The Decline of 3pm on Saturday

Football’s traditional kick-off is disappearing from the Premier League — and some clubs have already lost it almost entirely.

27.1%of 25/26 Premier League games kicked off Sat 3pm, the lowest fan-attended season on record
248 → 103Sat 3pm kick-offs in 1995/96, the peak 20-team season, vs 2025/26: less than half survive
14 → 21Monday-night games per season, 2021/22 vs 2025/26: a 50% rise in four years
21 of 133Man United home games at Sat 3pm since 2019/20, the fewest of any club

Just 103 of 380 Premier League games kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday last season — 27.1%, the lowest share of any fan-attended season on record. In 2000/01, more than two-thirds of top-flight games were played on a Saturday; in 2025/26, fewer than half were. The decline is not spread evenly: nobody has lost the traditional slot like Manchester United, with 21 home games at 3pm in seven seasons. BestBettingBonuses.co.uk analysed 2,660 Premier League kick-offs from 2019/20 to 2025/26 to chart where the slot has gone — which clubs have lost it at home, and which travelling supports get the worst of what replaced it, above all on Monday nights.

The opening games of 2026/27

The August and September selections cover the first 50 games of the new season. Twenty keep the traditional slot. Manchester United get none of them; Crystal Palace keep four of five.

Two or fewer Sat 3pm kick-offs matchweeks 1–5, fewest first
Club Sat 3pm kick-offs
Man United 0 of 5
Arsenal 1 of 5
Tottenham 1 of 5
Aston Villa 1 of 5
Newcastle 1 of 5
Liverpool 1 of 5
Chelsea 1 of 5
Coventry 2 of 5
Brentford 2 of 5
Brighton 2 of 5
Man City 2 of 5
Bournemouth 2 of 5
Fulham 2 of 5

The remaining seven clubs keep the traditional slot for at least three of their first five games — mostly the sides the broadcasters chase least.

Three or more Sat 3pm kick-offs matchweeks 1–5, most first
Club Sat 3pm kick-offs
Crystal Palace 4 of 5
Hull 3 of 5
Everton 3 of 5
Ipswich 3 of 5
Sunderland 3 of 5
Nott’m Forest 3 of 5
Leeds 3 of 5

Broadcast selections for matchweeks 1–5 of 2026/27, announced July 2026. September picks may still be adjusted for clubs entering European play-off rounds.

The clubs who have lost Saturday 3pm at home

Manchester United have kicked off at home at 3pm on a Saturday 21 times in seven seasons, three a year and the fewest of any club. West Ham and Arsenal are next on 25. At the other end, Watford kept the traditional slot for almost half their home games, and Brentford fans still get it 42% of the time.

Fewest Sat 3pm home kick-offs share of home games, fewest first
# Club Number of home games Share
1 Man United 21/133 15.8%
2= West Ham 25/133 18.8%
2= Arsenal 25/133 18.8%
4 Tottenham 26/133 19.5%
5= Liverpool 29/133 21.8%
5= Chelsea 29/133 21.8%
7 Leeds 17/76 22.4%
8 Aston Villa 30/133 22.6%
9 Leicester 22/95 23.2%
10= Nott’m Forest 20/76 26.3%
10= Everton 35/133 26.3%
10= Sheffield United 15/57 26.3%
13 Man City 39/133 29.3%
14 Newcastle 40/133 30.1%
15 Brighton 41/133 30.8%
16 Norwich 12/38 31.6%
17 Crystal Palace 46/133 34.6%
18 Fulham 33/95 34.7%
19= Wolves 49/133 36.8%
19= Southampton 35/95 36.8%
21 Bournemouth 37/95 38.9%
22 Burnley 38/95 40.0%
23 Brentford 40/95 42.1%
24 Watford 18/38 47.4%

The worst away timings: Monday night is the cruellest slot

An 8pm kick-off is an inconvenience at home and a real barrier away, and no slot asks more of travelling fans than Monday night. Everton supporters have made 13 Monday-night away trips since 2019/20, more than any other club, and watched their side win three of them. Crystal Palace’s ten Monday trips have returned a single win.

