Arsenal's December schedule reshuffled with Spurs and Man Utd dates confirmed

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Arsenal now have a clearer picture of their festive period after the Premier League confirmed a fresh round of fixture changes for the first three weeks of December, with four of the club's matches affected, including the north London derby and the visit of Manchester United.

The amendments, announced on Monday, cover the period that had not already been rescheduled last month to give supporters more notice for travel planning. Clubs can now map out their schedules through to the end of 2026.

North London derby moved to Sunday slot

Arsenal's trip to Tottenham has been fixed for Sunday, December 6 at 4.30pm, with the match shown live on Sky Sports as part of a weekend featuring two of English football's fiercest rivalries, with the Tyne-Wear derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland also taking place that day at St James' Park, kicking off at 2pm.

Arsenal will have an extra day's rest heading into the derby. Mikel Arteta's side face Brentford on Tuesday, December 1 at 8.15pm, also live on Sky Sports, while Tottenham host Fulham the following evening, giving the Gunners a slightly longer turnaround before heading to north London.

Man Utd clash gets Sunday evening billing

Arsenal's home fixture against Manchester United has also been given a revised date and time, with the match now set for Sunday, December 20 at 4.30pm, again broadcast live on Sky Sports.

That fixture will mark the second consecutive weekend in which United travel to London for a Sunday match, having played at Crystal Palace the week before on December 13. Arsenal themselves are in action that same day, hosting Bournemouth at 2pm, also live on Sky Sports.

In total, Arsenal will play four games across 19 days during the festive period once the Brentford, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester United fixtures are accounted for, a demanding sequence that will test squad depth as the season moves into its busiest stretch.

The Premier League confirmed the changes were made to accommodate television broadcast selections and UEFA competition scheduling. A statement from the league read: “The broadcast selections and displaced matches because of UEFA competitions for the first three weeks of December 2026 have been released. This comes after the release of the fixture amendments between 26 December and 7 January,” as reported by football.london.

With the December calendar now largely set, attention will turn to how Arteta manages squad rotation across such a condensed run of fixtures, particularly with the derby against Tottenham sandwiched between two other televised Sky Sports matches.