Boxing Day football is as much of a tradition as sprouts, stockings and Santa.
And fans this year can enjoy a packed day of almost wall-to-wall games as you begin to tuck into those turkey sandwich leftovers for the first time. There’s a full fixture card in the Scottish Premiership with an Edinburgh derby to look forward to as both Hearts and Hibs look to pull clear of the drop – and force their rivals deeper into relegation danger. Fans can also watch Rangers take on St Mirren or choose from a whopping five 3pm kick-offs in the English Premier League.
If the English Football League is more your thing, then almost every single club is scheduled to be in action – and all on TV – whilst the more adventurous fan could even enjoy matches from the Welsh or Indian top flights if they were keen to find something different to keep them entertained. Feeling overwhelmed? Fear not, Record Sport has compiled a list to help you navigate the options – and work out how best to spend December 26.
Game 1
Fans can start their Boxing Day by watching Manchester City against Everton on Amazon Prime if Premier League football is their thing. Or they can choose the more sensible option and pick a blood and thunder Edinburgh derby to test just how quickly the season of goodwill ends as Hearts welcome Hibs to Tynecastle. There are a few more left-field early options too from both the Indian and Welsh top flights.
- Hearts vs Hibs – 12.30pm – Sky Sports Football
- Manchester City vs Everton – 12.30pm – Amazon Prime Video
- Leyton Orient v Crawley Town – 1pm – Sky Sports +
- Punjab FC v Mohun Bagan – 2pm – OneFootball
- Caernarfon Town v The New Saints – 2.30pm – S4C
Game 2
Okay, this is where the choice becomes a bit overwhelming – with more than 50 3pm kick-offs available to stream or watch from the top six (yes, six!) divisions of English football. Every match from the EFL Championship, League One and League Two is available on Sky Sports +. That includes Ben Doak’s Middlesbrough against Sheffield Wednesday as well as documentary stars Wrexham playing host to Blackpool.
If you want to drop further down the pyramid DAZN has live coverage from the National League and National League South. Most fans however will be plumping for Premier League action on Amazon Prime, with five tasty ties to pick from.
- AFC Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace – 3pm – Amazon Prime
- Chelsea vs Fulham – 3pm – Amazon Prime
- Newcastle United vs Aston Villa – 3pm – Amazon Prime
- Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur 3pm – Amazon Prime
- Southampton vs West Ham United 3pm – Amazon Prime
Game 3
After a quick break it’s then time for the tea time matches – and thankfully there’s a Scottish offering on the menu, as St Mirren welcome Rangers to Paisley in a huge game for Philippe Clement’s men as they attempt to warm-up for the new year derby by closing the gap to Celtic. It’s one of four offerings in early evening slot, with four broadcasters having a match each.
- Wolves vs Manchester United – 5.30pm – Amazon Prime
- Derby County vs West Brom – 5.30pm – Sky Sports Football
- Oldham Athletic vs York City – 5.30pm – DAZN
- St Mirren vs Rangers – 5.45pm – Premier Sports 1
Game 4
All footballed out yet? Hopefully not, because there’s still time to squeeze in one more live match with Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool in action, as they welcome an old foe in the shape of Ruud van Nistelrooy to Anfield with his Leicester City squad. As with every kick-off slot on Boxing Day though, there’s another option – this time from the English Championship as Leeds United visit Stoke.
- Liverpool vs Leicester City – 8pm – Amazon Prime
- Stoke City vs Leeds United – 8pm – Sky Sports
What time is Match of the Day on Boxing Day?
Still have that remote control? Good, because you’ll need it. There’s still another three hours of football to watch on the box. Match of the Day kicks off at 10.40pm to bring you all the highlights from the English Premier League, before Sportscene at 00.10am with all the action from the Scottish Premiership – including Celtic’s meeting with Motherwell. That takes you all the way until 1.40am on December 27, when it probably is time to get to sleep.