Who Is in Contention for BBC Sports Personality of the Year?

by Roy Brindley, 17 December 2025

Rory McIlroy is the bookies’ favourite for Thursday’s Sports Personality of the Year despite the Irishman being a beaten favourite in this popularity contest before

Not for the first time, Rory McIlroy is odds-on to collect the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• The BBC Sports Personality of the Year takes place on Thursday.
• Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tops the betting.
• Two Lionesses on the shortlist could mean a costly vote split.
• F1’s outstanding record in the competition bodes well for Lando Norris.

The prestigious Sports Personality of the Year will be awarded on Thursday evening. The 2026 event, broadcast live on BBC1, will feature an interesting twist on traditional proceedings. Maybe not the “high-stakes spectacle” the broadcaster claims, but it could see in-play betting markets give shrewd punters an edge.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy tops the betting. The 36-year-old golfer was installed as the 1/2 favourite when the six-person shortlist was announced on Friday. Online betting sites offered the five-time Major winner at 5/4 odds just three weeks ago.

In what has been a fascinating sporting year, McIlroy is the third sportsperson to top the betting. 2025 began with Luke Littler trading as the favourite. Until the end of October, Chloe Kelly was not only the market principal but also trading as odds-on.

Will New Format Make the Award a High-Stakes Spectacle?

On the night, veteran presenters Clare Balding and Gabby Logan, along with I’m a Celebrity cast-off Alex Scott, will guide viewers through what the BBC describes as “twelve months of extraordinary achievements.” Gary Lineker, who hosted/co-hosted the show for 23 consecutive years, does not have a role.

The organisers also say, “for the show, the contenders will be dramatically narrowed down to a top three live on air, before the overall winner is crowned, making this year’s event an unmissable, high-stakes spectacle.”

Other awards that will be presented on the night include the World Sport Star of the Year, the Helen Rollason Award, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 Contenders

1/2 Rory McIlroy (Golf)

After years of frustration and near misses, McIlroy’s victory at the Masters made him only the sixth man in history to complete a Grand Slam of golf’s four major championships. His dramatic play-off triumph at Augusta was his first victory at a major since 2014.

At the Ryder Cup, McIlroy, 36, shrugged off a hostile crowd to contribute three-and-a-half points as Europe won in America for the first time since 2012. Further wins came at the Players Championship, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Irish Open.

3/1 Lando Norris (Formula 1)

The eleventh Briton to win a Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, Lando Norris won seven races during the sport’s 24-race season. However, the Bristolian was 34 points adrift of Oscar Piastri with a third of the season remaining.

Only a strong run of podium finishes and back-to-back wins in Mexico and Brazil put the 26-year-old into the championship lead, and then he needed to hold his nerve in the season’s finale – when Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri could have won the title – to secure McLaren’s first drivers’ championship since 2008.

6/1 Chloe Kelly (Football)

Part of England’s European Championship and Arsenal’s Champions League winning sides, 27-year-old Chloe Kelly scored the decisive penalty in the Lionesses’ defence of their European trophy.

Despite not starting a match, her contributions to the England side at the European Championship were impressive. Kelly netted a penalty in the quarter-final shootout and scored a last-gasp winner against Italy in the semi-finals.

25/1 Luke Littler (Darts)

Two weeks after collecting the Young Sports Personality of the Year award in December 2024, Luke Littler became the youngest PDC world champion in darts history, aged just 17.

UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, and Grand Slam of Darts titles followed, enabling the teenager to rise to world number one in the rankings. At 18, Littler is the youngest man to do so – smashing the previous record set by a then 24-year-old Michael van Gerwen.

50/1 Ellie Kildunne (Rugby Union)

Kildunne scored five tries and played a crucial role in England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup victory on home soil. Scoring twice for the Red Roses against France in the semi-finals, the 27-year-old had a record crowd on their feet as she scored a solo try against Canada in the final.

Earlier in the year, Kildunne scored four tries as England recorded a Grand Slam in retaining its Six Nations title. At club level, Kildunne scored 14 tries for Harlequins. In 2024, she was named World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year.

125/1 Hannah Hampton (Football)

Hampton’s heroics in saving two spot-kicks in a penalty shootout helped England win the European Championship final. She was named Player of the Match and included in the Team of the Tournament.

At club level, the 25-year-old played a key role in Chelsea’s domestic treble and was the joint winner of the WSL’s Golden Glove award with 13 clean sheets in 22 games. Hampton’s spectacular 2025 saw her collect the Yashin Trophy for the world’s best female goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or awards.

What is the best 2026 Sports Personality of the Year Bet?

2026 may not be a vintage Sports Personality year, but the presence of two female footballers makes it an intriguing competition. Chloe Kelly was strongly fancied to continue the excellent form of female footballers and join 2022 winner, Beth Mead and Mary Earps (2023) on the Roll of Honour.

However, the added presence of Hannah Hampton will only serve to split the vote of football fans, and neither can now be fancied to prevail. Ellie Kildunne is also easily dismissed, as women’s rugby lags behind in the popularity stakes.

McIlroy’s credentials cannot be questioned. He was long odds-on favourite to collect this award in 2014, but the golfer was beaten by Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton by a convincing margin of 209,920 votes to 123,745.

An Own Goal by the Golfer

At the time, his comments about representing Ireland rather than the UK at the 2016 Olympics likely cost the Northern Irishman dearly. Nevertheless, it is the popularity of golf amongst potential voters – or the lack of it – that could work against him.

Only twice has a golfer won this award: Nick Faldo in 1989 and Dai Rees in 1957. Formula 1 does not have this problem. The sport has produced eight previous winners and nine second-placed finishers. These stats suggest Lando Norris is in a prime position.

Luke Littler, given he took second place in 2024’s Sports Personality of the Year and went on to win the darts world championship and dominate his sport, appears over-priced at 25/1. If any betting firm offers an each-way market on the night, this could be a great bet.

A spectacular win in the final race of the Formula 1 season would have made Lando Norris a strong fancy – as it was, he got the job done with a safe third-place effort. But his sport, fuelled by Netflix documentaries and a Brad Pitt movie, is riding on the crest of a wave.

This fanbase and proven popularity amongst voters in this event make Lando Norris the logical choice in a line-up where so many rivals carry negatives.