2023/24 Premier League winter break: When is it, who plays when and why has it been introduced

For only the second time in the competition’s history, the Premier League is about to embark on a winter break. Pausing the league across January is commonplace for a number of European leagues, but still something of a novelty in English football. And rather than shutting the league down completely, the break will be staggered. 

Gameweek 21 is split between the next two weekends, with five games being played between Friday, January 12 and Sunday, January 14, with the remaining five matches taking place between Saturday, January 20 and Monday, January 22. 

All returns to normal for gameweek 22 which is a midweek round of fixtures on January 30 and 31, which follows the FA Cup fourth round on the weekend before. 

Why is the break taking place?

The calls for a mid-winter break are nothing new, with English football’s festive period one of the busiest in any of Europe’s major leagues. With the football calendar getting more and more stacked every year, players and managers have often pleaded with the governing bodies for some respite. 

A break was agreed in 2018, but the only previous mid-season interruption so far took place in 2020, with the Covid shutdown and last year’s World Cup in Qatar getting in the way in recent years. 

FA Cup replays disrupt plans

While a number of clubs will use their blank weekend to put their feet up or jet off to training camps in warmer climates, a number of sides have seen their plans disrupted by FA Cup third round replays. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford, Luton Town, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Crystal Palace all have midweek replays next week. 

How Gameweek 21 is split

Below are the fixtures for the upcoming split gameweek.

Friday 12 January

• Burnley vs. Luton Town - 7:45 p.m. UK / 2:45 p.m. ET

Saturday 13 January

• Chelsea vs. Fulham - 12:30 p.m. UK / 7:30 a.m. ET  
• Newcastle vs. Man City - 5:30 p.m. UK / 12:30 p.m. ET 
   

Sunday 14 January

• Everton vs. Aston Villa - 2 p.m. UK / 9 a.m. ET 
• Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur - 4:30 p.m. UK / 11:30 a.m. ET

Saturday 20 January

• Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace - 12:30 p.m. UK / 7:30 a.m. ET 
• Brentford vs. Nottingham Forest - 5:30 p.m. UK / 12:30 p.m. ET 
   

Sunday 21 January

• Sheffield United vs. West Ham - 2 p.m. UK / 9 a.m. ET
• Bournemouth vs Liverpool - 4:30 p.m. UK / 11:30 a.m. UK 
   

Monday 22 January

• Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 7:45 p.m. UK / 2:45 p.m. ET