Darts

It’s Christmas, so it’s that time of year when sports fans turn to darts for entertainment. The PDC World Championship runs until January 3rd – with a three-day break between Christmas Eve and St Stephen’s Day. England’s Michael Smith is the defending champion, and is back at Alexandra Palace in London chasing the £500,000 first prize. – Sky Sports, Dec 15th-Jan 3rd

Boxing

Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will hope to take a big step towards winning back his titles when he faces Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia next weekend. The English man is hot favourite to prevail, but Wallin is no pushover – the Swede’s only loss in 27 fights to date was when he lost on points to Tyson Fury in 2019. The undercard includes Deontay Wilder fighting Joseph Parker. – DAZN, Saturday

American Football

While most of the sporting world takes a break for at least a day or two around Christmas Day, the NFL machine rolls on. On the evening of Christmas Day (Tuesday morning irish-time) there is a big game in San Francisco with the Baltimore Ravens in town. Currently, these two are favourites to win Super Bowl LVIII. There’s a full programme of American football games scheduled for Christmas Day, so, well, even non-NFL fans will probably be tuning in. – Sky Sports, Monday evening/Tuesday morning

MONDAY (Dec 18th)

• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 1.20am Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 1 from 2.15am – 1st Test, D5 Australia v Pakistan
• EQUESTRIAN – BBC Red Button, 6pm-10pm London International Horse Show
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 2 – Club World Cup – 6pm Fluminense v Al Ahly
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 1 – Serie A – 7.45pm Atalanta v Salernitana
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 1 – La Liga – 8pm Girona v Alavés
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Championship – 8pm Birmingham City v Leicester City

TUESDAY (Dec 19th)

• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 1.15am Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks
• NBA – TNT Sports 3 – 2am Mavericks @ Nuggets
• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am – 2nd ODI South Africa v India
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Mix – Bundesliga – 5.30pm Werder Bremen v RB Leipzig; 7.30pm Borussia Dortmund v Mainz
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 2 – Club World Cup – 6pm Man City v Urawa RD
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 1 – La Liga – 6pm Rayo Vallecano v Valencia; 8.30pm Atlético Madrid v Getafe
• SPORTS – BBC 1, 7pm-9pm BBC Sports Personality of the Year
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 1 from 7.30pm – 4th T20 West Indies v England
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – League Cup Quarter-final – 8pm Chelsea v Newcastle Utd
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 2 – La Liga – 8.30pm Granada v Sevilla
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 3 from 9.30pm – 2nd ODI New Zealand v Bangladesh

WEDNESDAY (Dec 20th)

• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 0.30am Grizzlies @ Pelicans; 3am Celtics @ Warriors
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Mix – Bundesliga – 5.30pm Union Berlin v Cologne; 7.30pm Wolfsburg v Bayern Munich
• SOCCER – DAZN – Women’s Champions League – 5.45pm Ajax v Bayern München; 5.45pm Roma v PSG; 8pm Real Madrid v Paris FC
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 1 – La Liga – 6pm Barcelona v Almería; 8.30pm Villarreal v Celta Vigo
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – League Cup Quarter-Final – 8pm Liverpool v West Ham Utd
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 1 – Ligue 1 – 8pm PSG v Metz
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 4 – Ligue 1 – 8pm Nice v Lens
• SOCCER – DAZN & TNT Sports 2 – Women’s Champions League – 8pm Häcken v Chelsea
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 2 – La Liga – 8.30pm Athletic Bilbao v Las Palmas

THURSDAY (Dec 21st)

• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 0.30am Knicks @ Nets
• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am – 3rd ODI South Africa v India
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – DAZN – Women’s Champions League – 5.45pm Brann v Lyon; 5.45pm Eintracht Frankfurt v Benfica; 8pm Barcelona v Rosengård; 8pm Slavia Prague v St Pölten
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 1 – La Liga – 6pm Real Betis v Girona; 8.30pm Alavés v Real Madrid
• SOCCER – LaLigaTV & Premier Sports 2 – La Liga – 6pm Cádiz v Real Sociedad; 8.30pm Mallorca v Osasuna
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 1 from 7.30pm – 5th T20 West Indies v England
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Premier League – 8pm Crystal Palace v Brighton & Hove Albion

FRIDAY (Dec 22nd)

• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 0.30am Pelicans @ Cavaliers
• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 1.15am New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – TNT Sport 2 – Club World Cup – 2.30pm Third-place play-off; 6pm Final (from Jeddah)
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 3 – Serie A – 5.30pm Empoli v Lazio; 7.45pm Salernitana v AC Milan
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 4 – Serie A – 5.30pm Sassuolo v Genoa; 7.45pm Monza v Fiorentina
• RUGBY – TG4, BBC 2 & Premier Sports 1 – URC – 7.35pm Ulster v Connacht
• RUGBY – Premier Sports 2 – URC – 7.35pm Glasgow v Edinburgh
• RUGBY – TNT Sports 1 – English Premiership – 7.45pm Sale v Saracens
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Premier League – 8pm Aston Villa v Sheffield Utd
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 4 from 9.45pm – 3rd ODI New Zealand v Bangladesh

SATURDAY (Dec 23rd)

• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 1am Clippers @ Thunder
• NBA – TNT Sports 3 – 3am Wizards @ Warriors
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 3 – Serie A – 11.30am Frosinone v Juventus
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm World Championship
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 1 – Premier League – 12.30pm West Ham Utd v Man Utd
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Championship – 12.30pm Leeds Utd v Ipswich Town
• RUGBY – Premier Sports 2 – URC – 1pm Zebre v Benetton
• RACING – Virgin Media One, 1.30pm-4pm; ITV4, 1.10pm-4pm Ascot
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Premier League – 3pm Tottenham v Everton
• RUGBY – TNT Sports 1 – English Premiership – 3.05pm Bath v Harlequins
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 2 – La Liga – 3.15pm Atlético Madrid v Sevilla
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 3 – Serie A – 5pm Inter Milan v Lecce
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 4 – Serie A – 5pm Hellas Verona v Cagliari
• RUGBY – Premier Sports 2 – Top 14 – 5pm Stade Francais v La Rochelle
• RUGBY – TG4 – URC – 5pm Stormers v Bulls
• NBA – TNT Sports 2 – 5.30pm Bucks @ Knicks; 8.30pm Celtics @ Clippers
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Premier League – 5.30pm Liverpool v Arsenal
• BOXING – DAZN from 7pm – Riyadh Anthony Joshua v Otto Wallin
• SOCCER – TNT Sports 1 – Serie A – 7.45pm Roma v Napoli
• RUGBY – Premier Sports 1 – Top 14 – 8.05pm Toulouse v Toulon
• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 9.30pm Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
• SOCCER – BBC 1, 10.25pm-11.50pm Match of the Day

SUNDAY (Christmas Eve)

• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 1am Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Chargers
• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 1am Lakers @ Thunder
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Scottish Premiership – Noon Motherwell v Rangers
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Premier League – 1pm Wolverhampton v Chelsea
• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 6pm Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans; 9.25pm Dallas Cowboys @ Miami Dolphins
• SOCCER – BBC 1, 11.05pm-11.40pm Match of the Day 2

MONDAY (Christmas Day)

• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 1.15am New England Patriots @ Denver Broncos
• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 5pm Bucks @ Knicks; 7.30pm Warriors @ Nuggets; 10pm Celtics @ Lakers
• NFL – Sky Sports NFL – 6pm Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs; 9.30pm New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles; 1.15am Baltimore Ravens @ San Francisco 49ers
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 3 from 11.30pm – 2nd Test, D1 Australia v Pakistan

TUESDAY (St Stephen’s Day)

• NBA – TNT Sports 1 – 1am 76ers @ Heat; 3.30am Mavericks @ Suns
• CRICKET – Sky Sports Cricket from 7am – 1st Test, D1 South Africa v India
• BOXING – Sky Sports Arena from 8am – Tokyo Naoya Inoue v Marlon Tapale
• RACING – Virgin Media One, 12.30pm-3pm; UTV, 12.30pm-3pm Kempton
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Championship – 12.30pm Preston North End v Leeds Utd
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 1 – Premier League – 12.30pm Newcastle Utd v Nottingham Forest; 3pm Bournemouth v Fulham; 5.30pm Burnley v Liverpool; 8pm Man Utd v Aston Villa
• RACING – RTÉ 2, 1pm-3.20pm Leopardstown
• SOCCER – Premier Sports 2 – Premier League – 3pm Sheffield Utd v Luton Town
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Scottish Premiership – 3pm Dundee v Celtic
• RUGBY – Premier Sports 2 – URC – 5.15pm Scarlets v Ospreys
• SOCCER – Sky Sports Football – Championship – 5.15pm Birmingham City v Stoke City; 7.45pm Ipswich Town v Leicester City
• RUGBY – RTÉ 2 & Premier Sports 2 – URC – 7.35pm Munster v Leinster
• SOCCER – BBC 1, 10.50pm-11.55pm Match of the Day
• NBA – TNT Sports 3 – 1am Timberwolves @ Thunder
• CRICKET – TNT Sports 2 from 11.30pm – 2nd Test, D2 Australia v Pakistan
• DARTS – Sky Sports Arena, 7pm-11pm World Championship