Just as the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are synonymous with Thanksgiving football, the Kansas City Chiefs are making a play to own Christmas Day. According to The Athletic, after back-to-back appearances on the league’s Christmas slate, the Chiefs have formally requested to become a permanent fixture on the holiday. With the NFL’s ongoing emphasis on marquee matchups in prime slots, it’s likely that Kansas City will once again be featured when the league sets its Christmas Day schedule for 2025.
The NFL has already announced a three-game Christmas lineup for 2025, with two games on Netflix and one on Amazon Prime Video. Since Christmas occurs on a Thursday this year—Amazon’s typical night for Thursday Night Football—Prime Video will showcase a game as part of its existing rights.
If last year’s Chiefs-Steelers broadcast is any indication, Kansas City’s presence on Christmas is not merely about star power; it also translates to ratings success. The game was highly praised for its top-notch production, and the holiday slate generated impressive viewership numbers, with the early matchup averaging 24.1 million viewers, while the Texans-Ravens game in the afternoon attracted 24.3 million. The NFL is built on bankable brands, and as long as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce remain in uniform, the Chiefs will continue to be a primetime favorite.
Moreover, Christmas isn’t the only notable event Kansas City is being considered for. The Athletic’s Nate Taylor and Daniel Popper reported that the Chiefs are the front-runners to face the Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil, marking the NFL’s second-ever game in South America. This matchup is currently up for bid among the league’s broadcast partners, but given the Chiefs’ status as one of the league’s biggest attractions, they are the ideal choice to help anchor the NFL’s global expansion efforts.
