Sport on TV · Boxing Day
Boxing Day 2026: sport on TV, football and cricket times
Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December 2026: the Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne and Centurion and the 6 football games picked for the main UK channels. First: Australia vs New Zealand, Boxing Day Test, day 1 at 23:30 UK time on Friday (10:30 am local); last: Newcastle United vs Manchester City at 20:00.
Football has 48 matches in England and Scotland that day; the other 42 (most of them live on Sky Sports+) are on the Boxing Day football page, linked below.
Starts Friday 25 December 2026Add to calendarBig times are in your own time zone.
Start times around the world
| Where you are | First start | Last start |
|---|---|---|
| Your time (UK) | ||
| UK & Ireland (London, Dublin, GMT) | Fri 25 Dec, 23:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 20:00 |
| Central Europe | Sat 26 Dec, 00:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 21:00 |
| Nigeria (Lagos, WAT) | Sat 26 Dec, 00:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 21:00 |
| US & Canada Eastern | Fri 25 Dec, 6:30 pm | Sat 26 Dec, 3:00 pm |
| US Central | Fri 25 Dec, 5:30 pm | Sat 26 Dec, 2:00 pm |
| US Mountain | Fri 25 Dec, 4:30 pm | Sat 26 Dec, 1:00 pm |
| US Pacific | Fri 25 Dec, 3:30 pm | Sat 26 Dec, 12:00 pm |
| Mexico City | Fri 25 Dec, 5:30 pm | Sat 26 Dec, 2:00 pm |
| Brazil (São Paulo) | Fri 25 Dec, 20:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 17:00 |
| Argentina | Fri 25 Dec, 20:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 17:00 |
| South Africa (SAST) and Central Africa (CAT) | Sat 26 Dec, 01:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 22:00 |
| Saudi Arabia and East Africa (Nairobi) | Sat 26 Dec, 02:30 | Sat 26 Dec, 23:00 |
| UAE | Sat 26 Dec, 03:30 | Sun 27 Dec, 00:00 |
| India (IST) | Sat 26 Dec, 5:00 am | Sun 27 Dec, 1:30 am |
| Philippines & Malaysia | Sat 26 Dec, 7:30 am | Sun 27 Dec, 4:00 am |
| Australia (Sydney, AEDT) | Sat 26 Dec, 10:30 am | Sun 27 Dec, 7:00 am |
| New Zealand | Sat 26 Dec, 12:30 pm | Sun 27 Dec, 9:00 am |
Boxing Day on UK TV, in time order
| Your time | At the venue | Match | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 25 Dec 23:30 | 10:30 local 23:30 UK · 6:30 pm ET | Australia vs New Zealand, Boxing Day Test, day 1 Cricket · Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne | Not announced yet |
| Sat 26 Dec 08:00 | 10:00 local 08:00 UK · 3:00 am ET | South Africa vs England, Boxing Day Test, day 1 Cricket · SuperSport Park, Centurion | Sky Sports Cricket and NOW |
| Sat 26 Dec 12:30 | 12:30 local 12:30 UK · 7:30 am ET | Aston Villa vs Leeds United Football · Premier League · Villa Park, Birmingham | TNT Sports |
| Sat 26 Dec 12:30 | 12:30 local 12:30 UK · 7:30 am ET | Sheffield United vs Middlesbrough Football · Championship · Bramall Lane, Sheffield | Sky Sports |
| Sat 26 Dec 15:00 | 15:00 local 15:00 UK · 10:00 am ET | Peterborough United vs Wycombe Wanderers Football · League One · Weston Homes Stadium (London Road), Peterborough | Sky Sports |
| Sat 26 Dec 17:30 | 17:30 local 17:30 UK · 12:30 pm ET | Hull City vs Liverpool Football · Premier League · MKM Stadium, Hull | Sky Sports |
| Sat 26 Dec 17:45 | 17:45 local 17:45 UK · 12:45 pm ET | Kilmarnock vs Rangers Football · Scottish Premiership · Rugby Park (BBSP Stadium), Kilmarnock | Premier Sports |
| Sat 26 Dec 20:00 | 20:00 local 20:00 UK · 3:00 pm ET | Newcastle United vs Manchester City Football · Premier League · St James' Park, Newcastle | Sky Sports |
In time order; football home side first. The 42 other football matches are on the Boxing Day football page. TV: the UK channel.
Every detail of each Boxing Day event, with its own times and channels: Australia vs New Zealand, Boxing Day Test, Boxing Day football 2026, South Africa vs England, Boxing Day Test.
Every date still to come is on the Premier League fixtures, kick-off times and TV channels page.
Where to watch
| Country | Where to watch | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| All countries | VVOLTIX Ad Every sport and every channel in one IPTV subscription: 55,000+ live channels from 80+ countries, PPV and events included | From $6.66 a month for all of it. Free trial, no card |
| Australia | Cricket (Australia vs New Zealand): Seven and 7plus; Cricket (Australia vs New Zealand): Fox Cricket (Foxtel) and Kayo Sports | Free-to-air; Subscription |
| New Zealand | Cricket (Australia vs New Zealand): Sky Sport (Sky NZ) (last year's broadcaster) | Subscription |
| US and Canada | Cricket (Australia vs New Zealand): Willow (last year's broadcaster) | Subscription |
| India | Cricket (Australia vs New Zealand): Star Sports and JioHotstar (JioStar) (last year's broadcaster) | Subscription |
| UK | Football: Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Premier Sports (game by game, in the table above); Cricket (South Africa vs England): Sky Sports Cricket and NOW | Subscription |
| US (Premier League) | Football: NBC Sports: NBC, USA Network and Peacock | Peacock and USA Network need a subscription |
| South Africa | Cricket (South Africa vs England): SuperSport (DStv) | Subscription |
The row marked Ad is advertising. Every other row is the official broadcaster there.
Quick answers
- What sport is on TV on Boxing Day 2026?
- Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December 2026: the Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne and Centurion and the 6 football games picked for the main UK channels. First: Australia vs New Zealand, Boxing Day Test, day 1 at 23:30 UK time on Friday (10:30 am local); last: Newcastle United vs Manchester City at 20:00.
- What time does the first Boxing Day game start?
- Australia vs New Zealand, Boxing Day Test, day 1 starts at 10:30 am local time, which is 23:30 on Friday UK time and 6:30 pm ET.
Sources
Checked 26 October 2026. We update this page when a time, card or broadcaster changes.
- cricket.com.au: international schedule 2026-27
- MCG: international cricket schedule confirmed for 2026-27
- Sky Sports: Championship 2026/27 season fixtures, dates, schedule and how to watch (25 Jun 2026)
- Sky Sports: Live EFL 2026/27 fixtures on Sky Sports, Championship, League One, League Two games, dates, kick-off times (23 Oct 2026)
- Sky Group: How to watch the 2026/27 EFL season on Sky Sports (25 Jun 2026)
- Bolton Wanderers FC: More Fixtures Confirmed By Sky Sports For Live Broadcast (30 Jul 2026)
- ESPN UK: Championship fixtures, 26 Dec 2026
- ESPN UK: League One fixtures, 26 Dec 2026
- ESPN UK: League Two fixtures, 26 Dec 2026
- ESPN UK: Scottish Premiership fixtures, 26 Dec 2026