The Christmas season brings plenty of cheer to many, and football fans are definitely among the lucky during the holiday period.
The Premier League is particularly renowned for a steady stream of matches this time of the year with three full rounds of matches and 30 games in total taking place between December 26 and January 5.
But the offering isn't quite as plentiful just before the traditional Boxing Day slate, giving fans some time to enjoy the holidays with family and eating to their heart's content. They can still peel away for some footy, however.
Here's everything you need to know about the leagues you can watch on Christmas Eve (December 24) and Christmas Day (December 25).
MORE: When does the January transfer window open and close?
Are there football matches on Christmas Eve?
While fans are left scrambling to buy a last-minute gift, a number of clubs will be hoping to deliver their supporters an early present in their Christmas Eve fixtures.
Scotland's top-flight is the most notable competition with games being played on December 24 with league leaders Celtic in action.
There will also be matches played in Australia, India and Turkey.
Football games on Saturday, December 24
| Match | Competition | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney FC vs Macarthur | A-League Men | 6:00 | 01:00 |
| Hatayspor vs Giresunspor | Super Lig | 10:30 | 05:30 |
| Mumbai vs Chennaiyin | Indian Super League | 12:00 | 07:00 |
| Celtic vs St Johnstone | Scottish Premiership | 12:30 | 07:30 |
| St. Mirren vs Aberdeen | Scottish Premiership | 12:30 | 07:30 |
| Kasimpasa vs Sivasspor | Super Lig | 13:00 | 08:00 |
| Dundee United vs Hearts | Scottish Premiership | 14:00 | 09:00 |
| Hibernian vs Livingston | Scottish Premiership | 14:00 | 09:00 |
| Northeast United vs ATK Mohun | Indian Super League | 14:00 | 09:00 |
| Trabzonspor vs Fenerbahce | Super Lig | 16:00 | 11:00 |
Are there football matches on Christmas Day?
While a significant day for many around the world, Christmas isn't celebrated everywhere and as such, some football games are scheduled to take place on December 25.
While most competitions across Europe close up shop, Super Lig, Turkey's first-division, has a number of fixtures lined up including matches involving giants Galatasaray and Besiktas. Italian legend Andrea Pirlo will also be on the sidelines as he coaches Fatih Karagumruk. Turkey is a largely Muslim country and as such Christmas isn't widely celebrated.
The same goes for Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE where there also some matches taking place.
Football games on Sunday, December 25
| Match | Competition | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demirspor vs Fatih | Super Lig | 10:30 | 05:30 |
| Damac vs Al-Wehda | Saudi Pro League | 12:30 | 07:30 |
| Dibba vs Sharjah | UAE Pro League | 12:45 | 07:45 |
| Al Wahda vs Ajman | UAE Pro League | 12:45 | 07:45 |
| Gaziantep vs Besiktas | Super Lig | 13:00 | 08:00 |
| Konyaspor vs Alanyaspor | Super Lig | 13:00 | 08:00 |
| Sanat Naft vs Esteghlal | Persian Gulf Pro League | 14:30 | 09:30 |
| Mokawloon vs Zamalek | Egyptian Premier League | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Adalah vs Abha | Saudi Pro League | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Khor Fakkah vs Al-Ittihad | UAE Pro League | 15:30 | 10:30 |
| Galatasaray vs Istanbulspor | Super Lig | 16:00 | 11:00 |
| Ahly vs Smouha | Egyptian Premier League | 17:00 | 12:00 |
| Ettifaq vs Al-Khaleej | Saudi League | 17:30 | 12:30 |
Haris Seferović is back! 💪 pic.twitter.com/xoKam4jW6K
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) December 15, 2022
Premier League Boxing Day schedule
While there are no Premier League games on Christmas, there is a whole feast of matches lined up on December 26, as is tradition.
In 2022, the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal are all in action on the day after Christmas as they return to league action following the World Cup break.
| Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Brentford vs Tottenham | 12:30 | 07:30 |
| Crystal Palace vs Fulham | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Everton vs Wolves | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Leicester City vs Newcastle | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Southampton vs Brighton | 15:00 | 10:00 |
| Aston Villa vs Liverpool | 17:30 | 12:30 |
| Arsenal vs West Ham | 20:00 | 15:00 |
A Cameron Jerome Christmas cracker 🤯#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/BEcl4TBk8Z
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 25, 2022
How to watch Premier League around the world
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, BT Sport | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | fuboTV, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fuboTV in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
