Christmas is the most joyful time of year when family and friends come together to celebrate the important holiday. What better way to celebrate the holiday than by cheering on your favorite sports teams with your loved ones? Let’s look at some professional sports games you can enjoy this year with your friends and family.
FIFA Club World Cup:
This year’s FIFA Club World Cup is being held in Saudi Arabia, where seven teams have been competing for a chance to win the prestigious title. The tournament has been held in February for the past three years, but the competition has returned to the prior December dates this year.
This year, soccer fans will have the opportunity to start the joyous holiday off by watching the 2023 Club World Cup final take place later today. Following the semifinal games this past week, fans will be able to watch Fluminense compete head-to-head against Manchester City in today’s final game of the Club World Cup. Soccer fans can expect an exciting matchup to start the Christmas season off right.
English Premier League:
While the notable Premier League will not host any games on Christmas Day this year, they will host games on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day (December 26). The Last Christmas Day game in England was in 1965 when Blackpool faced Blackburn Rovers. Since then, the country has decided to stray away from Christmas Day games and instead hosts various games for fans to enjoy on Boxing Day.
Christmas Eve Wolves vs Chelsea:
For the first time in 28 years, the Premier League will host a game on Christmas Eve. Fans can watch the Wolves host Chelsea on December 24 at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. Wolves and Chelsea have not been doing great this season, as the Wolves currently have a 4-3-7 record, and Chelsea is 5-4-5. Despite the teams’ records, this year, soccer fans have the opportunity to watch the sport they love on Christmas Eve.
Boxing Day (December 26) Games:
While the league does not host games on Christmas Day, soccer fans can expect a day full of matches on December 26. A total of five games will be played on Boxing Day:
- Newcastle vs Nottingham
- Bournemouth vs Fulham
- Sheffield United vs Luton
- Burnley vs Liverpool
- Manchester United vs Aston Villa
NFL:
While it does not happen often, the NFL will typically schedule Christmas Day games if the day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. It is not an annual occurrence in the NFL similar to the noteworthy Thanksgiving games, but this year, NFL fans will have three different games to choose from on Christmas Day, including:
- Las Vegas Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs
- New York Giants vs Philadelphia Eagles
- Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers
NFL fans will be able to watch the former Super Bowl LVII teams compete as the Eagles and Chiefs both compete in games on Christmas Day. While the Chiefs and Eagles are once again Super Bowl favorites, the 49ers have entered and are leading Super Bowl conversations. With these three teams being named some of the Super Bowl favorites, these Christmas Day games will be worth watching.
Nothing like a NFC East rivalry on Christmas Day. 🎄
— NFL (@NFL) May 10, 2023
📺: 2023 NFL Schedule Release — Thursday 8pm ET on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/9B1RUcp7Im
NBA:
Some leagues will shy away from Christmas games, but these games have continued to be an NBA tradition since 1947. Typically, the NBA defending champions will participate in these Christmas Day games dating back to 1995. While these games have been part of the NBA tradition, in 2008, the league decided to host five games each year on Christmas Day. This year’s matches include:
- New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks
- Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors
- Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat
- Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns
By throwing five games into the mix, the NBA offers the most sports games out of any professional league on Christmas Day. In keeping up with the tradition, the NBA defending champions, the Denver Nuggets (14-7), will compete against the Warriors (9-11) on Christmas Day, which will be a game you do not want to miss.
The NBA on Christmas Day will feature five games, with ABC or ESPN televising each matchup.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 17, 2023
Both networks will air @warriors at @nuggets and @celtics at @Lakers. pic.twitter.com/kUDurG47aR
While many professional sports leagues are not hosting games this year on Christmas Day, Christmas time will be packed with the FIFA Club World Cup final, the Premier League games on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, and the NBA and NFL will offer plenty of entertainment on the joyous day itself.