Most Monday-night away trips result from the away end
# Club Trips W-D-L PPG
1 Everton 13 (9.8%) 3-3-7 0.92
2 Wolves 12 (9.0%) 4-3-5 1.25
3= West Ham 11 (8.3%) 3-4-4 1.18
3= Liverpool 11 (8.3%) 5-2-4 1.55
5= Newcastle 10 (7.5%) 4-1-5 1.30
5= Crystal Palace 10 (7.5%) 1-4-5 0.70
7 Arsenal 9 (6.8%) 3-1-5 1.11
8 Burnley 8 (8.4%) 2-2-4 1.00
9 Southampton 7 (7.4%) 1-2-4 0.71
10= Man United 6 (4.5%) 3-2-1 1.83
10= Nott’m Forest 6 (7.9%) 3-1-2 1.67
12= Leeds 5 (6.6%) 1-3-1 1.20
12= Fulham 5 (5.3%) 2-0-3 1.20
12= Brentford 5 (5.3%) 1-0-4 0.60
12= Leicester 5 (5.3%) 1-2-2 1.00
12= Aston Villa 5 (3.8%) 1-2-2 1.00
12= Tottenham 5 (3.8%) 2-3-0 1.80
12= Chelsea 5 (3.8%) 4-0-1 2.40
19= Man City 4 (3.0%) 2-2-0 2.00
19= Brighton 4 (3.0%) 1-3-0 1.50
21 Bournemouth 3 (3.2%) 0-2-1 0.67
22 Sheffield United 2 (3.5%) 0-0-2 0.00
23= Watford 0 (0.0%)
23= Norwich 0 (0.0%)

Bracketed figure = share of the club’s away games. Monday-night records are small samples, shown for context.

Monday nights are only part of the picture. Across all antisocial slots, Newcastle’s travelling support has it worst: 18% of their away games fell on Monday nights, Friday nights or weekend evenings, with Leeds (17.1%) and Wolves (16.5%) close behind.

What counts as an antisocial kick-off? The four windows that ask most of match-going fans: Monday night, Friday night, and Saturday or Sunday evening (6:30pm or later) — late finishes with work in the morning and fewer trains home. The Saturday 5:30pm TV pick is tracked separately and not counted as antisocial, and nor are ordinary midweek rounds.
Hardest away schedules overall antisocial share of away games
# Club Number of away games Share
1 Newcastle 24/133 18.0%
2 Leeds 13/76 17.1%
3 Wolves 22/133 16.5%
4 Sheffield United 9/57 15.8%
5 Man United 20/133 15.0%
6 Everton 19/133 14.3%
7= Fulham 13/95 13.7%
7= Southampton 13/95 13.7%
9 West Ham 18/133 13.5%
10 Nott’m Forest 10/76 13.2%
11= Burnley 12/95 12.6%
11= Brentford 12/95 12.6%
11= Leicester 12/95 12.6%
14= Arsenal 16/133 12.0%
14= Liverpool 16/133 12.0%
16= Crystal Palace 15/133 11.3%
16= Aston Villa 15/133 11.3%
18 Watford 4/38 10.5%
19 Tottenham 13/133 9.8%
20= Man City 11/133 8.3%
20= Chelsea 11/133 8.3%
22 Norwich 3/38 7.9%
23= Bournemouth 5/95 5.3%
23= Brighton 7/133 5.3%

There is a consolation for most late kick-offs: the further a game moves from Saturday 3pm, the better away sides tend to do, from 1.12 points per game in the traditional slot to 1.23 in antisocial windows. Monday night is the exception. Away sides take just 1.20 points per game from the 153 Monday fixtures, while home sides keep winning 41% of them, so the hardest trip to make is also one of the least rewarding to watch.

How away sides fare by kick-off slot PL 2019/20 to 2025/26, best to worst
Slot Games Away wins Away PPG
Sat 3pm (baseline) 747 1.12
All slots (average) 2,643 1.22
Sat 5:30pm 210 1.48
Sun afternoon 232 1.33
Sun evening 24 1.33
Sun 7:15pm 19 1.32
Sat lunch 187 1.28
Sat night 63 1.27
Sun 4pm 65 1.26
Sun early 400 1.23
Thursday 102 1.22
Fri night 81 1.21
Mon night 153 1.20
Midweek 360 1.18

Green slot names = traditional Sat 3pm; red = antisocial. Slots with fewer than 15 games are excluded. Shaded rows are fixed reference points: the traditional slot and the average across all listed slots.

