If you mean the NFL, the 2025 season kicked off on Thursday, September 4, at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time. The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Dallas Cowboys in the league’s opening game.
That date is different from the start of college football, which began earlier in August. Here’s the NFL opener’s date, time, matchup, and viewing information, plus a quick comparison of the main 2025 football season start dates so you can find the event you meant.
when is football kickoff 2025? The NFL date and time
The NFL’s 2025 regular season began on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The opening game started at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time, with the Philadelphia Eagles at home against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
This was the NFL Kickoff Game, the league’s traditional first regular-season matchup. It was not the start of preseason, and it was not the first college football game of the year. If you were asking about the NFL season, September 4 is the date to remember.
The start time translates to 7:20 p.m. Central, 6:20 p.m. Mountain, and 5:20 p.m. Pacific. In the United Kingdom, it was 1:20 a.m. on Friday, September 5. Those conversions can help if a listing shows Eastern Time while you are watching elsewhere.
Who played in the 2025 NFL Kickoff Game?
The Eagles hosted the Cowboys in an NFC East division matchup. Philadelphia entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champion, making the league’s choice of the Eagles for opening night especially fitting. The game was played at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ home stadium.
An opening-night matchup can be a divisional game, a rivalry, or a meeting featuring a recent champion. The NFL chooses the teams and venue; the kickoff game does not follow a permanent rule that the previous Super Bowl champion must always host. The exact pairing changes from year to year.
Philadelphia and Dallas share a division, so the opener also counted as a regular-season game with consequences for the NFC East standings. It was not an exhibition or a special game outside the schedule. The result counted just like the teams’ other regular-season games.
How to watch the 2025 NFL opener
The game was carried nationally by NBC and streamed on Peacock. The channel or streaming option available to you could depend on your location, subscription, and TV provider. Since this game has already taken place, live listings are no longer relevant; a full replay or highlights may be available through a league, broadcaster, or streaming service, depending on current access.
For future opening games, check the broadcaster and streaming details close to game day. Rights can vary by season, and a service that carried one year’s opener may not be the only way to watch the next one. If you plan to watch live, check whether your chosen service includes the local or national broadcast before kickoff.
Also confirm the time zone shown on the listing. A schedule may display Eastern Time by default even when you are watching from another region. Converting the listed time ahead of time helps avoid confusing the pregame show’s start with the game’s actual kickoff.
NFL, college, and other 2025 football start dates
“Football kickoff” can refer to different competitions. The NFL and college football have separate schedules, and international readers may use “football” to mean soccer. Use this comparison to identify the event that matches your question.
| Competition | 2025 start | What the date means | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL regular season | Thursday, September 4 | Eagles-Cowboys opening game at 8:20 p.m. ET | Fans asking about the NFL Kickoff Game |
| College football | Saturday, August 23 | Week 0 began with early-season games | Fans asking when college games started |
| NFL preseason | July 31 | Hall of Fame Game opened the preseason schedule | Fans looking for the first NFL exhibition game |
| Soccer leagues | Varies by league | Each competition sets its own season calendar | Readers using “football” to mean soccer |
The NFL preseason began with the Hall of Fame Game on July 31, 2025. Preseason games are exhibition games used to prepare teams; they do not count toward regular-season standings. The NFL’s regular season began more than a month later, on September 4.
College football’s 2025 season began on August 23 with Week 0 games. More games followed across the final week of August and Labor Day weekend. There is no single college kickoff game that starts every team’s season at the same time, because each program has its own schedule.
Soccer has no universal 2025 kickoff date. Major leagues and tournaments follow their own calendars, and some seasons span two calendar years. If you meant soccer, identify the league or competition to get the correct opening date.
What “kickoff” means on a football schedule
In everyday conversation, “kickoff” can mean the first game of a season, the scheduled start time of one game, or the actual moment the ball is kicked to begin play. Those meanings are related, but they are not interchangeable.
- Season kickoff: The first scheduled game of a league or competition’s season. For the NFL in 2025, that was the September 4 opener.
