The NFL has taken every step to hold a monopoly on the sports calendar. In recent years, no matchup has summed up its pursuit of sporting dominance quite like its leap into Christmas.
The Shield has made the holiday season a crown jewel of its broadcast schedule, holding games as mistletoe whispers underneath the winter breeze. Viewership has been high, as usual. The games haven't always been the most eye-catching, however.
Nevertheless, with Netflix calling the shots, Christmas remains an object of desire. The holiday will once more feature football fixtures in 2026. They will likely coincide with elaborate musical performances that attempt to draw more eyeballs to the game's glare.
So, just which sides will be taking part in this year's Christmas Day schedule? Here's what you need to know about the slate of games set to take hold of the XMas day calendar.
Note: The NFL's Christmas schedule has not yet been announced. Details for each game will be confirmed with the official release at 8 p.m. ET.
MORE:See the NFL's full 272-game schedule for 2026
Christmas football schedule 2026
There will once again be three games on Christmas Day despite the holiday falling on a Friday. Netflix will have broadcasting responsibilities for the first two games, as it did in 2024 and 2025, with the prime-time game still TBD.
Matchup Time (ET) TV channel
Bears at Packers 1:00 p.m. Netflix
Bills at Broncos 4:30 p.m. Netflix
Rams at Seahawks 8:15 p.m. TBD
Bears at Packers
Kickoff time: 1 p.m. ET
Channel: N/A
Live stream: Netflix
The Bears and Packers will meet at Lambeau Field to kick off the Christmas Day fixture list. The NFC North foes figure to be in the thick of the hunt for a divisional crown or postseason berth at the tail end of the season. As such, that matchup could prove consequential for more reasons than its festive nature.
While Christmas Day matchups haven't proven too common for any one NFL side, this is the third time in the past 21 years that this particular face-off -- Chicago vs. Green Bay -- has actually taken hold of the famous holiday. In 2005, the Bears bested the Packers, 24-17. Green Bay returned the favor six years later, downing Chicago, 35-21 as Aaron Rodgers exploded for five touchdowns.
Bills at Broncos
Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Channel: N/A
Live stream: Netflix
The Bills and Broncos are set to joust in the second game of the Christmas Day slate. Buffalo will want revenge in the fixture, having suffered an overtime loss to Denver in their last contest during the AFC Divisional round.
With the affair, the Bills secured their first-ever Christmas Day game. The Broncos have four prior appearances under their belt, including last season, when they bested the Chiefs, 20-13.
Rams at Seahawks
Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Channel: N/A
Live stream: N/A
Los Angeles will travel to Seattle to lock horns with the Seahawks on Christmas Day, rounding out the Christmas Day slate. Like the earlier Bears-Packers matchup, this tilt, too, figures to have some importance in shaping the NFC West standings.
Neither team has much Christmas Day history at the moment, with the Rams taking part in just one prior matchup on the holiday -- a 51-14 beatdown of the Broncos in 2022. Seattle has never played on Christmas Day.
MORE: Cowboys, Lions opponents revealed for NFL Thanksgiving games
NFL history of playing on Christmas
The NFL has a rich — albeit limited — history of playing games on Christmas. The league's annual championship game would typically fall two weeks after the regular-season finale during the 1940s and 1950s.
The league tended to avoid hosting games on the day during its adolescence. During the 1940s and 1950s, the NFL would complete its regular-season around early-to-mid December, with the championship match typically scheduled for two weeks after the regular-season finale.
If the Sunday corresponding with that championship duel fell on Christmas, as was the case in 1955 and 1960, the league would move the joust to Monday, Dec. 26.
The AFL and NFL joined forces in 1970, spawning a new age of sporting spectacle. During the 1971 playoffs, league officials permitted two games to be played on Christmas — Cowboys vs. Vikings and Dolphins vs. Chiefs. The latter spanned 82 minutes and 40 seconds, longer than any other match in league history.
Since that 1971 doubleheader, 35 matches have been contested underneath mistletoe. The league has ramped up its Christmas Day presence markedly in recent campaigns, holding 14 contests on the holiday.
That number is expected to swell in the years to come.
Which NFL teams have played the most Christmas games?
The Chiefs and Cowboys are tied for first place on the all-time Christmas Day list with six games apiece.
They sport identical 3-3 records in those six matchups, with Dallas improving its record with a 30-23 win over the Commanders last year. Kansas City moved to .500 after falling to the Broncos, 20-13.
Denver will move into a tie with Kansas City and Dallas at the top of the Christmas Day list with its matchup against the Bills this season. The Vikings and Packers have played on the holiday five times, while three other sides have let the yuletide ring on four occasions.
Here is a look at the teams with the most Christmas Day games played:
Team Total
Dallas Cowboys 6
Kansas City Chiefs 6
Denver Broncos 6
Minnesota Vikings 5
Green Bay Packers 5
Miami Dolphins 4
Tennessee Titans 4
Arizona Cardinals 4
Baltimore Ravens 4
Philadelphia Eagles 3
Las Vegas Raiders 3
Pittsburgh Steelers 3
Detroit Lions 3
Houston Texans 3
Chicago Bears 2
San Francisco 49ers 2
Indianapolis Colts 1
Los Angeles Chargers 1
Los Angeles Rams 1
New Orleans Saints 1
New York Jets 1
New York Giants 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1
Cincinnati Bengals 1
Cleveland Browns 1
Washington Commanders 1
Seattle Seahawks 1
Which NFL teams have never played on Christmas?
Four teams have not played on Christmas Day in the NFL's history. They are as follows:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots