Yesterday saw the Premier League release its 2025/26 fixtures with the usual glitz and fanfare.
There were flashy graphics, hours of analysis on dedicated channels, and fans eagerly checking when their team plays its traditional ‘rivals’. Manchester United v Liverpool in March? City hosting Arsenal in December?
So what.
It’s an annual tradition served with a side of overhype. But here’s the thing—Premier League fixture release day is largely pointless. With TV dictating kick-off times, very few of the games announced will stay as they are. You might think you’re heading to Stamford Bridge for a 3 pm Saturday in September, only for it to shift to 7:30 pm on a Monday three weeks later.
In truth, they’d be better off following the Bundesliga’s model—announcing fixtures in four-day blocks and allocating specific times closer to the date. It would be more honest, and fans would know where they stand. But while the Premier League plays smoke and mirrors, the real fixture day magic lies elsewhere, right here in the EFL.
More Matches, More Buzz
Across the Championship, League One, and League Two, EFL Fixture Release Day covers an incredible volume of games. We’re not just talking 20 teams—this is 72 clubs, each with 46 fixtures. It’s a feast for fans who live and breathe the calendar. From the second the list drops, supporters start plotting away days, eyeing up potential promotion six-pointers and pencilling in derbies.
Whether it’s Ipswich Town planning their return to the top tier or Stockport County dreaming of a League One title charge, there’s far more genuine excitement spread across a much larger group of fans. The scale of it puts the Premier League’s limited and predictable 38-game offering to shame. It’s a celebration of real football, not media hype.
Fans That Actually Go
There’s an uncomfortable truth about the Premier League—most of its global attention comes from fans who don’t attend games. Fixture Day becomes an academic exercise in theory for supporters who might only catch a handful of matches, if any.
In contrast, the EFL is home to the game’s most dedicated match-goers. From season-ticket holders at places like Oakwell and Fratton Park to the diehards who’ll do Crawley away on a wet Tuesday, EFL fans actually go. They care about who they’ve got away on Boxing Day, and whether that April trip to Port Vale could be decisive. For them, Fixture Release Day isn’t just media fodder—it’s the starting pistol for a season-long pilgrimage across the country.
Novelty You Don’t Get at the Top
Let’s face it—the Premier League is stuck in a loop. It’s always the same handful of clubs vying for the same positions. Liverpool v Man City for the title. Arsenal in the mix. United struggling in autumn, rallying in spring. Yawn.
In the EFL, it’s different every season. Blackpool v Stockport might define promotion hopes. Huddersfield against Bolton has serious weight. Cardiff will be heading to grounds they’ve never visited before—Plough Lane, a brand new entry in their fixture book. There’s genuine novelty, variety, and unpredictability. You don’t know who’ll be in the play-off race, who’ll nosedive, and which manager will be out by October. Every fixture list tells a new story. The Premier League? Same script, new year.
Planning Matters More Here
EFL fans don’t just scan the list—they start planning life around it. Who’s away on opening day? Which games are midweek? Which long trips can be made a weekend? That dreamy summer trip to Exeter or Blackpool? Booked by lunchtime. That Tuesday night in Bristol in February? Dreaded already. Unlike the ever-shifting Premier League schedule, EFL fixtures mostly stay as published. Sure, a few will move for TV, but most fans can look at their team’s list and start properly plotting their year.
These fixtures become part of fan folklore. Ask a Grimsby fan about that December trip to Accrington or a Oxford supporter about March at Hillsborough, and you’ll get tales of snowstorms, last-minute winners, and lost shoes in the away end. You can’t plan for that when Sky Sports is going to shift your next game five times.
Conclusion: The Day That Actually Matters
Premier League Fixture Day has become a polished, predictable PR exercise. But for real fans, the ones who follow their clubs week in, week out, the EFL fixture release is where it’s at. It’s not about slick montages or synthetic rivalries—it’s about real football, played in real towns, by clubs with real fans who care about every mile, every goal, and every awayday breakfast stop.
If you want genuine excitement, actual travel plans, and match-ups that feel new and meaningful, ignore the glitz of the Premier League. The EFL is the beating heart of the football calendar—and Fixture Release Day is our Christmas morning.
EFL Fixtures are released at midday on Thursday, June 26th.
