Why are there three NFL games on Christmas Day?
[BBC]The NFL has held at least one match on Christmas Day every year since 2020, with three 25 December fixtures scheduled in 2025.
It has previously held matches on the holiday, but between 1989 and 2019 would only occasionally schedule regular-season games on that date. This only tended to take place in years when Christmas Day would fall on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Earlier this season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that from this year onwards there would be three games held every year on 25 December.
Since 2021, two or three games have taken place on Christmas Day each year, with this year being a three-game day, much like in 2022 and 2023.
All three Christmas Day matches are between teams that have strong rivalries.
The Washington Commanders will host the Dallas Cowboys in the first game of the day, with the Minnesota Vikings playing at home against the Detroit Lions in the second.
In the third and final game of the day the Kansas City Chiefs face the Denver Broncos.
While all three games kick off on Christmas Day in America, because of time zone differences the Chiefs-Broncos game will actually start in the early hours of 26 December at 01:15 GMT.
Streaming site Netflix will show the first two games, as it did in 2024. The third match will be shown on Prime Video.
In 1971, the NFL held its first two Christmas Day matches following the merger between the American Football League and National Football League in the previous year.
Those two matches were play-off games and the unpopularity of the decision to host the Christmas Day double-header led to an 18-year gap before matches were played again on 25 December.
When are the 2025 Christmas Day NFL games?
Singer Taylor Swift, fiancee of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, attended the Chiefs' Christmas Day win in 2024 [Getty Images]All times listed in GMT
- Thursday, 25 December 18:00: Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Commanders
- Thursday, 25 December 21:30: Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings
- Friday, 26 December 01:15: Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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