"boxing-day-2024-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/boxing-day-2024-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Boxing Day Football: Are You Ready for the Game and Holiday Cheer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you hear the Christmas approaching? For many people this time of the year is all about holidays, Christmas Day dinner, gifts, and cheer. But for football fans, it means one more thing. Boxing Day football! While in many European countries football is put on hold during the Christmas holidays, Brits pump it up and have the Boxing Day football schedule full to the brim.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when did the day that was all about giving presents and a day off to your employees turn into an important date on the football calendar? The story goes back to 1860, when Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C. played the first derby match in the history of football. Even though this match, which Sheffield F.C. won 2 – 0, was the first football match played on Boxing Day, the idea didn\u2019t turn into a tradition until the 1950s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But before that, the First World War happened, and during that time, the legendary Christmas truce. There are written records of an impromptu football match taking place between the British and German soldiers on Christmas Day of 1914.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the war ended, football matches between local clubs became a regular occurrence. With time, Christmas became more family-oriented, so games wouldn\u2019t be conducted on 25 December. The last Christmas Day football match took place in 1957. Since then, Boxing Day has become the main football event of the holidays.<\/span><\/p>\n

What to Watch on Boxing Day<\/h2>\n

All top four English leagues have fixtures on Boxing Day this year. This year will be no different. <\/span>Premier League<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Championship<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>League One<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>League Two<\/span><\/a> all have packed schedules, so all fans have something to look forward to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Premier League Boxing Day Schedule<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Home Team<\/b><\/td>\nAway Team<\/b><\/td>\nLocation<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manchester City<\/span><\/td>\nEverton<\/span><\/td>\nEtihad Stadium, Manchester<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bournemouth<\/span><\/td>\nCrystal Palace<\/span><\/td>\nVitality Stadium, Bournemouth<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chelsea<\/span><\/td>\nFulham<\/span><\/td>\nStamford Bridge, London<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Newcastle<\/span><\/td>\nAston Villa<\/span><\/td>\nSt. James\u2019 Park, Newcastle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nottingham Forest<\/span><\/td>\nTottenham Hotspur<\/span><\/td>\nThe City Ground, Nottingham<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Southampton<\/span><\/td>\nWest Ham<\/span><\/td>\nSt. Mary\u2019s Stadium, Southampton<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wolverhampton Wolves<\/span><\/td>\nManchester United<\/span><\/td>\nMolineux Stadium, Wolverhampton<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Two of the most anticipated matches of the day involve two Mancunian teams. For <\/span>the Red Devils<\/span><\/a>, their game against the Wolves will be another test for the newly appointed head coach Ruben Amorim. On the other hand, <\/span>the Blues<\/span><\/a> will once again have to prove themselves as the current champions in what is expected to be a fierce battle with Everton.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the current main contender for the championship Liverpool is scheduled to play Leicester the day after Boxing Day, the second favourite in line, <\/span>Chelsea<\/span><\/a>, will meet Fulham on 26 December. Many football fans are looking forward to this derby hoping for a fiery game.<\/span><\/p>\n

EFL Championship Boxing Day Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Home Team<\/b><\/td>\nAway Team<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blackburn Rovers<\/span><\/td>\nSunderland<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bristol City<\/span><\/td>\nLuton Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coventry City<\/span><\/td>\nPlymouth Argyle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Derby County<\/span><\/td>\nWest Bromwich Albion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Middlesbrough<\/span><\/td>\nSheffield Wednesday<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Norwich City<\/span><\/td>\nMillwall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oxford United<\/span><\/td>\nCardiff City<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Preston North End<\/span><\/td>\nHull City<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sheffield United<\/span><\/td>\nBurnley<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stoke City<\/span><\/td>\nLeeds United<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Swansea City<\/span><\/td>\nQueens Park Rangers<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Watford<\/span><\/td>\nPortsmouth<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

League One Boxing Day Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Home Team<\/b><\/td>\nAway Team<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Birmingham City<\/span><\/td>\nBurton Albion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bolton Wanderers<\/span><\/td>\nBarnsley<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Charlton Athletic<\/span><\/td>\nCambridge United<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exeter City<\/span><\/td>\nBristol Rovers<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Huddersfield Town<\/span><\/td>\nStockport County<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Leyton Orient<\/span><\/td>\nCrawley Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peterborough United<\/span><\/td>\nMansfield Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reading<\/span><\/td>\nNorthampton Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rotherham United<\/span><\/td>\nWigan Athletic<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shrewsbury Town<\/span><\/td>\nLincoln City<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stevenage<\/span><\/td>\nWycombe Wanderers<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wrexham<\/span><\/td>\nBlackpool<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

League Two Boxing Day Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Home Team<\/b><\/td>\nAway Team<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AFC Wimbledon<\/span><\/td>\nSwindon Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bradford City<\/span><\/td>\nPort Vale<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bromley<\/span><\/td>\nNewport County<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Carlisle United<\/span><\/td>\nMorecambe<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cheltenham Town<\/span><\/td>\nCrewe Alexandra<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Colchester United<\/span><\/td>\nGillingham<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fleetwood Town<\/span><\/td>\nChesterfield<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grimsby Town<\/span><\/td>\nHarrogate Town<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MK Dons<\/span><\/td>\nNotts County<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Salford City<\/span><\/td>\nBarrow<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tranmere Rovers<\/span><\/td>\nAccrington Stanley<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Walsall<\/span><\/td>\nDoncaster Rovers<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you hear the Christmas approaching? For many people this time of the year is all about holidays, Christmas Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":14323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"\nBoxing Day Football: Are You Ready for the Game and Holiday Cheer? 7bet.co.uk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the holidays are approaching, take a look at what games you can enjoy under the Christmas tree on Boxing Day 2024.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Boxing Day Football: Are You Ready for the Game and Holiday Cheer? 7bet.co.uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the holidays are approaching, take a look at what games you can enjoy under the Christmas tree on Boxing Day 2024.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/boxing-day-2024-football\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"7bet blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-16T09:19:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-02T09:34:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/pexels-bohlemedia-1884576-1-scaled-e1734427015813.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1050\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marisha Kazaryan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marisha Kazaryan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Boxing Day Football: Are You Ready for the Game and Holiday Cheer? 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