• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

Eagles Set to Host 2025 NFL Kickoff: Who Will Be Their Opponent?

One of the perks of winning the Super Bowl is hosting the kickoff game the following season. The Eagles will face one of eight designated opponents in that high-profile event. 

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Eagles are now Super Bowl LIX champions, and the focus quickly turns to 2025 schedule watching—including the high-profile kickoff game that will be held at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. 

The NFL is due to release its schedule for next season in May, in keeping with typical practice. The Eagles are set to host the season-opening game Sept. 4, continuing the league’s tradition of the defending Super Bowl champion having a primetime home game on a Thursday night to start the new season.

By terms of the league’s long-established schedule formula, the Eagles’ opponents for the 2025 season have already been determined, and the away team for that high-profile season opener in Philadelphia will be one of these eight possibilities:

  • Chicago Bears
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Denver Broncos
  • Detroit Lions
  • Las Vegas Raiders
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • New York Giants
  • Washington Commanders

The NFL often hasn’t used the season opener for a game within a single division. Instead, the league has frequently shown a preference for a marquee inter-division or inter-conference matchup in that broadcast slot on NBC Sports—such as how the 2024 season started with the Ravens at the Chiefs, or how the 2023 season premiered with the Lions at the Chiefs, the 2022 season kicked off with the Bills visiting the Rams, and the 2021 season began with the Cowboys playing at the Buccaneers. 

Despite all that, the Commanders jump out as a notable possibility. The team had a dramatic rebirth this season under new owner Josh Harris, reaching the NFC championship game won by the Eagles in what was Washington’s best year in more than three decades. Across multiple sportsbooks, the Commanders are now the No. 7 favorite to win Super Bowl LX, further showing how much the team has improved. The kickoff matchup also has been a championship game rematch on multiple occasions, including this season’s Ravens-Chiefs clash that set a viewership record for the event.

Other attractive options for the kickoff game include the Lions, the top seed in the NFC playoffs before being upset by the Commanders; the Rams, who the Eagles beat in the divisional playoff round this season; and the Broncos, who reached the playoffs in 2024 for the first time in nine years.

The Eagles, meanwhile, have three notable away games that will be highly coveted by every NFL rights holder as the league completes the 2025 schedule: a Super Bowl LIX rematch against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, a trip to Buffalo to face the Bills, and another to Minnesota to play the Vikings. The Buccaneers, Chargers, and Packers—all 2024 playoff teams—are also on Philadelphia’s 2025 away slate. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NFL on Nielsen’s Latest Measurement Upgrade: ‘More Work to Be Done’

The league calls its relationship with the agency a “protracted journey.”
Mike Gundy

OSU’s Gundy, Oregon’s Lanning Trade Barbs Over Alleged $30 Million Gap

Lanning ripped Gundy’s “excuse” and said “we spend to win.”
Aug 21, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Former Panthers wide receiver and now commentator Steve Smith Sr. before the game between the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens at Bank of America Stadium.
exclusive

Steve Smith Moves His Podcast, ‘The 89 Show,’ to Blue Wire

The show is co-hosted by Smith and NFL insider James Palmer.

Featured Today

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.

F1’s McLaren Valued at More Than $5B After Recent Stake Sale

MSP Capital purchased its stake in McLaren in 2020.
August 28, 2025

Rhyne Howard Calls Out Dream Fans for A’Ja Wilson ‘MVP’ Chants

The Las Vegas Aces overtook the Atlanta Dream in the standings.
August 29, 2025

Cowboys Can’t Bank on Mavericks’ Lottery Luck After Parsons Trade

The Mavericks lucked into Cooper Flagg through the 2025 NBA draft lottery.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 28, 2025

Connor McDavid: ‘All Options on Table’ As Historic Free Agency Looms

The Oilers superstar remains largely mum on his long-term plans.
United
August 28, 2025

Manchester United Knocked Out of Cup by Team With $2.6 Million Payroll

United’s team payroll is almost 100 times larger than Grimsby’s.
Monica Wright
August 26, 2025

WNBA Expansion Teams Still in Dark As CBA Fight Drags On

Portland and Toronto won’t know the draft rules until a CBA is signed.
August 25, 2025

Trey Hendrickson Ends Stalemate for $14 Million Bengals Raise

The defensive end will make $30 million this season.