6 Christmas Football Trips in Europe for 2026, from Boxing Day to the Old Firm

Most of Europe switches football off for Christmas. Britain does the opposite. The Premier League, the EFL and the Scottish Premiership all play straight through from Boxing Day to the first weekend of January, which makes late December the best week of the year to see five or six live matches on a single trip.

The continent still has a window, it just sits either side of the holiday. La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga all play the weekend before Christmas, and Spain and Italy are back on the first weekend of January. So we've built six trips around those dates: three in Britain, where the football never stops, and three on the continent that pair one big match with a Christmas market or a New Year parade. Every one is already set up in the Football Finder trip planner, so you can open it, swap the matches you don't fancy and start booking.

Which European leagues play over Christmas 2026?

British kick-off times below are confirmed. La Liga and the Bundesliga usually fix exact days and times only a few weeks out, so treat those as the current plan and check the trip in the app before you book anything non-refundable.

1. London (Fulham, Palace, Sutton, Spurs, Millwall, Arsenal, Chelsea): eight matches in nine days

London is the easiest Christmas football trip in Europe because you never have to leave the city. Between Boxing Day and the first Sunday of January, seven London clubs play at home, so you can see eight matches at seven grounds and still keep New Year's Eve free.

We start at Craven Cottage for a practical reason. Public transport in London is limited on Boxing Day, and the Cottage is a walk along the Thames from the District line. If you'd rather open at Spurs, Tottenham v Bournemouth kicks off at the same time on the 26th, but it's harder to reach on a reduced service.

Monday 28 December is the bank holiday, and it's the day to go non-league. Sutton United v Southend is a National League game at Gander Green Lane, a small ground a short walk from West Sutton station, and tickets are far easier to get than anywhere else on this list.

The pick of the week is Palace v Arsenal on the Sunday night. Selhurst Park holds about 26,000 and sounds like double that under the lights, and The Clifton Arms is practically next door for a pre-match pint. Fulham v Arsenal on the Wednesday night takes you back to Craven Cottage for a second London derby. Then keep the 31st free: the fireworks on the Thames are ticketed, and the next three days are three matches in a row.

• Tickets: Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Palace and Spurs sell most league seats to members first, so start there and expect to compete. Millwall and Sutton are more realistic for a visitor, and you can buy from the clubs directly. Compare sellers for Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Millwall.

• Stay: London hotels for 26 Dec to 4 Jan. Anywhere on the District or Victoria line covers most of this list.

• Between matches: tours and things to do in London, and every other fixture in the city on football in London.

Open the London Christmas trip in Football Finder → The planner drafts one match a day and may slot a non-league Hidden Gem into a quiet day. Keep it, or tap Edit and swap in the games above.

2. Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds (Man United, Man City, Everton, Liverpool, Leeds, Altrincham): eight matches in nine days

If London is about volume, the North is about the big names. Liverpool and Leeds are each about an hour from Manchester by train, and between them they host five Premier League clubs over the festive week, plus a non-league bank holiday game on Manchester's doorstep.

Base yourself in Manchester and treat Liverpool and Leeds as day trips. Boxing Day at Everton's new ground on the docks is the one we'd never skip: it opened in 2025, sits right on the Mersey, and The Bramley Moore is a couple of minutes' walk from the turnstiles. You'll be back there on the 29th for Everton v Manchester City under the lights.

The bank holiday Monday is the breather: Altrincham v Barrow is a National League game at the end of the Metrolink line, about 40 minutes from the city centre. Then New Year's Day ends at Elland Road, where Leeds v Everton kicks off at 20:00, late enough to recover from the night before.

• Tickets:

  the five Premier League clubs sell heavily to members, and Anfield is the hardest of the lot. Altrincham is the easy one: buy from the club directly. Compare sellers for Leeds United, Everton, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.

• Stay: Manchester hotels for 26 Dec to 4 Jan.

• Between matches: things to do in Manchester, plus every fixture on football in Manchester and football in Liverpool.

Open the Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds trip in Football Finder →

3. Glasgow and Edinburgh (Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell): the Old Firm at New Year

Scotland saves its biggest fixture for the end of the holidays. The New Year Old Firm derby has been moved for TV to Sunday 3 January at 12:00, which turns the whole week between Christmas and New Year into a lead-up to it.

Be realistic about the derby: Old Firm tickets almost never reach a general sale, so plan to watch it in a Glasgow pub, secure official hospitality, or compare our trusted ticket resellers for the match. The other matches are very doable, and the Edinburgh derby on the 27th is the hidden headline. Tynecastle is small, steep and loud, and a lunchtime Hearts v Hibs is as good as Scottish football gets.

The 30th gives you a choice of three games at 19:45. Rangers v Dundee keeps you in Glasgow, Hibernian v St Mirren at Easter Road suits you if you're heading to Edinburgh early for Hogmanay, and Kilmarnock v Falkirk at Rugby Park is a short train ride south-west of Glasgow. Spend the 31st in Edinburgh for Hogmanay, head back west (about 50 minutes by train) for Motherwell v St Johnstone at Fir Park on the 2nd, and finish with the derby on the Sunday.

• Tickets: compare sellers for Celtic and Rangers. For Hearts, Motherwell and the other clubs on this trip, buy through their own ticket offices.

• Stay: Glasgow hotels for 26 Dec to 4 Jan.

• Between matches: things to do in Glasgow and every fixture on football in Glasgow.

