Why Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest is being played at one-off time this weekend

May 12, 2026 - 16:15

Manchester United’s final home game of the season against Nottingham Forest is set for a very unusual time this weekend.

The Red Devils welcome Forest to Old Trafford on Sunday, but not at one of the typical kick-off slots we see every week.

Manchester United celebrate against Liverpool — United’s final game at Old Trafford this season is at a very strange time

Rather than a 2pm or a 4:30pm start, the two Premier League sides meet at 12:30pm, which is unheard of on a Sunday.

So, here’s why that unique change has been made…

Why is Man United vs Nottingham Forest at 12:30pm on Sunday?

United vs Forest is being played at 12:30pm on Sunday, May 17 due to an enforced schedule change.

And it has impacted the entire Premier League this weekend.

As the FA Cup final is taking place on Saturday, no top-flight football is allowed to be played due to an FA agreement that games cannot be scheduled on the same day.

Therefore, the large bulk of games are being played on Sunday instead, at the same times as they would be on a Saturday.

So, United and Nottingham Forest are meeting at Old Trafford at 12:30pm, as their game was selected for TV coverage in the UK.

It was actually only confirmed that this would be the kick-off time last week though, as it had been left open to moving due to Forest’s involvement in the Europa League semi-finals.

If they had beaten Aston Villa, the game would have been moved to Friday night, but as they lost, it remained on Sunday.

There are also fixtures at 3pm and 5:30pm this Sunday too, with the Premier League being forced into a major re-shuffling.

Nottingham Forest celebrate scoring — Forest’s trip to Manchester is taking place at a unique time this weekend

Man United vs Nottingham Forest: talkSPORT coverage

talkSPORT will have live coverage from Old Trafford on Sunday.

Commentary will be coming from Sam Matterface and former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. Listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.