On pause since the last match on 9 March, 2020, the English Premier League will resume on 17 June, 2020 with a couple of tasty-looking fixtures: Man City vs. Arsenal (which City realistically must win to keep the title race alive) and Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United.
In normal times only one of those fixtures is high-profile, but the fact is that all 92 remaining fixtures in the Premier League calendar are going to get a lot more attention than usual. Why?
Why are all remaining Premier League matches being shown live?
It’s because all matches will be played behind closed doors, with no fans. And in an effort to keep fans away from football grounds, and from gathering together, the authorities have decided to show a Premier League live stream of every single remaining match on TV. The outcome is that more matches will be screened on more channels than had been expected.
Where to watch the Premier League re-start
BBC Sport and Amazon Prime will broadcast four live matches each. That’s a shock. Live top-level football hasn’t been broadcast on the BBC since 1992, and its return means that terrestrial TV viewers will get a slice of the action. There will also be extra Match of the Day highlights programmes on the BBC. Those with Amazon Prime accounts (which broadcast 10 live Premier League matches on 26/27 December 2019) also gets an unexpected look-in, while even Sky Sports will be making 25 of its matches free to watch live.
Here’s how it divvies-up:
- Sky Sports (64 live matches – 25 of them free to air)
- BT Sport (20 live matches)
- BBC Sport (four live matches)
- Amazon Prime (four live matches)
When to watch the Premier League re-start
The big day is on Wednesday, 17 June, 2020, with those first two live matches. Matches will then take place almost every day through 26 July, 2020 – the week before the FA Cup Final. Matches will be played every day with staggered kick-off times; a feast of football is coming!
- Friday: kick off at 8pm
- Saturday: 12.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm and 8pm
- Sunday: 12pm, 2pm, 4.30pm and 7pm
- Monday: 8pm
- Tuesdays: 6pm or 8pm
- Wednesdays: 6pm or 8pm
- Thursdays: 6pm or 8pm
Which Premier League re-start matches will be shown by Sky?
Although precise broadcast schedules are currently in flux, we do have some details of Sky’s plans. Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games, which is more than the 39 matches the satellite broadcaster already planned to broadcast exclusively prior to the lockdown. Happily, the 25 extra live matches Sky Sports now has will also be broadcast on Sky’s free-to-air Pick channel – starting with Everton vs. Liverpool on 20/21 June. That first weekend – Matchday 30 – also includes the following fixtures:
- Watford vs Leicester
- Bournemouth vs Palace
- Brighton vs Arsenal
- Man City vs Burnley
- Newcastle vs Sheffield United
- Norwich vs Southampton
- Aston Villa vs Chelsea
- West Ham vs Wolves
- Tottenham vs Man Utd
Sky has also promised some innovative new immersive experiences. These will include optional, virtual fan noises thanks to a partnership with EA Sports. According to Sky, these will be team-specific and family friendly.
For certain matches, which haven't yet been announced, you'll also be to video chat with friends via a new feature in the Sky Sports app and on its website. This will include in-match polls and game stats, making it a Premier League-flavored version of Zoom. You'll also apparently be able to influence the virtual crowd noise you hear on-screen.
Where will the matches be held?
There was initially a lot of talk about staging Premier League matches at neutral grounds, but the vast majority of matches will now take place at the scheduled 'home' grounds in each fixture.
The only two matches (until July 2, at least) that could yet be played at neutral venues are Everton vs Liverpool on 21 June and Manchester City vs Liverpool on 2 July.
These fixtures both have their venues listed as 'TBC' on the Premier League website. As two of Liverpool’s potentially key matches, they're due to be held away from the city – the whole point, after all, is to stop fans gathering outside football grounds during matches.
The Premier League has also stated that all fixtures from 3 July are subject to change. That's because they're "subject to all safety requirements being in place" and also the fact that planned kick-off times will differ from the usual 3pm start.
In a recent post the Premier League said "we will announce the dates and kick-off times of the remaining fixtures as and when appropriate", so we'll update this page when that happens.
When will the FA Cup Final be held?
Just announced are dates for FA Cup’s return:
- FA Cup quarter-finals: 27-28 June, 2020 (Leicester City v Chelsea, Newcastle United v Manchester City, Sheffield United v Arsenal, Norwich City v Manchester United)
- FA Cup semi-finals: 18-19 July, 2020
- FA Cup Final: Saturday, 1 August, 2020
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