Sports Personality of the Year 2025 live: McIlroy favourite as top three revealed for prestigious BBC award

What a year for McIlroy – finally winning the Masters to complete the career grand slam and adding an away Ryder Cup triumph.

So that means the Spoty 2025 top three looks like this.

Here it comes… It’s RORY MCILROY who win Sports Personality of the Year 2025.

No arguments there. What a year, what a winner! Huge roars as he comes on to the stage!

Thieryr Henry announces the runner-up first of all and it’s Ellie Kildunne! The Red Roses star finishes second.

Rory v Lando for the main award. The other one finishing third.

On to the main award now, the final one of the evening.

Will Rory McIlroy, Lando Norris or Ellie Kildunne be named Sports Personality of the Year for 2025?

Last year’s winner Keely Hodgkinson and tonight’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner Thierry Henry are presenting it.

Straight on to Team of the Year now. This one was a public vote between the Lionesses, the Red Roses and the European Ryder Cup team…

It’s the European Ryder Cup team! Their away win in the US in September has earned them this win. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood up on stage to collect it. Well deserved!

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Lucy Bronze are on stage to present the award.

And no, it’s not Littler! Lionesses star Michelle Agyemang wins the award as Littler is denied going back to back. That’s a surprise.

That’s it, voting for Sports Personality of the Year 2025 has closed. It’s locked in, the votes will now be counted and verified.

Just a couple of awards left before we find out the main winner.

It’s Young Sports Personality of the Year next up. Darts star Luke Littler, footballer Michelle Agyemang and cricket tyro Davina Perrin are up for this one. Surely Littler’s?

Lionesses Chloe Kelly, Hannah Hampton and Lucy Bronze have revealed who has inspired them the most in their sporting careers.

The footballers spoke to The Independent on the red carpet at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards this evening.

Hampton said: “For me, 100 percent my family, they’ve helped me through tough moments.

“My brother’s given up his own sporting, career to help me get to the top of mine,. I’ve always been admired by my brother’s strength and determination to get to where he’s got to.

Kelly said: “Kelly Smith at the start of my career, being able to look up to such an amazing role model, for sure, Kelly Smith.”

Bronze added: “The person who inspired me the most ever has always been Kelly Holmes. She’s the first woman that I watched on TV at any sport be strong, be fearless, and successful.”

It’s a typically emotional tribute to all those from the world of sport who have died this year.

There’s a big list of names, from the likes of Ricky Hatton, Diogo Jota and Matt Beard to George Foreman, Dickie Bird and Eddie Jordan.

Bantam of the Opera, a 50-strong choir of Bradford fans created to honour victims of the Bradford Fire perform the club’s anthem Midland Road over the video of the departed.

Sarina Wiegman is cheered as she comes on stage to accept her Coach of the Year Award.

“It’s an excellent honour to be here again,” says Wiegman. “Thank you so much BBC and the judges. I also would like to congratulate all the coaches who have been so successful with their teams over this last summer.

“I’ve been part of a tremendous team, an incredible group of players and staff. You know what we saw over the summer. Of course we played crazy matches, especially with the games that we had to win and sorry that we made you have lots of heart attacks! I was not the only one who got heart attacks but a lot more people as well!

“We were so together as a team. The togetherness in this team was so incredible and that was so special to be part of.

“My husband is here, which is very special for me too. I have to thank my family who are always so supportive. Especially when I went to England, another country, that’s hard. It’s a challenge for me, it was also a challenge for my family, so thank you Martin for your support all the time.”