3pm on Saturday is vanishing, but only at the top

In 2025/26 just 103 of 380 games (27.1%) kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday, the lowest of any fan-attended season on record.

Premier League, season by season Sat 3pm share
Season Games Sat 3pm Share
2019/20 380 114
2020/21 380 33
2021/22 380 111
2022/23 380 132
2023/24 380 128
2024/25 380 126
2025/26 380 103

2020/21 was played almost entirely behind closed doors with a TV-first schedule.

Lower down the pyramid the blackout still holds and the traditional slot survives: League Two plays 62% of its games at 3pm on a Saturday.

Across the pyramid 2019/20 to 2025/26
Division Games Sat 3pm Antisocial
Premier League 2,660
Championship 3,864
League One 3,712
League Two 3,752
National League 3,642

Antisocial = Monday night, Friday night, Saturday evening or Sunday evening.

The slot changes the result

Saturday 3pm is the most home-friendly window: home sides win 46.9% and away sides 29.3%, the lowest away return of all 13 slots. Saturday 17:30 is the only window where the away side collects more points per game than the home side.

Kick-off slotSlot GamesP Home winsHome W DrawsD Away winsAway W Home PPGH PPG Away PPGA PPG
Sun 7:15pm 19 10 (52.6%) 1 (5.3%) 8 (42.1%) 1.63 1.32
Sun evening 24 12 (50.0%) 2 (8.3%) 10 (41.7%) 1.58 1.33
Sat 5:30pm 210 74 (35.2%) 49 (23.3%) 87 (41.4%) 1.29 1.48
Sun 4pm 65 33 (50.8%) 7 (10.8%) 25 (38.5%) 1.63 1.26
Sat lunch 187 81 (43.3%) 39 (20.9%) 67 (35.8%) 1.51 1.28
Sun afternoon 232 86 (37.1%) 65 (28.0%) 81 (34.9%) 1.39 1.33
Sat night 63 27 (42.9%) 14 (22.2%) 22 (34.9%) 1.51 1.27
Fri night 81 37 (45.7%) 17 (21.0%) 27 (33.3%) 1.58 1.21
Sun early 400 170 (42.5%) 100 (25.0%) 130 (32.5%) 1.52 1.23
Thursday 102 44 (43.1%) 25 (24.5%) 33 (32.4%) 1.54 1.22
Midweek 360 162 (45.0%) 85 (23.6%) 113 (31.4%) 1.59 1.18
Mon night 153 63 (41.2%) 43 (28.1%) 47 (30.7%) 1.52 1.20
Sat 3pm 747 350 (46.9%) 178 (23.8%) 219 (29.3%) 1.64 1.12

Every club’s kick-off profile

All 28 clubs to appear in the Premier League since 2019/20, ranked by how rarely they kept the traditional Saturday 3pm slot, fewest first. Use the buttons to re-sort.

