1) PDC World Championship
It’s Christmas which means we are all darts fans again, at least for a few weeks. Favourites to claim the title will be last year’s finalists, Peter Wright and Michael Smith, as well as 2019 champion Michael van Gerwen and 2021 winner Gerwyn Price. There are several Irish players at the tournament, including Derry’s Daryl Gurney, Fermanagh’s Brendan Dolan and Limerick’s William O’Connor, but keep an eye on newcomer Josh Rock. The Antrim man is the current PDC World Youth Champion. - December 15th-January 3rd, Sky Sports
2) Sports Personality of the Year
The annual UK event, held in Salford, is always entertaining and (no matter who wins) controversial. There will be eight awards on offer - including the Unsung Hero award, which has Anna Pim from Belfast and Mary O’Hagan from Co Derry on the shortlist. The main prize is, of course, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and hot-favourite is England and Arsenal striker Beth Mead, with other contenders including snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan and cricketer Ben Stokes. - Wednesday, BBC 1, 6.45pm-9pm
3) Manchester City v Liverpool
It’s back. After that weird mid-season break for the World Cup finals, clubs are gearing up for action again. One of the early highlights will be the clash of the sides that have shared the last five League Cup titles (four for Man City, with Liverpool the reigning champions). Does anyone care about the League Cup? Well, we know at least two people who definitely do - Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. - Thursday, Sky Sports Football, 8pm
4) Eagles v Cowboys
While most sports take a break for at least a few days around Christmas, the machine that is professional American Football rolls on - with more than a dozen NFL games across the country on Saturday and Sunday. For the first time, the league has a triple-header for fans scheduled for Christmas Day. If you are looking for one to dip into, perhaps the visit of the Green Bay Packers - led by 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers - to Miami to face the high-flying Dolphins is the one to watch. - Saturday, Sky Sports NFL, 6pm
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5) Munster v Leinster
There is undoubtedly a big gap between these two sides, and that is reflected on the URC table, with league leaders Leinster sitting on 43 points after nine wins from nine games - almost twice the match points Munster have secured from their four victories. Is it a rivalry if one team has beaten the other nine times out of the last 10? Well, yes, of course it still is, but a strong performance and victory is surely more important to Munster than it is to the visitors. - St Stephen’s Day, TG4 & Premier Sports, 7.35pm
MONDAY (Dec 19th)
- CRICKET - BT Sport 2 from 0.15am - 1st Test, D3 Australia v South Africa
- NFL - Sky Sports NFL - 1.20am Giants @ Commanders
- CRICKET - Sky Sports Cricket from 4.45am - 3rd Test, D3 Pakistan v England
- DARTS - Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm PDC World Championship
- EQUESTRIAN - BBC Red Button, 6.30pm-10.25pm London International Horse Show
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - 8pm C: Wigan v Sheffield Utd
TUESDAY (Dec 20th)
- CRICKET - BT Sport 2 from 0.15am - 1st Test, D4 Australia v South Africa
- NFL - Sky Sports NFL - 1.15am Rams @ Packers
- CRICKET - Sky Sports Cricket from 4.45am - 3rd Test, D4 Pakistan v England
- DARTS - Sky Sports Arena, 7pm-11pm PDC World Championship
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - 8pm SP: Aberdeen v Rangers
WEDNESDAY (Dec 21st)
