Guide
Why kick-off times moveand how to book a flight around it
Who sets the day and the time, how far it really moves, and what happens to a ticket you already hold.
Updated
The short answer
The fixture list is published before the season, but the exact day and time are fixed only three to five weeks ahead, following the broadcast schedule. A Saturday match can move to Sunday, and an evening kick-off can become an afternoon one. The real risk is therefore a flight that covers a single day, not the ticket: a ticket stays valid when the match moves. The simple rule is to book a flight that covers the whole weekend, and never a return the next morning.
Who actually sets the date
It is not the club. These are the parties, in order:
The league publishes rounds
Before the season it is settled who plays whom, and on which weekend. That part barely changes.
Broadcasters set day and time
Rights holders choose which matches are shown when, and the final day and time follow from that.
European nights and cup draws
A midweek European tie or a cup round can move the league match at the end of that week.
Police and the city
For high-risk matches or a busy city, local authorities can ask for a different date or time.
How far it moves in practice
Usually it is a small shift - and small is enough to ruin a plan:
One day
Saturday to Sunday, or Sunday to Monday. The most common change.
Hours
An afternoon match becomes an evening one, or the reverse. Mostly it hits the return flight.
A week or more
Rare, and usually weather, an exceptional event, or a clash with another competition.
The bigger the match, the likelier broadcasters move it: a derby, a Clásico or a title clash is almost always kept for the best slot.
How to book a flight around it
Four simple rules cover nearly every case:
- Cover the whole weekendArrive the day before and fly back the day after. That alone absorbs the common shift.
- No flight the next morningAn evening match that ends late, plus getting out of the ground, does not fit an early flight.
- Check again a month aheadThat is exactly when the final schedule is published.
- Consider a flexible hotelFree cancellation until the day before costs a little more, and this is what it is for.
What happens to a ticket you already hold
This is the worrying question, and the answer is usually reassuring:
The match moves to another day
The ticket stays valid for the new date. Nothing to exchange and nothing more to pay.
You cannot make the new date
We will try to help resell it, subject to the market and to availability. A sale cannot be promised in advance.
The match is cancelled outright
We take it up with the supplier or the organiser and come back to you with the credit or refund options that exist.
The match is played behind closed doors
Rare. Here too it goes through the organiser, and we keep you posted at every stage.
How to know the time is final
On this site it is stated plainly, on purpose:
A time appears only when it is final
Until it is official the date stands on its own, with no time - because a time that looks certain is exactly what makes somebody book the wrong flight.
Where you see it
Once the time is set it appears on the match page and in the club’s fixture list, next to the date.
Common questions
How long before the match is the date final?
Usually three to five weeks. In some leagues and in European competitions it can be closer.
Is my ticket still valid if the match moves?
Yes. Tickets stay valid for the new date and do not need to be exchanged.
What if I already booked a flight for the original date?
That is why a flight should cover the whole weekend. If a gap does open up, we will try to help resell the ticket, subject to the market and to availability.
Why does the site not show a time for every match?
Because it is not official yet. We show a time only once it is final, so nobody plans a flight around a time that is going to change.
Do cup and European matches move more?
Yes. Cup draws are made during the season, so the date is set later; a midweek European night can also move the league match that follows it.
Want to check a match?
Tell us which match you are considering, and we will tell you what is already final and what can still move.
Go to the request form