Club Games Sat 3pm Antisocial Monday nights
Man United 266 26 (9.8%) 38 (14.3%) 17
Arsenal 266 34 (12.8%) 29 (10.9%) 13
West Brom 38 5 (13.2%) 10 (26.3%) 5
Tottenham 266 37 (13.9%) 23 (8.6%) 11
Liverpool 266 40 (15.0%) 30 (11.3%) 16
Chelsea 266 47 (17.7%) 29 (10.9%) 15
Man City 266 49 (18.4%) 17 (6.4%) 5
Aston Villa 266 59 (22.2%) 34 (12.8%) 11
West Ham 266 62 (23.3%) 37 (13.9%) 21
Leicester 190 46 (24.2%) 27 (14.2%) 14
Newcastle 266 68 (25.6%) 38 (14.3%) 15
Leeds 152 39 (25.7%) 25 (16.4%) 11
Everton 266 78 (29.3%) 39 (14.7%) 24
Nott’m Forest 152 48 (31.6%) 18 (11.8%) 10
Sheffield United 114 39 (34.2%) 18 (15.8%) 6
Wolves 266 95 (35.7%) 40 (15.0%) 21
Fulham 190 68 (35.8%) 29 (15.3%) 14
Crystal Palace 266 97 (36.5%) 32 (12.0%) 23
Brighton 266 102 (38.3%) 28 (10.5%) 14
Norwich 76 31 (40.8%) 6 (7.9%) 0
Brentford 190 79 (41.6%) 23 (12.1%) 10
Sunderland 38 16 (42.1%) 3 (7.9%) 2
Watford 76 32 (42.1%) 5 (6.6%) 0
Southampton 190 84 (44.2%) 24 (12.6%) 9
Burnley 190 85 (44.7%) 21 (11.1%) 12
Bournemouth 190 88 (46.3%) 13 (6.8%) 6
Luton 38 19 (50.0%) 4 (10.5%) 0
Ipswich 38 21 (55.3%) 2 (5.3%) 1
Club Games Sat 3pm Antisocial Monday nights
West Brom 38 5 (13.2%) 10 (26.3%) 5
Leeds 152 39 (25.7%) 25 (16.4%) 11
Sheffield United 114 39 (34.2%) 18 (15.8%) 6
Fulham 190 68 (35.8%) 29 (15.3%) 14
Wolves 266 95 (35.7%) 40 (15.0%) 21
Everton 266 78 (29.3%) 39 (14.7%) 24
Man United 266 26 (9.8%) 38 (14.3%) 17
Newcastle 266 68 (25.6%) 38 (14.3%) 15
Leicester 190 46 (24.2%) 27 (14.2%) 14
West Ham 266 62 (23.3%) 37 (13.9%) 21
Aston Villa 266 59 (22.2%) 34 (12.8%) 11
Southampton 190 84 (44.2%) 24 (12.6%) 9
Brentford 190 79 (41.6%) 23 (12.1%) 10
Crystal Palace 266 97 (36.5%) 32 (12.0%) 23
Nott’m Forest 152 48 (31.6%) 18 (11.8%) 10
Liverpool 266 40 (15.0%) 30 (11.3%) 16
Burnley 190 85 (44.7%) 21 (11.1%) 12
Arsenal 266 34 (12.8%) 29 (10.9%) 13
Chelsea 266 47 (17.7%) 29 (10.9%) 15
Brighton 266 102 (38.3%) 28 (10.5%) 14
Luton 38 19 (50.0%) 4 (10.5%) 0
Tottenham 266 37 (13.9%) 23 (8.6%) 11
Norwich 76 31 (40.8%) 6 (7.9%) 0
Sunderland 38 16 (42.1%) 3 (7.9%) 2
Bournemouth 190 88 (46.3%) 13 (6.8%) 6
Watford 76 32 (42.1%) 5 (6.6%) 0
Man City 266 49 (18.4%) 17 (6.4%) 5
Ipswich 38 21 (55.3%) 2 (5.3%) 1
Club Games Sat 3pm Antisocial Monday nights
Everton 266 78 (29.3%) 39 (14.7%) 24
Crystal Palace 266 97 (36.5%) 32 (12.0%) 23
West Ham 266 62 (23.3%) 37 (13.9%) 21
Wolves 266 95 (35.7%) 40 (15.0%) 21
Man United 266 26 (9.8%) 38 (14.3%) 17
Liverpool 266 40 (15.0%) 30 (11.3%) 16
Chelsea 266 47 (17.7%) 29 (10.9%) 15
Newcastle 266 68 (25.6%) 38 (14.3%) 15
Brighton 266 102 (38.3%) 28 (10.5%) 14
Fulham 190 68 (35.8%) 29 (15.3%) 14
Leicester 190 46 (24.2%) 27 (14.2%) 14
Arsenal 266 34 (12.8%) 29 (10.9%) 13
Burnley 190 85 (44.7%) 21 (11.1%) 12
Aston Villa 266 59 (22.2%) 34 (12.8%) 11
Leeds 152 39 (25.7%) 25 (16.4%) 11
Tottenham 266 37 (13.9%) 23 (8.6%) 11
Brentford 190 79 (41.6%) 23 (12.1%) 10
Nott’m Forest 152 48 (31.6%) 18 (11.8%) 10
Southampton 190 84 (44.2%) 24 (12.6%) 9
Bournemouth 190 88 (46.3%) 13 (6.8%) 6
Sheffield United 114 39 (34.2%) 18 (15.8%) 6
Man City 266 49 (18.4%) 17 (6.4%) 5
West Brom 38 5 (13.2%) 10 (26.3%) 5
Sunderland 38 16 (42.1%) 3 (7.9%) 2
Ipswich 38 21 (55.3%) 2 (5.3%) 1
Luton 38 19 (50.0%) 4 (10.5%) 0
Norwich 76 31 (40.8%) 6 (7.9%) 0
Watford 76 32 (42.1%) 5 (6.6%) 0
Club Games Sat 3pm Antisocial Monday nights
Arsenal 266 34 (12.8%) 29 (10.9%) 13
Aston Villa 266 59 (22.2%) 34 (12.8%) 11
Bournemouth 190 88 (46.3%) 13 (6.8%) 6
Brentford 190 79 (41.6%) 23 (12.1%) 10
Brighton 266 102 (38.3%) 28 (10.5%) 14
Burnley 190 85 (44.7%) 21 (11.1%) 12
Chelsea 266 47 (17.7%) 29 (10.9%) 15
Crystal Palace 266 97 (36.5%) 32 (12.0%) 23
Everton 266 78 (29.3%) 39 (14.7%) 24
Fulham 190 68 (35.8%) 29 (15.3%) 14
Ipswich 38 21 (55.3%) 2 (5.3%) 1
Leeds 152 39 (25.7%) 25 (16.4%) 11
Leicester 190 46 (24.2%) 27 (14.2%) 14
Liverpool 266 40 (15.0%) 30 (11.3%) 16
Luton 38 19 (50.0%) 4 (10.5%) 0
Man City 266 49 (18.4%) 17 (6.4%) 5
Man United 266 26 (9.8%) 38 (14.3%) 17
Newcastle 266 68 (25.6%) 38 (14.3%) 15
Norwich 76 31 (40.8%) 6 (7.9%) 0
Nott’m Forest 152 48 (31.6%) 18 (11.8%) 10
Sheffield United 114 39 (34.2%) 18 (15.8%) 6
Southampton 190 84 (44.2%) 24 (12.6%) 9
Sunderland 38 16 (42.1%) 3 (7.9%) 2
Tottenham 266 37 (13.9%) 23 (8.6%) 11
Watford 76 32 (42.1%) 5 (6.6%) 0
West Brom 38 5 (13.2%) 10 (26.3%) 5
West Ham 266 62 (23.3%) 37 (13.9%) 21
Wolves 266 95 (35.7%) 40 (15.0%) 21

