The festive season means there is plenty of sport to feast on, with the Premier League, NBA, NFL, NHL and darts to satisfy your appetite, as well as some cricket and horse racing.

These events will be on across a range of platforms, including a first for Netflix as the streaming giant broadcasts a couple of rare NFL Christmas Day fixtures.

So, consider this your TV guide for sports, our daily recommendation of what to watch, to squeeze in alongside all the movies. We start on December 22 (because when does the festive season really start?) and finish on January 1. The full schedule for the NFL, NBA, NHL, and Premier League over this period is available on The Athletic. 

All times are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Sunday, December 22: Premier League, NFL, NBA, NHL, Darts

Arguably, this might be the best day of all. Planned correctly, it’s possible to watch over 12 hours of sport. Sports fans in the UK can technically start their Sunday with some NBA at a time when only Santa’s hard-working elves should be awake, limbering up for the marathon ahead. Luka Doncic is pencilled in for his return for the Dallas Mavericks against the Los Angeles Clippers. There’s then some time for a few hours of rest, which is important because this festive guide is a marathon not a sprint, before Sunday truly begins.

I know the weekend leading into Christmas can be a social time, but there is no shame in staying indoors when this is the schedule. All four of the Premier League’s early kick-offs (2pm local) are available to viewers in the U.S. — Leicester City’s tie against Wolves is one for those intrigued by the relegation battle. For those in the UK who won’t be able to watch three of those games, as always around this time of year there’s the PDC World Darts Championship.

Then the day gets even better.

It is pure harmony for fans of both kinds of football when Sunday games follow on from each other like this. Tottenham vs Liverpool is the standout tie of the Premier League, with Arne Slot’s men facing one of the league’s most unpredictable teams, while Mohamed Salah is aiming to become the first Premier League player to reach double digits in goals and assists before Christmas Day. That slides into an NFC East rival game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. There’s plenty of NFL, NBA and NHL action to follow for the rest of the day, too. With the Minnesota Vikings in contention for the NFC North division title and the No.1 seed in the NFC, we’ll be glued to their visit to Seattle Seahawks. Read The Athletic’s NFL Week 16 roundtable here. 

Recommended viewing:
12.30pm: PDC World Darts Championship, second round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
2pm: Leicester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (Peacock in the U.S.)
4.30pm: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool (Sky Sports in the UK; USA Network in the U.S.)
6pm: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders (Sky Sports in the UK; FOX in the U.S.)
9.05pm: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (Sky Sports in the UK; FOX in the U.S.)
11pm: Indiana Pacers at Sacramento Kings (TNT Sports in the UK; NBA League Pass in the U.S.)

Monday, December 23: NFL, Darts, NHL

New Jersey Devils face neighbours the New York Rangers on Monday (Elsa/Getty Images)

If you have any last-minute Christmas shopping to do, this is your day to do it. If, quite sensibly, you want to avoid the crowds and watch sport, there is enough to keep you entertained. Those in the UK with enough energy after watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, confirmed as The Athletic’s dark-horse contender after their 40-17 blowout over the Los Angeles Chargers last week, take on the Dallas Cowboys in the early hours, can enjoy arguably the nation’s most popular sport during the festive season — darts.

Two daily sessions of darts means it’s on TV for most of the day. But, much like on Christmas Day when your favourite aunt’s trifle is being spooned into a bowl, you can always make some room for the NHL as the New Jersey Devils — eighth in The Athletic’s Power Rankings — host the New York Rangers, who have plummeted to No 21 in our power rankings.

Recommended viewing:
1.20am (8.20pm ET Sunday): Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys (Sky Sports in the UK; NBC in the U.S.)
12.30pm: PDC World Darts Championship, second round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
6pm: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils (Premier Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
7pm: PDC World Darts Championship, Second round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)

Tuesday, December 24: NBA, Cricket 

San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, right, is set to play in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

As the clock turns midnight and Christmas Eve begins, NBA fans in the UK can settle down with the San Antonio Spurs at the Philadelphia 76ers to see generational talent Victor Wembanyama in action for the visitors. Following that, there’s time to catch the New Orleans Saints — likely to be without running back Alvin Kamara — at Green Bay Packers for some Love (Jordan, actually) this festive season, or there’s the struggling Anaheim Ducks at the formidable Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL.

