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Chloe Kelly and Rory McIlroy are the leading frontrunners for the Sports Personality of the Year award
Jamie BraidwoodMonday 24 November 2025 06:00 GMTComments
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The BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards will take place in Salford on Thursday 18 December.
The final shortlist for the main prize has yet to be announced but the competition for the prestigious award is set to be fierce after a sensational year of sporting drama.
It began in January with Luke Littler’s historic victory at the World Darts Championships at the age of just 17, followed by Rory McIlroy sensationally ending his quest to win the Masters at Augusta and competing golf’s grand slam.
The summer was dominated by two brilliant team triumphs, with the Lionesses becoming the first England side to win a major tournament on foreign soil as they defended their European crown at Euro 2025 and the Red Roses lifting the World Cup at a sold-out Twickenham.
The British and Irish Lions won their Test series in Australia and Europe’s golfers conquered the United States away from home to retain the Ryder Cup across three stunning days at Bethpage Black.
It hasn’t started so well for England’s cricketers in the Ashes but Lando Norris could yet become Britain’s latest F1 world champion as the title fight goes down to the final two races of the season. With all that in mind, here’s everything you need to know ahead of SPOTY 2025.
When is the BBC Sports Personality of the Year?
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards will take place on Thursday 18 December, from 7pm until 9pm. Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott will host the awards from MediaCity in Salford. The final shortlists for the awards will be announced in December.
Who is favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year?
Chloe Kelly - 6/4
With her trademark penalty run-up and unwavering confidence, Kelly’s impact from the bench rescued the Lionesses at Euro 2025 and then delivered glory for Sarina Wiegman’s side as they defended their European title in Switzerland. Despite not starting a single match, Kelly inspired the comeback against Sweden in the quarter-finals, scored the winner against Italy in the semi-finals, and netted the decisive penalty in the shoot-out win over Spain as the Lionesses became the first England team to win a major honour abroad. What a run.
Kelly could have quit football at the start of the year as she was frozen out at Manchester City. But a loan move to Arsenal was the spark she needed and her resilience in coming back summed up England’s campaign. With over 16.2 million watching England’s win over Spain, the biggest TV audience of the year, don’t rule out Kelly following Beth Mead and Mary Earps and a Lionesses winning SPOTY for the third time in four years.
- What we wrote: The secret to Chloe Kelly’s unbreakable confidence
open image in gallery(REUTERS)Rory McIlroy - 6/4
This has to be McIlroy’s best chance of finally winning SPOTY, a position reflected by the fact that he is planning on attending the ceremony for the first time in a decade. If you could script a year in a golf, you would write it like this, with McIlroy ending his long quest for the holy grail at the Masters on an astonishing final day at Augusta that wrecked the nerves of everyone else watching at home. On the brink of another collapse, he stared his vulnerabilities in the face and defied them in a career defining display that summed up his unique appeal.
And yet, what actually might swing it for McIlroy was what he faced at Bethpage Black, as he was targeted with vile and personal abuse from the US fans at the Ryder Cup, and what he delivered again as he helped lead Luke Donald’s team to a stunning victory away from home. “I made my dreams come true at Augusta, then to do what we’ve done... I don’t think there will be a better year in my golfing career,” McIlroy said.
- What we wrote: Insults, police and Rory McIlroy’s wrath - How the Ryder Cup boiled over at Bethpage Black
open image in gallery(Getty)Lando Norris - 3/1
The McLaren driver’s chances could rise or fall based on the next few weeks, where he will take a 24-point lead over Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen into the final two races of the F1 season. But if Norris joins the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Jackie Stewart and becomes the 11th British driver to win the F1 World Championship then the popular 26-year-old may have timed his bid to perfection.
With seven race wins this season, Norris has dealt with set-backs impressively and shown admirable toughness to emerge from a potentially bitter fight with team-mate Piastri in charge of the title fight. Now it’s about taking his place among the greats.
- What we wrote: No alcohol and ignoring the haters – how Lando Norris seized control of F1 title race
open image in gallery(Getty)Luke Littler - 16/1
The darts sensation was the runner-up in last year’s SPOTY to Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, and yet the biggest result of his young career came just a few weeks later when he defeated Michael van Gerwen in the Ally Pally final to become the youngest world champion of all time, aged 17 years and 347 days.
Littler is once again disadvantaged that his signature moment came so long ago but he has continued to dominate throughout the season, winning the World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts to become the youngest World No 1 in darts history.
- What we wrote: Luke Littler fulfils destiny to become youngest darts world champion
open image in galleryWorld number one and defending champion Littler enters the tournament as top seed (Getty Images)Hannah Hampton - 33/1
The SPOTY shortlist has yet to be released, so there is a chance that there is only one England player who is in contention for the final award. That said, Hampton is here because she was England’s best player throughout the whole of Euro 2025 and was arguably player of the tournament ahead of Spain’s Aitana Bonmati. The goalkeeper was under huge pressure following the shock retirement of Mary Earps but made key stops throughout England’s run to the final and was then the hero in the shoot-out as she saved from Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey.
Of course, there would be plenty of irony in Hampton following Earps in becoming SPOTY, given the former goalkeeper said in her recent documentary. Hampton, though, did her talking through her performances on the pitch, and can also claim to have had a more successful season overall than England team-mate Chloe Kelly as a result of Chelsea’s unbeaten domestic treble.
- What we wrote: Hannah Hampton’s comeback story defies belief and leads England to Euro 2025 glory
open image in galleryHampton made two penalty saves in the final victory over Spain (Getty Images)Ellie Kildunne - 50/1
In a transformative, triumphant summer for the Red Roses, in which they reclaimed the Women’s World Rugby Cup and lifted it high in front of a record 80,000 at Twickenham, it was the magical, twinkling feet of Ellie Kildunne that often led the way.
In a team sport, Kildunne possesses the individual brilliance and highlight reel that may prove popular among SPOTY voters, from her outrageous second against France in the semi-finals to powering through to score England’s first against Canada in the World Cup final. It may make the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year an outside shot for the main award.
- What we wrote: England banish Women’s World Cup woe as Red Roses crown dominance in front of record crowd
open image in galleryKildunne bites her World Cup winners medal (PA Wire)Changes to Team of the Year award
The ‘Team of the Year’ award will now be determined by a live public vote.
In recent years, only the main Sports Personality of the Year award has been chosen on the night from the seven award categories, but voting will now extend to the team prize.
This is going to be as competitive as the main award in a year where the Lionesses defended their European crown at Euro 2025, the Red Roses won the Rugby World Cup on home soil, Europe’s golfers won the Ryder Cup away from home, and the British and Irish Lions triumphed against Australia.
That’s without mentioning Liverpool’s Premier League title, Crystal Palace’s FA Cup success, Arsenal’s Women’s Champions League victory, and McLaren’s potential double in the F1 drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
open image in galleryThe Lionesses won Team of the Year in 2022 after lifting the Euros and defended their title at Euro 2025 (Getty Images)Other awards
- World Sport Star of the Year
- Helen Rollason award
- Young Sports Personality of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement award
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BBC Sports Personality of the YearRory McIlroyChloe KellyLuke LittlerLando NorrisEllie KildunneHannah HamptonLionessesBritish and Irish LionsRed RosesJoin our commenting forum
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