Open the Glasgow New Year trip in Football Finder →

4. Rome (Lazio v Roma, Roma v Juventus): two big nights before Christmas

Rome gets two of Serie A's biggest December games six days apart, both at the Olimpico, and the city is at its best in the run-up to Christmas.

The Derby della Capitale comes first. Lazio are the home side on Sunday 13 December, and the Olimpico splits in two: Lazio's ultras in the Curva Nord, Roma's in the Curva Sud. Six days later, a Saturday night Roma v Juventus at the same ground is about as big as a pre-Christmas league game gets in Italy. For both, get to the Foro Italico early, eat or drink at Bar River about a 5 minute walk from the ground, and bring photo ID that matches the name on your ticket, because entry checks are strict.

Fill the week in between with the Christmas market in Piazza Navona and the nativity scenes in the city's churches. Serie A then goes quiet until 3 January. If you're still in Italy on 6 January, Juventus v Torino in Turin (12:30) is a Derby della Mole on Epiphany.

• Tickets: derby tickets go fast and are strictly named, so start early. Compare sellers for Lazio and Roma.

• Stay: Rome hotels for 12 to 21 Dec.

• Between matches: things to do in Rome and every fixture on football in Rome.

Open the Rome pre-Christmas trip in Football Finder →

5. Madrid (Real Madrid, Rayo Vallecano): New Year football and the Three Kings

Spain doesn't really finish Christmas until 6 January, so a New Year trip to Madrid gets you La Liga's return and the biggest night of the Spanish holidays in the same five days.

The two matches couldn't be more different. The renovated Bernabéu is one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, while Vallecas is a neighbourhood ground with a wall behind one goal and a crowd that treats a visit from Atlético as a derby. La Liga fixes the exact days and times a few weeks out, and Madrid's games usually land in different slots, so check the trip in the app before booking. Stay until the 5th for the Cabalgata de Reyes, the Three Kings parade through the centre on the evening before Epiphany.

• Tickets: compare sellers for Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

• Stay: Madrid hotels for 1 to 6 Jan.

• Between matches: things to do in Madrid and every fixture on football in Madrid.

Open the Madrid New Year trip in Football Finder →

6. Munich (Bayern v Werder Bremen) and a Berlin bonus: football and Christmas markets

Germany gives you one last weekend of Bundesliga before the winter break, and it's the most festive football trip on this list.

Pair Bayern with the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz, which runs until Christmas Eve, and you have the classic German December weekend. FC Augsburg v Paderborn is on the same matchday, under an hour away by train, so if the kick-off times split you can make it a double-header.

If you can fly in two days early, add Bayern v Barcelona in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday 16 December. It's two of the best sides in Europe on a small ground on the club's own campus, and a far easier ticket than the Allianz Arena. Book two extra nights if you do.

The bonus is in Berlin on 23 December. Every year Union Berlin fans fill their ground, the Stadion An der Alten Försterei in Köpenick, for the Weihnachtssingen: no match, just a full ground singing carols on the terraces by candlelight. It sells out weeks ahead, so if you want in, watch the club's channels from the autumn.

Tickets: Bayern sell out almost every league game, so register early and compare sellers for Bayern Munich.

Stay: Munich hotels for 18 to 21 Dec.

Between matches: things to do in Munich and every fixture on football in Munich.

Open the Munich Christmas trip in Football Finder →

How to plan a Christmas football trip in the Football Finder app

Every trip above was built in a couple of minutes with the trip planner in the Football Finder app, and you can build your own for any city and any dates the same way.

1. Pick a city and your dates. Go to Football trips, choose Build your own, and set how many matches you want. We find every match within reach of the city and lay out a day by day plan.

2. Tell us what kind of football you want. Tap Edit and lean the trip towards Top Teams, Hidden Gems, Ultras Atmosphere or Family Friendly. Remove any match you don't want, or open Other matches on this day to swap it.

3. Add where you're staying. Book through Booking.com, or add the hotel you already have. It goes on the trip map and every match shows its distance from your bed, which matters at Christmas when public transport is thin.

4. Fill the gaps between games. Each trip has Things to do and Restaurants & pubs for the city. Tap the plus to put one on a day, or use Plan my days.

5. Get tickets for the whole trip in one place. Pick a match and compare sellers, with a from-price on each. Or tap Want all of these booked for you? to message us on WhatsApp with the full list, and we'll take care of the rest.

6. Save it and share it. Save the trip to your account so it's there when you're ready to book, send the link to whoever's coming, and check Other suggested dates if your week doesn't work.

FAQs

Is there any football on Christmas Day in Europe? No top-flight league in Europe plays on 25 December. British football restarts on Boxing Day, and in 2026 the Premier League has ten matches across 26 and 27 December.

Which leagues have a winter break over Christmas 2026? The Bundesliga stops from 21 December and returns on 8 January. La Liga and Serie A pause after the weekend of 19 to 20 December and return on the first weekend of January. The Premier League, the EFL and the Scottish Premiership play straight through.

When is the Old Firm derby over New Year? Rangers v Celtic is at Ibrox on Sunday 3 January 2027, kicking off at 12:00. It was moved from the Saturday for TV.

Can a tourist get tickets for Boxing Day matches? Yes, but not everywhere. The biggest clubs sell most seats to members first, so smaller clubs like Millwall and Sutton United are the realistic targets. TicketCompare shows every seller for a match in one place.

Will these kick-off times change? Some might. TV picks can still move British games, and La Liga and the Bundesliga confirm exact times only a few weeks ahead. Save your trip in Football Finder and check it before you book: each match shows its latest kick-off time.