- CRICKET - BT Sport 2 from 0.15am - 1st Test, D5 Australia v South Africa
- CRICKET - Sky Sports Cricket from 4.45am - 3rd Test, D5 Pakistan v England
- DARTS - Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm PDC World Championship
- SOCCER – DAZN - Women’s Champions League - 5.45pm Lyon v Juventus; 5.45pm Zürich v Arsenal; 8pm Barcelona v Rosengård; 8pm Bayern Münich v Benfica
- SPORTS - BBC 1, 6.45pm-9pm Sports Personality of the Year
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - 8pm L Cup: Man Utd v Burnley
THURSDAY (Dec 22nd)
- DARTS - Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm PDC World Championship
- SOCCER – DAZN - Women’s Champions League - 5.45pm Slavia Prague v Roma; 5.45pm St Pölten v VfL Wolfsburg; 8pm Chelsea v PSG; 8pm Real Madrid v Vllaznia
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 – 8pm T14: Toulon v Lyon
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - League Cup - 8pm Man City v Liverpool
FRIDAY (Dec 23rd)
- NFL - Sky Sports NFL - 1.15am Jaguars @ Jets
- DARTS - Sky Sports Arena, 12.30pm-4.30pm, 7pm-11pm PDC World Championship
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - 3pm URC: Sharks v Lions
- RUGBY - TG4 & Premier Sports 1 - 5.15pm URC: Stormers v Bulls
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 2 - 5.45pm T14: La Rochelle v Bordeaux
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - 7.30pm SP: Ross County v Rangers
- RUGBY - RTE 2 & Premier Sports 1 - 7.35pm URC: Connacht v Ulster
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 2 - 7.35pm URC: Glasgow v Edinburgh
- RUGBY - BT Sport 1 - 7.45pm EP: London Irish v Saracens
SATURDAY (Christmas Eve)
- NBA - Sky Sports Mix - 0.30am Bucks @ Nets
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - 12.30pm URC: Benetton v Zebre
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 2 - 2pm T14: Racing 92 v Stade Francais
- RUGBY - BT Sport 1 - 3pm EP: Leicester v Gloucester
- NFL - Sky Sports NFL - 6pm Packers @ Dolphins; 9.30pm Broncos @ Rams; 1.15am Raiders @ Steelers
SUNDAY (Christmas Day)
- NBA - Sky Sports Mix - 5pm 76ers @ Knicks; 7.30pm Lakers @ Mavericks; 10pm Bucks @ Celtics
- NFL - Sky Sports NFL - 6pm Packers @ Dolphins; 9.30pm Broncos @ Rams; 1.20am Buccaneers @ Cardinals
- CRICKET - BT Sport 1 from 11.30pm - 2nd Test, D1 Australia v South Africa
MONDAY (St Stephen’s Day)
- NBA - Sky Sports Mix - 1am Grizzlies @ Warriors; 3.30am Suns @ Nuggets
- CRICKET - Sky Sports Cricket from 4.50am - 1st Test, D1 Pakistan v New Zealand
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football Red Button - Noon C: Watford v Millwall; 3pm C: Bristol City v West Brom; 3pm C: Preston v Huddersfield; 3pm C: Sheffield Utd v Coventry
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football & Showcase - 12.30pm C: Sunderland v Blackburn
- SOCCER - Premier Sports 1 - 12.30pm PL: Brentford v Tottenham; 3pm Leicester v Newcastle; 5.30pm Aston Villa v Liverpool; 8pm Arsenal v West Ham Utd
- HORSE RACING - UTV & Virgin Media One, 12.30pm-3pm Kempton Park
- HORSE RACING - RTE 2, 1pm-3.15pm Leopardstown
- SOCCER - BBC 2 - 2pm IP: Glentoran v Linfield
- SOCCER - Premier Sports 2 - 3pm PL: Everton v Wolverhampton
- SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - 5.15pm C: Cardiff City v QPR; 7.45pm Luton Town v Norwich City
- RUGBY - Premier Sports 2 - 5.15pm URC: Ospreys v Scarlets
- RUGBY - TG4 & Premier Sports 2 - 7.35pm URC: Munster v Leinster
- NBA - Sky Sports Mix - Midnight Nets @ Cavaliers
- SOCCER - BBC 1, 11.20pm-0.45am Match of the Day
- CRICKET - BT Sport 2 from 11.30pm - 2nd Test, D2 Australia v South Africa
- CRICKET - Sky Sports Cricket from 4.50am - 1st Test, D2 Pakistan v New Zealand
