What is the December 2023 sports calendar?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
The ball doesn't stop rolling: European leagues continue
Spain's LaLiga, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1, the Netherlands' Eredivisie and Portugal's Primeira Liga will continue throughout December, although there will be a short break due to the holidays. However, it’s the English Premier League that is the one to watch over the holiday season with its now famously hectic schedule during the festive period. Matches on the 23rd of December, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are all on the docket in what is always must-see football. The Italian Serie A has also adapted to this type of schedule and have now eliminated the Christmas break. Teams will play matches up to the 23rd and continue with the next matchday on the 29th and 30th, surely to the delight of Serie A fans around the world.
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Action-packed NBA season continues through the holidays
The 2023-24 basketball season has no pause in the United States and the NBA will be playing throughout the month. The jam-packed regular season means teams will be playing right through the year-end holidays. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and the 22 remaining teams of the Eastern and Western Conference continue in their pursuit for the Larry O’Brien trophy. One of the highlights of the NBA season is always the Christmas Day games, which often see some of the best regular season matchups of the year. Fans will have plenty of action to bet on all month long with multiple games on every single night.
The start of the European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Champions Cup is one of the most intriguing tournaments in the sport of rugby. The 2023-24 edition kicks off on December 8 and features the 20 strongest teams from England, France, Italy, Scotland, Scotland, South Africa, Wales, Georgia and Ireland. The teams will be involved in group stage action in the month of December, with the knockout playoff rounds taking place later on in 2024. It is crucial to check the fixture in order not to lose sight of the most important matches.
- From December 8 to May 24
UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington
MMA will provide a luxurious closing for its fans. On Dec. 9, at the APEX in Las Vegas, UFC Fight Night will feature Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez on the main card, while Anthony Smith vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. stands out as another one of the more attractive fights. UFC 296 takes place on the 16th of the month with the centerpiece fight featuring Leon Edwards defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington. However, it won't be the only belt fight as flyweight Alexandre Pantoja will square off against Brandon Royval.
Boxing: not hanging up the gloves yet
There’s plenty of action left in 2023 for fans of the sweet science. Dubbed "the Day of Reckoning," the 23rd of December holds one of the best boxing cards the sport has seen in recent memory. Eight fights are set to take place in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh including some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division. The headlining fights of the night are Deontay Wilder (43-2-1 42 KOs) vs Joseph Parker (33-3 23 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (26-3 23 KOs) vs Otto Wallin (26-1 14 KOs). As for what's at stake: Wilder and Joshua will likely clash at some point in 2024 should they both win their fights. Joseph Parker will also be gunning for a rematch against Joshua should he be able to get past Wilder in Saudi Arabia. Should Otto Wallin upset the odds on the 23rd, then a rematch with Anthony Joshua would be a strong possibility. Another interesting fight on the card is Daniel Dubois (19-2 18 KOs) vs Jarrell Miller (26-0-1 22 KOs). The winner of this clash would be in an excellent position to secure more lucrative fights in the coming year. Rounding out the rest of the night is Dmitrii Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur, Jai Opetaia vs Ellis Zorro, Filip Hrgovic vs Mark De Mori, Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Agit Kabayel and Frank Sanchez vs Junior Fa
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Tennis: the 2024 ATP circuit season begins
The 2024 season on the tennis circuit will start with two tournaments in Australia, as it does every year. On December 28, the United Cup, a mixed male and female tournament, will bring together the best athletes from countries such as Poland (Iga Swiatek), Serbia (Novak Djokovic), Norway (Casper Ruud), Greece (Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sákkari), Czech Republic (Markéta Vondrousová and Jirí Lehecka), Germany (Alexander Zverev), Chile (Nicolás Jarry) and Australia (Ajla Tomljanovic and Álex de Miñaur). Three days later, the ATP 250 in Brisbane will be inaugurated, which will mark the expected return of Rafael Nadal, almost 12 months since his last match (Australian Open). The Spaniard will begin his farewell campaign.
- December 28: United Cup
- December 31: Brisbane ATP 250
