NFL Christmas Game Schedule and Teams
The National Football League has scheduled Christmas Day games in multiple recent seasons, typically featuring three games on December 25 when the date falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The league rotates matchups among its 32 teams, with priority given to divisional and conference rivals, and games are broadcast across CBS, Fox, and NBC depending on the broadcast window. The Christmas schedule is part of the NFL's regular-season final weeks, which run from late December into early January, and the exact teams are confirmed only after the schedule is finalized in the spring. For current and historical game details, see the official NFL schedule page at NFL.com Schedules.
In recent years, the NFL has added Christmas Day games to the regular-season slate, with the 2022 and 2023 holiday windows featuring tripleheaders that drew large audiences and ad revenue. The league typically avoids scheduling Christmas games on weekdays to align with traditional family viewing, and when Christmas falls on a Monday, the NFL usually holds its normal Monday Night Football slate instead of a special holiday window. The Christmas games are treated as premium regular-season matchups, not postseason events, and they count the same toward playoff seeding as any other week.
Broadcast Partners and Viewership Data
CBS, Fox, and NBC rotate Christmas Day broadcast rights based on the weekly schedule, with each network airing one or more games depending on the year and the position of Christmas within the final weeks of the regular season. The NFL's broadcast deals with these networks, along with Amazon Prime Video for Thursday Night Football, generate billions in annual revenue, and Christmas games are among the most-watched regular-season windows each year. The league does not publicly break out Christmas-specific revenue, but Christmas games consistently rank among the top-rated regular-season broadcasts and contribute to the overall value of the NFL's media rights portfolio. For broadcast rights and media deal details, see the official NFL media information at NFL Media.
Viewership for Christmas Day NFL games has remained strong in recent years, with the 2022 Christmas tripleheader drawing tens of millions of viewers across broadcast and streaming platforms. The NFL's Christmas schedule overlaps with the final weeks of the regular season, which means the games directly affect playoff positioning and therefore attract high casual and dedicated viewership alike. Amazon's Prime Video Thursday Night Football package, which sometimes includes Christmas-week games, adds a streaming dimension to the holiday schedule and expands the league's digital audience.
Revenue, Sponsorships, and Holiday Marketing Impact
Christmas Day NFL games drive significant advertising revenue because the games air in a premium time window with large, engaged audiences, and advertisers pay premium rates for spots during the holiday window. The league's media-rights agreements with CBS, Fox, NBC, and Amazon are structured around total viewership across the season, and Christmas games contribute to the high overall ratings that justify the billions in annual rights fees. The NFL also leverages Christmas games for holiday-themed promotions, in-stadium entertainment, and sponsor activations that extend the commercial impact beyond the broadcast itself. For financial and sponsorship context, see the NFL's official business overview at NFL Business.
Team-level revenue from Christmas games includes ticket sales, local broadcast shares, and in-venue spending, and the holiday window can provide a financial boost for franchises in the final weeks of the regular season. The NFL's holiday schedule also intersects with year-end corporate marketing campaigns, as brands use Christmas game audiences to promote products and services tied to the season. The league's financial reporting is handled through its private structure and individual team filings, but the Christmas schedule is a visible part of the NFL's broader annual revenue strategy that includes media rights, sponsorships, and licensing.