Saturday 3pm Kick-Off?
TV schedules take them from us, but we’re tracking the days until they return!
Why Track 3pm Kick-Offs?
The 3pm Saturday home kick-off is a football tradition protected by a broadcasting blackout — but league clubs are increasingly moved to TV-friendly slots, leaving fans without their traditional matchday at their home ground.
This tracker shows you exactly how long each club has been waiting — for Saturday, for 3pm!
The 3pm Blackout — And Why It Matters
Since 1964, UK broadcasters have been prohibited from showing live football between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays. The rule exists to protect attendances across the entire football pyramid — from the Premier League down to the grassroots game. The logic is simple: if fans can watch the top flight from their sofa, the crowds at lower league grounds suffer.
But the 3pm Saturday home kick-off is more than a broadcasting rule — it’s a ritual. It’s the shared moment when grounds fill, radios tune in, and the football week reaches its natural peak. For generations of fans, Saturday at three o’clock is what football is.
The problem is that Premier League clubs are increasingly scheduled for Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons, and Monday nights to satisfy the demands of broadcast deals worth billions. The 3pm slot hasn’t disappeared — for some clubs, a Saturday 3pm home fixture is becoming a rare occasion rather than a weekly certainty. This tracker exists to show exactly how rare.
The Tracker
💡 Tap a club name or ground name in the table for tickets, maps & more
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| Team | Last 3pm | Next 3pm | Days Since | Days Until | Gap | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | 2026-02-07 | 2026-02-28 | 66 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Dean Court |
| Arsenal | 2026-02-07 | 2026-04-11 | 66 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Emirates Stadium |
| Aston Villa | 2026-02-21 | 2026-04-18 | 52 | 4 | 56 | Villa Park |
| Brentford | 2026-02-21 | 2026-04-11 | 52 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Gtech Community Stadium |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2026-01-31 | 2026-04-25 | 73 | 11 | 84 | Amex Stadium |
| Burnley | 2026-02-07 | 2026-02-28 | 66 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Turf Moor |
| Chelsea | 2026-02-21 | 2026-04-11 | 52 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Stamford Bridge |
| Crystal Palace | 2025-11-01 | 2026-03-14 | 164 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Selhurst Park |
| Everton | 2025-12-06 | 2026-04-18 | 129 | 4 | 133 | Hill Dickinson Stadium |
| Fulham | 2026-02-07 | 2026-03-21 | 66 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Craven Cottage |
| Leeds United | 2026-01-31 | 2026-04-18 | 73 | 4 | 77 | Elland Road |
| Liverpool | 2026-02-17 | 2026-02-28 | 56 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Anfield |
| Manchester City | 2026-01-24 | 2026-03-21 | 80 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Etihad Stadium |
| Manchester United | 2025-10-04 | 2026-04-11 | 192 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Old Trafford |
| Newcastle United | 2025-12-06 | 2026-02-28 | 129 | #NUM! | #NUM! | St. James’ Park |
| Nottingham Forest | 2025-11-01 | 2026-04-11 | 164 | #NUM! | #NUM! | City Ground |
| Sunderland | 2026-02-17 | 2026-03-14 | 56 | #NUM! | #NUM! | Stadium of Light |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2026-02-17 | 2026-04-18 | 56 | 4 | 60 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
| West Ham United | 2025-12-27 | 2026-04-11 | 108 | #NUM! | #NUM! | London Stadium |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2026-01-31 | 2026-04-25 | 73 | 11 | 84 | Molineux Stadium |
Data last updated: 21 February 2026 | Powered by winnerwinner.co.uk
The 3pm HALL OF SHAME
🚨 Hall of Shame
days without a Saturday 3pm kick-off
Updated: 21 February 2026
Hall of Shame | Powered by winnerwinner.co.uk
Since 1964, UK broadcasting rules have prohibited live coverage of football between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays. It applies to all domestic football in England, not just the Premier League.
The rule exists to protect attendances across the football pyramid. The fear is that if top-flight matches were shown live at 3pm on Saturdays, fans would stay home rather than attend their local club, damaging gates at lower league and non-league grounds.
It’s been debated for decades. Broadcasters and some clubs have pushed for its removal, but fan groups and lower league clubs strongly oppose it. For now it remains in place, though the relentless growth of TV scheduling means fewer and fewer top-flight clubs actually play at 3pm on Saturdays anyway.
No — it only covers domestic UK football. Champions League, Europa League and Conference League matches can be and regularly are broadcast live during the Saturday blackout window without any restriction.
Yes — the blackout is a UK-only rule. Fans in other countries can watch 3pm Saturday Premier League fixtures legally through their local broadcasters.
Yes — the rule covers all domestic football in England, so Championship, League One, League Two and non-league matches are also blacked out during the Saturday window. In practice this actually protects those clubs’ home attendances directly.
The major TV deals — Sky Sports and TNT Sports in the UK — require a certain number of matches to be broadcast across various time slots throughout the week. As the number of televised games has grown, clubs have found more and more of their fixtures moved away from the traditional Saturday slot to accommodate broadcasters.