Premier League Teams Will Have February Winter Break in 2019-20 Season

There will be a winter break for Premier League clubs in February starting from the 2019-20 season, it has been confirmed.

Per BBC Sport, a staggered break for the 20 clubs in the English top flight will mean no weekend is empty of fixtures, as a full gameweek will be played across two weekends, five on the first and five on the second. 

The FA Cup fifth round, usually played on the third weekend in February, will be moved to midweek to account for the break, and replays are to be scrapped at that point of the tournament, per the Press Association:

BBC Sport provided comments from Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn on the decision: 

"It's no secret that we have a very congested fixture calendar, and over recent years we have been working with the whole game to find a solution. As we head into summer international tournaments in the future we are sure that this midseason break will prove to be a valuable addition for our players."

As noted by BBC Sport's Simon Stone, the term "break" may be somewhat generous in this case:

In European leagues of corresponding stature, the winter hiatus is much more lengthy than just one weekend off.

For example, Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich did not play at all in the German top flight between December 16 and January 12 in the 2017-18 campaign.

However, the introduction of any kind of break is likely to be welcomed by Premier League clubs.

It has also been introduced at a time of year to not interrupt the much-loved, but intensive, festive calendar of football in England.