The fixture laptop has a near-mythical stature in soccer and conjures up photos of a machine spitting out matches akin to the vidiprinter on a Saturday afternoon.
The fact is a bit more mundane – and complicated – with an entire host of points to deal with.
So, how does it handle to schedule 380 video games, involving 20 groups, and take note of so many variables?
The Premier League has supplied a helpful perception into the way it all works.
When does the scheduling begin?
The method begins in the beginning of a calendar 12 months with EFL fixtures, worldwide dates and European commitments considered.
The Premier League works with Atos to find out the match days obtainable for league and FA Cup video games with the 2025-26 marketing campaign seeing 33 weekends and 5 midweek slots obtainable.
The golf equipment are additionally consulted upfront to find out any particular dates they want to play at dwelling or away because of different occasions being staged at their dwelling floor or work being finished over the summer season that will delay its availability.
Police forces are additionally included within the course of to make sure groups in shut proximity usually are not at dwelling on the identical day, thus creating staffing points.
This season, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Fulham, Everton and Liverpool, Manchester Metropolis and Manchester United, Newcastle United and Sunderland, are paired and alternate dwelling and away fixtures.
📣 ANNOUNCE 2025/26 PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES 📣
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 18, 2025
Enter the pc…
As soon as the above knowledge has been plugged into the pc, it units to work.
There are 4 fundamental ideas the pc tries to comply with:
- In any 5 matches there must be a cut up of three dwelling fixtures and two away; or two dwelling fixtures and three away.
- A group won’t ever have greater than two dwelling or away matches in a row and, wherever attainable, groups will probably be dwelling and away both facet of FA Cup ties.
- A membership is not going to begin or end the season with two dwelling or two away matches for causes of equity. Across the Christmas interval, if a group are at dwelling on the primary spherical of matches after Christmas Day they are going to be away on New Yr’s Day or an equal date.
- The league additionally tries to keep up a Saturday home-away sequence all through the season wherever attainable.
