You've probably been there. It's late August, the heat is finally breaking, and you’re staring at a calendar trying to figure out exactly when the real games begin. There's a lot of noise every year about the NFL start date 2025, and honestly, it’s easy to get the dates mixed up between the Hall of Fame fluff and the actual kickoff.
The short answer? The 2025 NFL regular season officially got underway on Thursday, September 4, 2025.
If you're looking back at the schedule or planning your memorabilia room, that was the night the Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off their Super Bowl LIX victory, hosted the Dallas Cowboys. It wasn't just any game; it was a divisional bloodbath right out of the gate. But the "start" of the NFL is never just one day. It’s a rolling launch that starts in a dusty stadium in Ohio and ends up in places like São Paulo and Dublin.
The Chaos of the Early Calendar
People usually think the season starts when the first tackle is made. Technically, the league year actually flipped way back on March 12, 2025. That’s when the money started moving. But for us, the fans, the "real" clock started ticking at the Hall of Fame Game on July 31, 2025.
That game featured the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Chargers. If you watched it, you know it’s mostly third-stringers fighting for a roster spot, but it’s the first time we see the shield on the field. It’s the appetizer.
Then you have the preseason. It’s three games for every team (unless you played in Canton), and it’s basically three weeks of coaches trying not to get their stars injured while the media overanalyzes a backup quarterback's footwork.
The Real Kickoff: Thursday, September 4
When we talk about the NFL start date 2025, we’re really talking about that Thursday night primetime slot. The league has this tradition where the defending Super Bowl champs host the opener. Since the Eagles took down the trophy in February 2025, Lincoln Financial Field was the epicenter.
The NFL didn't play it safe with the matchup either. Putting Cowboys vs. Eagles as the season opener is a bold move. Usually, they might pick a non-conference opponent to ease into things, but the ratings for a Dallas-Philly game are just too high to pass up.
- Kickoff Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Broadcast: NBC/Peacock
- The Vibe: Hostile, loud, and exactly what football fans waited seven months for.
Why 2025 Was Different: The Friday Night Twist
One thing that caught a lot of people off guard regarding the NFL start date 2025 was what happened the very next night. For the second year in a row, the NFL decided to own Friday night of Week 1.
On September 5, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Los Angeles Chargers. But they weren't in KC or LA. They were in São Paulo, Brazil, at the Corinthians Arena. This was a massive deal for the league's "International Series" expansion.
It's sorta weird seeing football on a Friday, right? Usually, that’s reserved for high school ball, but the NFL is increasingly aggressive about taking over every night of the week. This game was streamed exclusively on YouTube, marking a shift in how the league handles its international broadcasts.
The Full Week 1 Opening Slate
After the Thursday and Friday night spectacles, the rest of the league joined the party on Sunday, September 7. Here’s how that chaotic Sunday looked:
The early 1:00 p.m. ET window was packed. We saw the Raiders at the Patriots, the Bengals at the Browns, and the Dolphins heading to Indy. It’s that classic "RedZone" Sunday where you don't leave the couch for seven hours.
The late afternoon window featured the 49ers at the Seahawks—a massive NFC West rivalry—and the Lions visiting the Packers. Then, the whole weekend wrapped up with the Minnesota Vikings taking on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, September 8.
The Global Expansion Nobody Expected
If you think the Brazil game was the only outlier, you haven't been paying attention to the 2025 schedule. The league went scorched earth on international travel this year.
We had a game in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 4. The Vikings played the Steelers at Croke Park. Then we had the usual London residency:
- Week 5: Vikings vs. Browns (Tottenham)
- Week 6: Broncos vs. Jets (Tottenham)
- Week 7: Rams vs. Jaguars (Wembley)
They even went to Madrid, Spain, in Week 11 for a game at the Santiago Bernabéu. The NFL start date 2025 wasn't just a domestic kickoff; it was the start of the most geographically diverse season in the history of the sport.
Misconceptions About the Schedule Release
A lot of fans get frustrated because they want to book flights in February. But the NFL is a tease. They didn't actually release the full 272-game schedule until Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
There’s this whole "leak season" that happens the week before. You’ll see guys on Twitter claiming they know the Thanksgiving slate or the Christmas games. Speaking of Christmas, 2025 was the year Netflix took over the holiday. They aired two games on Wednesday, December 25: Cowboys vs. Commanders and Lions vs. Vikings.
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It’s a bit of a logistics nightmare for the players, playing on a Wednesday, but the league follows the money, and the money says people watch football while opening presents.
Key Changes to Watch for in the 2025 Season
When the season started on September 4, we weren't just looking at new jerseys. The league made some permanent rule changes that actually affected how the games were played.
- The Kickoff Rule: That "dynamic kickoff" they tested in 2024? They made it permanent for 2025 with one small tweak to the landing zone. It’s meant to bring back the return without the concussions, and honestly, it’s still kinda weird to look at.
- Roster Rules: Teams were given a bit more flexibility with the "Emergency Third Quarterback" rule, allowing that player to come from the practice squad more easily without burning a roster spot.
- Streaming Dominance: If you didn't have Peacock, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Netflix in 2025, you basically couldn't watch the whole season. The fragmentation is real, and it’s something fans are still complaining about.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're tracking the 2025 season or looking ahead to the next cycle, here's how to stay ahead of the curve.
First, check your streaming subscriptions. The NFL isn't just on CBS and FOX anymore. You need to verify which "exclusive" windows your team falls into, especially for those international or holiday games.
Second, if you're planning to attend an international game in the future, bookmark the NFL's official international portal around January. Tickets for games like the Dublin or Madrid contests sell out in minutes, often months before the actual NFL start date 2025.
Finally, keep an eye on the "flexible scheduling" windows. Starting in Week 5, the NFL can move Sunday night games to ensure better matchups. Just because a game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in October doesn't mean it’ll stay there by the time the season kicks off.
The 2025 season has been a massive shift in how the league operates. From the Thursday night kickoff in Philadelphia to the Wednesday afternoon games in December, the "standard" schedule is basically a thing of the past. It’s all about the widest reach and the biggest screens now.