The Premier League is poised to unveil the official fixture list for the 2025/26 season this Wednesday morning (9am). Even though it feels like the 2024/25 season has just wrapped up, all 20 teams are on tenterhooks to learn their opponents and match dates. Liverpool emerged as the champions of the 2024/25 season, with Arne Slot's squad finishing 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal. The relegation battle was equally clear-cut, with Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City being relegated to the Championship.
Sunderland, Burnley and Leeds United are the new clubs in the league, aiming to put up a more formidable fight than their predecessors. Their fixture schedules will be disclosed on Wednesday. When the fixture list is published, fans often voice their discontent over what they perceive as an unjust start or end to the season. However, crafting the fixture list is no easy feat.
Premier League officials reveal that assembling the fixture list is a process that spans up to six months. The task is carried out by French IT company Atos, based just outside Paris.
A multitude of factors must be taken into account before the fixture list can be finalised. A vast amount of data influencing the order of matches is input into their system, which then produces the match list.
For example, it must take into account the dates of international matches as well as those of Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League fixtures. It also has to consider the scheduling of matches in the lower leagues.
Furthermore, the capacity for policing and the geographical proximity of teams are also considered to ensure public safety resources are not overstretched. For instance, Liverpool and Everton are not allowed to play at home on the same weekend, due to the significant demand it would place on police resources.
The same rule applies to Manchester United and Manchester City, but the regulations are more lenient for London teams, given the large number of clubs in the capital.
Individual teams can also make special fixture requests when there is a potential stadium clash. For example, on October 11, Old Trafford will be hosting the Super League Grand Final, so United will likely have requested to play away that weekend.
In addition to considering all of the above, there are also three strict rules for fixture scheduling. Firstly, over a span of five matches, a team must play two matches at home and three away or vice versa.
Secondly, a club is not allowed to start or finish the season with two home or two away matches. In the 2023/24 season, Luton Town had to commence their campaign with two consecutive away matches as Kenilworth Road was still undergoing refurbishments to meet Premier League standards.
Thirdly, during the Boxing Day and New Year's Day matches, a team is not permitted to play at home or away twice. Once all the necessary background information has been inputted, clubs are slotted into a pairing grid, which determines when they will be playing at home or away.
The system then randomly produces sets of fixtures. These are manually reviewed by staff at Atos, as well as officials from the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL).
If an issue arises, the process is repeated, thereby generating a new set of fixtures. This procedure is carried out repeatedly until a fixture list that meets all requirements and rules is produced.
This story first appeared on Liverpool.com