22 countries where footy is being played on Christmas Day – from Turkey to Japan

Football fans who simply can't wait until Boxing Day can still get their fix – with games being played in 22 countries on Christmas Day.

The idea of footy being scheduled on December 25 is an alien concept in the Western world. The last time it happened in the professional game in England was all the way back in 1965, when Blackburn Rovers beat Blackpool 1-0.

However, there is of course a large portion of the world who don't celebrate the Christian holiday. So there's plenty of action kicking off in those nations.

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It's business as usual in many African countries. Matches are being played in Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia.

And it's a similar story in Asia, with games lined up in Hong Kong, India and Japan. Most Middle Eastern countries have fixtures going ahead in their top flights.

Will you be keeping up with football on Christmas Day? Let us know in the comments section.

The Azerbaijan Premier League, Iran's Persian Gulf Pro League, Iraq's Super League, the Israel Premier League, the Saudi Professional League, and the United Arab Emirates League feature games on Christmas.

That won't be welcome news for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is nearing a move to Saudi side Al-Nassr. Elsewhere, perhaps the most prominent country to play on is Turkey.

Galatasaray have a home match against Istanbulspor while Besiktas, who Dele Alli is on loan to from Everton, travel to Gaziantep.

List of countries where football is being played on Christmas Day:

  • Azerbaijan
  • Benin
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Guinea
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Niger
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sierra Leone
  • Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates

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