All fixtures, home and away. Antisocial = Monday night, Friday night, Saturday evening or Sunday evening.

This analysis was produced by BestBettingBonuses.co.uk, where we compare the free bets, sign-up offers and bonus codes available from the UK’s best betting sites — so whichever slot your team kicks off in, you know which bookmaker offers the most for your football bet.

Methodology

Match records are updated to the end of the 2025/26 season. Kick-off times have been recorded consistently since 2019/20, giving 17,630 timed fixtures across the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two and National League; all club-level analysis uses the 2,660 Premier League games in that window. The traditional slot is Saturday 15:00. Antisocial slots are Monday night, Friday night, Saturday evening (18:30 or later) and Sunday evening (18:30 or later); the Saturday 17:30 pick is tracked separately and not counted as antisocial. Kick-off times are not recorded before 2019/20; the 1995/96 figure of 248 counts that season’s Saturday fixtures, which — bar a handful moved on police advice — all kicked off at 3pm, since the first Sky deal’s only live slots were Sunday afternoon and Monday night. Points per game = (wins × 3 + draws) ÷ games played. The home kick-off ranking uses home fixtures only and the away-timings ranking away fixtures only; both require at least two Premier League seasons since 2019/20, so clubs with a single top-flight season in the window (West Brom, Luton, Ipswich, Sunderland) are excluded — West Brom’s one season, 2020/21, was played behind closed doors on a TV-first schedule and would distort the shares. Monday-night club records are small samples (up to 13 games) and are shown for context rather than prediction. 2020/21 was played largely behind closed doors and is flagged where its schedule distorts a trend. 2026/27 kick-off times are the August and September broadcast selections announced by the Premier League in July 2026 (matchweeks 1–5, 50 games), cross-checked against club announcements; later rounds had not been selected at the time of writing.