Premier League clubs have been given the schedule for next season, revealing significant fixture congestion. It is anticipated that top-flight clubs could face three midweek clashes between European matches and the Carabao Cup. The new format of the Champions League, featuring eight group stage games instead of the current six, poses challenges for scheduling FA Cup replays in the third and fourth rounds. The first clash is expected in September, coinciding with the Carabao Cup third round and the Champions League match day one.

This means that top flight clubs may need to alternate their Carabao Cup fixtures between the midweeks, with those in the Champions League playing on September 24/25 and those in the Europa League the previous week. UEFA has announced that the Europa League will have its own exclusive midweek for the first match round. The Carabao Cup quarter-final is set to clash with the Europa Conference League match day six in December, presenting a challenge without an apparent solution. EFL’s stance on the new fixtures is that they will need to work around the calendar, with no change to the two-legged format of the Carabao Cup semi-finals in January due to the lack of a new financial agreement with the Premier League.

UEFA has made it clear that they cannot be held responsible for date clashes, and national associations will need to resolve these issues independently without expecting compensation. However, EFL has expressed dissatisfaction with the new changes, with CEO Trevor Birch calling them “disappointing and frustrating,” and demanding compensation for the resulting loss in revenue.