There’s also cricket as India’s women host their West Indies counterparts in a one-day international series which starts at 8am (3am ET). The home team will be favourites to win, but as that isn’t being shown by any major broadcasters in either the UK or U.S., the day itself is clear for meal preparation and sweeping the chimney for St Nick’s arrival… while checking the scores.

Recommended viewing:
12am (7pm ET Monday): San Antonio Spurs at Philadelphia 76ers (TNT Sports in the UK; NBA TV in the U.S.)
1.15am: New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers (Sky Sports NFL in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
3am: Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights (NHL.TV in the UKL ESPN in the U.S.)

Wednesday, December 25: NFL, NBA, Cricket

Patrick Mahomes throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on December 15, 2024 (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

And to the big day itself. We understand the sprouts will need boiling for hours and the turkey cooked just the right side of dry, but if you can find the time there is some history to watch as the NFL will be streamed on Netflix for the first time for what the league itself has called a “new global holiday tradition”. Two NFL games have been moved to this Wednesday, and first up it will be back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers, who are playing for the third time in their history on Christmas Day. The second match sees the Houston Texans host Baltimore and in a gift for sports and music fans alike Beyonce will perform the half-time show.

There are also some specially-picked basketball matchups, but there are a few time clashes so lucky you if you can have a dual-monitor setup. If you’re still not sated by all the sport, there’s Australia versus India in cricket, which is known in Australia (but let’s not add a third time zone to our mental gymnastics) as the Boxing Day Test. Two great cricketing nations currently tied 1-1 in the series going toe-to-toe — it should be engrossing.

Recommended viewing:
5pm (12pm ET): San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (TNT Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
6pm: Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (Netflix)
7.30pm: Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks (TNT Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
9.30pm: Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans (Netflix)
10pm: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (TNT Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
11.30pm: Australia vs India (TNT Sports in the UK; Willow TV in the U.S.)

Thursday, December 26: Premier League, NBA, Horse Racing

Pep Guardiola has been under huge pressure this season (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

If you are one of the last ones standing on Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors spills into Boxing Day in the UK and will likely feature two greats in LeBron James and Stephen Curry. When the day is truly underway on both sides of the Atlantic, slip into those fluffy new slippers, tuck into the leftovers and watch over 10 hours of the Premier League.

The fixture list starts with Manchester City at home to Everton, then 14 of the 18 other Premier League sides play over the rest of the day. Our match pick is title contenders Chelsea hosting neighbours Fulham, who have taken points off Liverpool and Arsenal this season, before tuning in to watch Liverpool face a Leicester side now managed by former Manchester United favourite Ruud van Nistelrooy in an Anfield clash between an in-form team and a struggling one.

For those wanting variety, in horse racing the King George VI Chase, one of the biggest steeplechase (over jumps) races of the year in the UK, is provisionally scheduled for 2.30pm (9.30am ET) and the Test between Australia and India should still be in full flow, barring surprise collapses.

Recommended viewing:
1am (8pm ET Wednesday): Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (TNT Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
3am: Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns (TNT Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
12.30pm: Manchester City vs Everton (Amazon Prime in the UK; Peacock in the U.S.)
3pm: Chelsea vs Fulham (Amazon Prime in the UK; Peacock in the U.S.)
5.30pm: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United (Amazon Prime in the UK; USA Network/ NBC Universo in the U.S.)
8pm: Liverpool vs Leicester City (Amazon Prime in the UK; USA Network/ NBC Universo in the US)

Friday, December 27: NBA, Darts, Premier League

Luke Littler, 17, is defending champion and one of the favourites to win the PDC World Darts title (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Christmas Day is in the rear-view mirror and a new year is on the horizon, but there’s little time to contemplate the nearly-misses or the points dropped as televised sport during the festive season never stops. Today you can skip seamlessly from the darts to the Premier League as you desire, with a healthy break for clean-up duties in between. As is the case most days, those in the UK can technically start the day with the NBA in the early hours.

Recommended viewing:
12am (7pm ET Thursday): Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers (TNT Sports in the UK; NBA TV in the U.S.)
12.30pm: PDC World Darts Championship, third round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
7.30pm: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Brentford (Amazon Prime in the UK; Peacock in the U.S.)
8.15pm: Arsenal vs Ipswich Town (Amazon Prime in the UK; USA Network/NBC Universo in the U.S.)

Saturday, December 28: Darts, NBA, NFL

Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier is set to face Atlanta Hawks today (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

A Saturday without any Premier League games and a Saturday with the NFL? Only at Christmas. Although there is no Premier League, there are many UK-time friendly U.S. sports to watch, as well as the British fans’ favourite, the darts. Arguably, the day’s highlight is the Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos with potentially NFL play-offs positions on the line, depending on how results went the prior weekend.

