Once you’ve filled up on turkey, Christmas pudding and your tipple of choice, there’s little better than kicking back to watch your favourite sports team. Unless you’ve been roped into a never-ending game of charades with the in-laws, that is! But assuming you have the time and the inclination to watch some sporting action over the festive period, here are some of the highlights available to you.
Football – Championship Fills the Boxing Day Void
Despite there being a healthy dose of Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day in many seasons gone by, this time around, there is only one top-flight game: Manchester United v Newcastle United, and that’s not being played until 20.00. Step forward the second tier, as the Championship has a full round of fixtures on 26th December. Promotion-chasing Coventry host struggling Swansea, while Middlesbrough also welcome a side from the lower reaches of the division, Blackburn Rovers. There’s plenty going on in the rest of the Football League on Boxing Day too, as well as action from the Africa Cup of Nations, with Egypt v South Africa looking like the pick of the games.
There’s more Premier League action to get stuck into on 27th December, thankfully. The early game sees Nottingham Forest host a resurgent Manchester City, while in the three o’clocks, Arsenal host Brighton, Everton visit Burnley, and Liverpool look for three points at Anfield against struggling Wolverhampton. The late kick-off is the pick of the bunch as Chelsea host Aston Villa, both sides currently in with an outside chance of challenging for the title.
PDC World Darts Championship – Littler Looks to Lead the World
The 2026 PDC World Darts Championship will be well underway by the time the turkey is in the oven, and the third round is played from 27th to 29th December. Luke Littler is seeking to defend his world crown at Alexandra Palace, and he’s in the top half of the draw where he’s likely to have to overcome either Chris Dobey, Stephen Bunting, James Clayton or Gerwyn Price on the way to the final. In the bottom half of the draw, Luke Humphries is arguably the man to beat, although James Wade can never be ignored, and Danny Noppert could make an impact.
Horse Racing – King George VI and Plenty More
For many, horse racing is a significant part of Christmas, whether watching the races on TV or going to meetings. The biggest race of the festive period, and indeed of the National Hunt calendar, is the King George VI Chase that takes place at Kempton on Boxing Day. The Grade 1 race has seen many famous winners over the years, including four-time winner Desert Orchid and Kauto Star, who won the race a record five times between 2006 and 2011.
Other significant races over the festive period include the Welsh Grand National from Chepstow on 27th December, along with the Christmas Hurdle and the December Hurdle at Leopardstown on the 28th and 29th December, respectively.
US Sports – Christmas Day Basketball and NFL Action to Enjoy
There are three regular season NBA games taking place on Christmas Day: Cleveland Cavaliers v New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs v Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors. At the time of writing, the Knicks top the Eastern Conference Atlantic, while the Cavaliers are second in the Eastern Conference Central, so that’s shaping up to be a fine contest. Oklahoma are the team to beat in the Western Conference, and very few sides have managed that, although the Spurs could have a fighting chance. Dallas against Golden State is wide open, as both sides have struggled for consistency, but it promises to be a fine spectacle.
In the NFL, there’s plenty of festive action, with Dallas Cowboys v Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions v Minnesota Vikings playing on Christmas Day itself, and Denver Broncos v Kansas City Chiefs taking place on Boxing Day.
Ashes Cricket – If You’re a Glutton for Punishment
At the time of writing, things haven’t been going perfectly to plan for England in the Ashes series Down Under. That is, of course, if they had a plan, because at times during the first two Tests, the tourists looked devoid of ideas. If you haven’t had enough of watching (or listening to) England getting hammered by the Aussies, the 4th Test of the series gets underway at 23.30 on Christmas Day (UK time). By that point, not even a Christmas miracle would be able to save Ben Stokes and his men.