NFL 2025 key dates & fixtures - Christmas Day, play-offs & Super Bowl 60
When does the NFL season start?
Since 2004, the opening game of the NFL season has featured the defending champions.The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans in February so will host this season's kick-off game.They will welcome their divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, 4 September (01:20 BST, 5 September).The season's first international game will take place the following day in Sao Paulo (01:00 BST, 6 September), where the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers last season in the first NFL game to be held in Brazil.This time round the Los Angeles Chargers will be the designated 'home' team against the Chiefs, who were denied a record third straight Super Bowl win by the Eagles in February.It will be the first NFL game to be streamed live and for free to a worldwide audience on YouTube.
What are the NFL's Thanksgiving and Christmas Day games?
Football is a big part of the holidays in the US. The Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving game every year since 1934 and this season they welcome the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, 27 November (18:00 GMT).After hosting their first Thanksgiving game in 1966, only twice have the Dallas Cowboys not played on the holiday, and this year 'America's Team' face the Chiefs (21:30 GMT).The Baltimore Ravens then complete the Thanksgiving triple-header at home to the Cincinnati Bengals (01:20 GMT, 28 November).In 2023, the NFL played its first game on Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - and this year the Eagles host the Chicago Bears in a game which will be broadcast on Amazon Prime (20:00 GMT).After streaming two games on Christmas Day last season, Netflix will again feature two festive fixtures, with the Washington Commanders hosting the Cowboys (18:00 GMT) before the Minnesota Vikings welcome the Lions (21:30 GMT).There is even a third Christmas game this year as Amazon Prime will show Kansas City's home match with the Denver Broncos (01:15 GMT, 26 December).
When are the NFL London games?
As well as returning to Sao Paulo for the opening international game of 2025, the NFL will stage regular-season games in Ireland and Spain for the first time.Germany will have its fifth regular-season game, with Berlin playing host for the first time, and there will again be three games in London - between 5 and 19 October.This year the Minnesota Vikings will make history by becoming the first NFL team to play in three countries in one season, as they will visit Dublin and London in back-to-back weeks.Friday, 5 September - Kansas City Chiefs v Los Angeles Chargers (Sao Paulo)Sunday, 28 September - Minnesota Vikings v Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin)Sunday, 5 October - Minnesota Vikings v Cleveland Browns (Tottenham, London)Sunday, 12 October - Denver Broncos v New York Jets (Tottenham, London)Sunday, 19 October - Los Angeles Rams v Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley, London)Sunday, 9 November - Atlanta Falcons v Indianapolis Colts (Berlin)Sunday, 16 November - Washington Commanders v Miami Dolphins (Madrid)
How many games are there in the NFL season?
The NFL season is spread over 18 weeks, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week.The regular season will end on Sunday, 4 January 2026, with the play-offs scheduled to begin on 10 January.There are a total of 272 games across the regular season, followed by 13 in the post-season, culminating with the NFL's championship game - the Super Bowl.
When is the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl 60 will be played on 8 February 2026 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, home of the San Francisco 49ers.It will be the second time the 68,500-capacity stadium has hosted the big game, after the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.It will be the third time the NFL's championship game has been held in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Stanford Stadium having hosted the 49ers' win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 19.
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