The NFL’s first game ever in Brazil will be happening on Friday night when the Philadelphia Eagles play the Green Bay Packers.
The fact the game is being played in Brazil isn’t the only unique thing about the game. It’s also notable the game will be played on a FRIDAY in Week 1. The reason that’s notable is because the game will mark the first time in 54 years that the NFL has scheduled a Friday matchup during the opening week of the season.
The last time it happened came in 1970 when the Rams beat the Cardinals, 34-13, in a game that was played on a Friday night in Los Angeles.
One reason there’s been such a huge gap between Friday games is because it’s not easy for the NFL to schedule a Friday game during the regular season. As a matter of fact, the only reason it’s happening this year is because the league is taking advantage of a broadcasting loophole.
Under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the NFL isn’t allowed to televise any games on Friday or Saturday from the second weekend in September through the second weekend in December (Those two days have been earmarked for high school and college football). This is why you don’t see any Saturday games on the NFL schedule until late in the season.
So what does that mean for this year?
The NFL always kicks off the season on the first Thursday after Labor Day. If Labor Day falls on Sept. 3 or later, then the first NFL weekend will be the second weekend of September and Friday games won’t be permitted, but since Labor Day is on Sept. 2 this year, that opened the door for the NFL to play on Sept. 6, which is the first Friday in September.
If you’re wondering why the NFL was able to play a Black Friday game in 2023 — and will once again be playing one in 2024 — the league also took advantage of a loophole in the broadcasting rules to make that happen. Under the Sports Broadcasting Act, the NFL is ALLOWED to schedule a Friday game as long as a substantial portion of the game is over by 6 p.m. local time. This is why the NFL’s first Black Friday game kicked off at 3 p.m. ET in 2023 and it’s also why the Chiefs and Raiders will be kicking off at 3 p.m. ET on Black Friday this year.
With Labor Day set to fall on Sept. 1 in 2025, the NFL could conceivably play another Friday opener in another foreign country to start the season.
As for the game in Sao Paulo, Packers-Eagles will mark just the third time since 2010 that the NFL has held a game on a Friday during any week of the season.
