The final month of 2018 is a big one for football with Premier League festive fixtures, the Fifa Club World Cup and the conclusion of the Champions League and Europa League group stages.
Final group games in the Champions League are held on 11 and 12 December followed by the round of 16 draw on 17 December. The Europa League’s final group fixtures are on 13 December and the last-16 draw is on 17 December.
A major trophy will also be up for grabs when seven teams battle to win the Fifa Club World Cup. The 2018 edition is held in the United Arab Emirates from 12-22 December and Real Madrid will be favourites to win the tournament.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The sporting year will end with the PDC World Darts Championships and two major horse races: the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 27 December.
Here we look at the sporting calendar and events worth watching in December.
December 2018 sporting events
Uefa Champions League
- 11/12 December: group stage, matchday six
- 17 December: round of 16 draw
Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2018
- What: seven-team tournament organised by Fifa
- When: 12-22 December
- Where: Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates
- Official website: fifa.com
Uefa Europa League
- 13 December: group stage, matchday six
- 17 December: round of 32 draw
PDC World Championships
- 13 December to 1 January: Alexandra Palace, London
Rocky Fielding vs. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez
- WBA super-middleweight title fight
- 15 December: Madison Square Garden, New York
Horse racing: King George VI Chase
- 26 December: Kempton Park Racecourse
Horse racing: Welsh Grand National
- 27 December: Chepstow Racecourse
Sport on TV: Christmas and New Year
Festive football live TV guide Premier League
- Friday 21 December: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Saturday 22 December: Arsenal vs. Burnley (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports); Cardiff City vs. Manchester United (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
- Sunday 23 December: Everton vs. Tottenham Hotspur (4pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday 26 December: Fulham vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports); Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Arsenal (5.15pm, live on Sky Sports); Watford vs. Chelsea (7.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Thursday 27 December: Southampton vs. West Ham United (7.45pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Friday 29 December: Liverpool vs. Arsenal (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
- Sunday 30 December: Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea (12pm, live on Sky Sports); Southampton vs. Manchester City (2.15pm, live on Sky Sports); Manchester United vs. Bournemouth (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Tuesday 1 January 2019: Everton vs. Leicester City (12.30pm, live on Sky Sports); Cardiff City vs. Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday 2 January: Newcastle United vs. Manchester United (8pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Thursday 3 January: Manchester City vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on Sky Sports)
EFL Championship
- Saturday 22 December: Hull City vs. Swansea City (5.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Sunday 23 December: Aston Villa vs. Leeds United (1.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Wednesday 26 December: Sheffield United vs. Derby County (3pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Tuesday 1 January: Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United (3pm, live on Sky Sports)
Scottish Premiership
- Sunday 23 December: St. Johnstone vs. Rangers (12.15pm, live on BT Sport)
- Wednesday 26 December: Aberdeen vs. Celtic (2pm, live on BT Sport)
German Bundesliga
- Friday 21 December: Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm, live on BT Sport)
- Saturday 22 December: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Bayern Munich (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
Rugby Union Premiership
- Friday 21 December: Worcester Warriors vs. Northampton Saints (7.45pm, live on BT Sport)
- Saturday 22 December: Exeter Chiefs vs. Saracens (3pm, live on BT Sport)
- Sunday 23 December: Wasps vs. Bath (3pm, live on BT Sport)
- Friday 28 December: Northampton Saints vs. Exeter Chiefs (7.45pm, live on BT Sport)
- Saturday 29 December: Harlequins vs. Wasps (4pm, live on BT Sport)
- Sunday 30 December: Bath vs. Leicester Tigers (3pm, live on BT Sport)
Championship
- Saturday 29 December: Doncaster vs. Yorkshire Carnegie (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
American football: NFL week 16
- Monday 24 December: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks (1.10am, live on Sky Sports)
- Tuesday 25 December: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (1am, live on Sky Sports)
Cricket: Test matches
- 25-29 December: New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka (10pm daily start, live on Sky Sports)
- 25-29 December: Australia vs. India (11.30pm daily start, live on BT Sport)
- 26-30 December: South Africa vs. Pakistan (8am daily start, live on Sky Sports)
Darts PDC William Hill World Darts Championship
- 13 December 2018-1 January 2019 (live on Sky Sports)
UFC 232
- Sunday 30 December: Jones vs. Gustafsson II (3am, live on BT Sport)
Carry-On: Taron Egerton's airport thriller is 'unexpectedly watchable'
After each horrific child abuse case, we hear that lessons will be learnt
Crossword: December 21, 2024
Will Gary Lineker's departure be an own goal for the BBC?
The 'Swiss model' shaking up the Champions League
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
Uefa Champions League 2022-2023 guide: group stage draw and key dates
Uefa Champions League final: blame game begins for chaos in Paris
2022 Uefa Champions League final: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid preview, predictions and TV
Karim Benzema: Panenkas, hat-tricks and a Ballon d’Or?