Recommended viewing:
12.30pm (7.30am ET): PDC World Darts Championship, third round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
6.30pm: Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots (Sky Sports in the U.K.)
8pm: Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks (TNT Sports in the UK; NBA TV in the U.S.)
9.30pm: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (Sky Sports in the UK)
11pm: Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets (TNT Sports in the UK; NBA TV in the U.S.)

Sunday, December 29: Premier League, NFL, NBA

Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester will be hoping to ease their relegation fears with a string of good results over the festive period (George Wood/Getty Images)

After an exhausting week for you and your television, how else to spend the last Sunday of the year other than with your feet up enjoying the Premier League and the NFL? Sprinkle in some darts and NBA, and you have yourself a day. Liverpool in the Premier League, Minnesota and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and the Boston Celtics in the NBA are the teams in action that catch the eye as all are vying for titles.

Recommended viewing:
12.30pm (7.30am ET): PDC World Darts Championship, third and fourth rounds (SkySports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
2.30pm: Leicester City vs Manchester City (Sky Sports in the UK)
5.15pm: West Ham United vs Liverpool (Sky Sports in the UK)
6pm: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (NFL Game Pass in the UK; FOX in the U.S.)
9.05pm: Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (NFL Game Pass in the UK; CBS in the U.S.)
9.25pm: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (NFL Game Pass in the UK; FOX in the U.S.)
11pm: Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics (NBA League Pass in the UK & U.S.)

Monday, December 30: Premier League, Darts 

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United hosting Newcastle is the day’s Premier League pick (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Feeling like you may need to leave your sofa? Never? OK, there’s good news, because we don’t often get three games on Monday nights in the Premier League. Two Uniteds (Manchester and Newcastle) go head-to-head and the Mancunians will be desperate to end the year with a home win after a dramatic season so far which has seen manager Erik ten Hag replaced by Ruben Amorim. In the day’s other Premier League fixtures, Ipswich Town host Chelsea and European hopefuls Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion go up against each other. Those in the U.S. will likely be able to take their Premier League pick, but it hasn’t yet been announced which broadcaster will show which game.

Recommended viewing:
1am: San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA League Pass in the UK & U.S.)
12.30pm: PDC World Darts Championship, fourth round (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
8pm: Manchester United vs Newcastle United (Sky Sports in the UK)

Tuesday, December 31: NFL, NHL

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are having the New York Islanders over for New Year (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Why not try something new ahead of the new year? Or maybe you are already a hockey fan and were waiting for the NHL to take prominence in this schedule? Either way, this is your day to focus on the ice. We recommend starting the day properly with the New York Islanders in Toronto, while the last game of the day will be the NHL Winter Classic as the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues play outdoors at Wrigley Field, which is the home of baseball’s Chicago Cubs in warmer weather.

Recommended viewing:
1.15am (8.15pm ET Monday): Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers (Sky Sports in the UK; ABC/ESPN in the U.S.)
6pm: New York Islanders at Toronto Maple Leafs (Premier Sports in the UK; ESPN in the U.S.)
8pm: Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (NBA League Pass in the UK; SportsNet in the U.S.)
10pm: St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks (Premier Sports in the UK; TNT in the U.S.)

Wednesday, January 1 

Can Arsenal start the year with a win over London rivals Brentford? (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

Happy New Year! Your 2025 can feature sport from the minute it strikes midnight in the UK, as Clippers at Spurs tips off around then in Texas. Or, if you are a fan of the midnight fireworks then you can catch LeBron James’ original NBA team paying his current one a visit at the Crypto.com Arena. During the day, while setting your resolutions for the upcoming 12 months, be inspired by the precision of the world’s best darts players as the PDC tournament nears its conclusion and then watch Arsenal visit a Brentford side who have been formidable at home in the Premier League this season, winning seven of nine games and losing only once.

Recommended viewing:
12am (7pm ET on Tuesday): Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (NBA League Pass in the UK & U.S.)
2am: Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers (NBA League Pass in the UK & U.S.)
12.30pm: PDC World Darts Championship quarter-finals (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)
5.30pm: Brentford vs Arsenal (TNT Sports in the UK)
7pm: PDC World Darts Championship quarter-finals (Sky Sports in the UK; PDCTV in the U.S.)

(Top photo: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)