The death of Queen Elizabeth sparked the cancellation of matches last weekend (Sept. 10-12), and fans are wondering when the Premier League action will return to action — and which teams will get to play — as the U.K. mourns the loss of its longest-tenured monarch.
Thanks to the 2022 World Cup, the schedule this season is already jam-packed, and fixture congestion will continue to be a factor moving forward in light of the latest postponements.
The Premier League has outlined the plan for the upcoming matchweek taking into account police staffing resources that are being reallocated to the Queen's funeral on Sept. 19.
The Sporting News brings you the latest on the Premier League's return this weekend and the status of every scheduled match.
MORE: Complete 2022 FIFA World Cup schedule, fixtures, and times
When is the Premier League back?
The Premier League issued an announcement on Monday, Sept. 12 confirming that play "will resume after a pause to the season as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
Of the 10 matches scheduled for Friday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 18, three were postponed due to the policing demands involving the Queen's funeral.
Kickoff times for two of the remaining seven matches were also adjusted.
The #PL will resume this weekend after a pause to the season as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 12, 2022
Seven of the 10 Matchweek 8 fixtures will be played, with three postponed due to events surrounding The Queen’s funeral.
The three matches that were postponed include the highly anticipated Chelsea vs. Liverpool and Manchester United vs. Leeds. The match between Brighton vs. Crystal Palace was previously postponed due to a planned rail strike with "no public transport available for supporters."
Brentford vs. Arsenal was also moved to an earlier on Sunday, and Everton vs. West Ham had its kickoff time pushed back slightly as a result.
Updated Premier League Matchweek 8 fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (BST / ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Sept. 16 | Aston Villa vs. Southampton | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Fri, Sept. 16 | Nottingham Forest vs. Fulham | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Sat, Sept. 17 | Brighton vs. Crystal Palace | Postponed |
| Sat, Sept. 17 | Wolves vs. Manchester City | 12:30 / 07:30 |
| Sat, Sept. 17 | Newcastle vs. Bournemouth | 15:00 / 10:00 |
| Sat, Sept. 17 | Tottenham vs. Leicester City | 17:30 / 12:30 |
| Sun, Sept. 18 | Brentford vs. Arsenal | 12:00 / 07:00 |
| Sun, Sept. 18 | Everton vs. West Ham | 14:15 / 09:15 |
| Sun, Sept. 18 | Manchester United vs. Leeds | Postponed |
| Sun, Sept. 18 | Chelsea vs. Liverpool | Postponed |
According to ESPN journalist Dale Johnson, the Chelsea vs. Liverpool was impacted due to the size of Stamford Bridge, which seats over 67,000 people, requiring a much larger police presence.
The Brentford vs. Arsenal game could go on as scheduled, since the Brentford Community Stadium only seats slightly over 17,000.
The Premier League confirmed that tributes will be paid to The Queen at all stadiums in Matchweek 8.
MORE: Latest Premier League table & standings for 2022/23 season
Which Premier League matches have been postponed?
The full Matchweek 7 fixture list (Sept. 10-12) was postponed in the wake of the Queen's death on September 8.
As indicated above, there are three Matchweek 8 fixtures that have been officially postponed.
Matchweek 7 fixtures postponed
- Fulham vs. Chelsea
- Bournemouth vs. Brighton
- Southampton vs. Brentford
- Liverpool vs. Wolves
- Leicester City vs. Aston Villa
- Manchester City vs. Tottenham
- Arsenal vs. Everton
- West Ham vs. Newcastle
- Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United
- Leeds United vs. Nottingham Forest
Matchweek 8 fixtures postponed
- Chelsea vs. Liverpool
- Manchester United vs. Leeds
- Brighton vs. Crystal Palace
Why were Premier League matches cancelled?
In its statement announcing the latest Matchweek 8 postponements, the Premier League said that "there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures" after extensive consultation with clubs, police, and other authorities.
However, the decision to postpone the full Matchweek 7 slate in the immediate aftermath of the Queen's passing was not required. The league did it as a sign of respect.
The postponement of the matches was not received with unanimous acceptance as several pointed out that a worldwide show of respect could still have been achieved by staging the matches with the appropriate tributes.
I know it’s only a game and some things are much bigger but imagine all our games went ahead this weekend.
— Peter Crouch (@petercrouch) September 9, 2022
Black armbands, silences observed, national anthem, Royal band playing etc to the millions around the world watching ?
Isn’t that a better send off ?
Personal opinion is they should have played. Short notice to cancel for travelling fans, and you can argue not everyone feels it as strongly, not Victorian times - but, even then, football does solemn remembrance very well.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) September 9, 2022
Everyone will have their own view on this but I would rather have had the football on this weekend, with the opportunity for appropriate signs of respect at every game. (If it was impossible to police all the games then that's a separate, stronger argument for postponement...)
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) September 9, 2022
The English government had released official guidance that did not oblige professional leagues to cancel matches with the exception of the funeral date (Sept. 12).
While the Women's Super League followed the Premier League's lead and also scratched its opening round of matches with record crowds expected, other sports followed the government's recommendation and carried on with their events.
The England cricket team decided to continue with their Test match against South Africa, and it presented a chance for fans to pay their respects. This resulted in a stunningly emotional moment as the England team walked out onto The Oval pitch, with fans collectively singing the national anthem.
A beautiful few moments as cricket pays its respects to Her Majesty The Queen. pic.twitter.com/3QnZiFEOKq
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 10, 2022
When will Premier League cancelled matches be rescheduled?
"New dates for the postponed matches will be announced in due course," according to the Premier League.
That might take some time given the challenge of slotting the 13 postponed matches in a football calendar that has few open dates available.
Given the lengthy break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which is taking place for the first time between November and December, most other weeks are already reserved for domestic or European cup action, or FIFA international breaks, and therefore present few options.
There are no obvious available dates remaining in the 2022 calendar year, meaning any postponed matches will likely need to wait until the World Cup is completed.
Even then, there are only a handful of midweek dates available in 2023:
- Jan. 17-19 (if no FA Cup replay necessary)
- Feb. 7-9 (if no FA Cup replay necessary)
- April 4-6
- May 2-4
- May 23-25 (unlikely given final matchday of the season is May 28)
If the English Football Association opts to scrap FA Cup replays for the 3rd and 4th Rounds as they did last season, that could alleviate some of the fixture pressure that exists.
Depending on which teams advance to the Carabao Cup semifinals, that could open up two midweeks in late January (Jan. 24-26) and early February (Jan. 31-Feb. 2).
However, those same slots will also likely be used for forced postponements due to the Carabao Cup and FA Cup rounds taking place through the spring. Those later rounds will conflict with the Premier League schedule, thus requiring additional league postponements.
For example, the Carabao Cup final on February 26, or the FA Cup quarterfinals and semifinals in March and April will invariably require league matches to be moved.
The rescheduling of matches could potentially be handled on a case-by-case basis depending on schedule flexibility arising from clubs' elimination from the aforementioned domestic cup competitions.
It's worth noting that the Premier League generally steers clear of scheduling matches in conflict with European cup fixtures, since it has a signed agreement with UEFA that would see the league fined for doing so. The league could decide it's worth the fine if they are left with no other options.
Premier League 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
When the Premier League does return, here's where you will be able to watch in the action in several global territories:
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV | Optus Sport |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