- Kickoff time: The listed start time for a specific game. The NFL opener was scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
- Opening kickoff: The first kickoff during the game itself. The exact moment can come after pregame coverage and ceremonies.
A broadcast’s coverage often begins well before the listed kickoff time. Pregame shows, team introductions, and ceremonies may take place first, so tune in early if you want the full event. Do not assume a broadcast’s start time is the same as the scheduled kickoff.
Another useful distinction: “Week 1” refers to a round of games, not necessarily one universal first-play time. The NFL opener was on Thursday, while the rest of the first week’s games took place over the following days.
How the NFL opening week worked in 2025
The September 4 game launched the NFL regular season, but it was only the first game of the opening week. The schedule continued with the rest of Week 1 over the weekend and into Monday. That staggered format is why “When does the NFL season start?” and “When does my team play?” can have different answers.
If you were following a team other than Philadelphia or Dallas, the September 4 date may not have been that team’s first game. Look up the team’s individual Week 1 listing rather than relying on the league-wide kickoff date. Check the opponent, venue, date, and time together, because the opening weekend spans several days.
For fans planning a watch party or travel, the stadium and local start time matter as much as the national kickoff listing. Philadelphia is in the Eastern Time Zone, so the opener’s 8:20 p.m. ET listing was also the local time at the stadium. A game shown from a different time zone may have a different local clock time without having a different national schedule.
How to find the right date for your team or event
If you need more than the league-wide opener, use a short checklist. It helps prevent a common mix-up: treating the first game of the NFL season as the first game for every NFL team.
- Choose the competition. Decide whether you mean NFL, college football, or soccer. Their seasons do not share a single kickoff date.
- Find the team or matchup. The NFL opener featured Philadelphia and Dallas, but other teams played later in Week 1.
- Check the calendar date and venue. A game played after midnight in your time zone may appear on a different local date than it does in the Eastern Time listing.
- Convert the listed time. Confirm whether the schedule uses ET, your local time, or another time zone.
- Check the broadcast details. Television and streaming options can differ by game, location, and season.
For archived 2025 schedules, make sure the page is showing the 2025 season rather than the current season. Team schedule pages often default to the latest year, which can make an old kickoff date difficult to spot.
Common questions about football kickoff in 2025
Was the NFL kickoff game on a Thursday?
Yes. The 2025 NFL regular season began on Thursday, September 4, with the Eagles hosting the Cowboys. The scheduled kickoff was 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
Was the 2025 NFL opener the same as the first preseason game?
No. The first preseason game was the Hall of Fame Game on July 31. The regular season started later, on September 4, with Philadelphia versus Dallas. Preseason results do not count toward the regular-season standings.
When did college football start in 2025?
College football began on Saturday, August 23, when Week 0 games were played. College teams have separate schedules, so that date does not mean every team played that day.
What time was the 2025 NFL Kickoff Game in Pacific Time?
It was scheduled for 5:20 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, September 4. That corresponds to 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
Did every NFL team play on September 4?
No. September 4 was the date of the season’s first game, not a date when all 32 teams played. The other Week 1 games were scheduled across the rest of opening week.
Does “football kickoff” mean the same thing worldwide?
No. In the United States, “football” commonly means American football. In many other countries, it usually means soccer. If you mean a particular soccer league or tournament, its opening date will depend on that competition’s calendar.
Why the exact year matters
Football schedules change every season. A date from one year cannot safely be used for another, even when the NFL typically opens on a Thursday near the start of September. Matchups, kickoff times, broadcast arrangements, and the precise calendar date are announced for each season.
That is especially important if you are searching for tickets, replays, or a team’s first game. A general search result may show the newest season rather than the historical one you want. Include the year and team name in your search, then confirm the schedule page is labeled 2025.
For the specific question about 2025, the essential detail is straightforward: the NFL opened on September 4, with Philadelphia hosting Dallas at 8:20 p.m. ET. College football started earlier, on August 23, and preseason began earlier still.
For the NFL, when is football kickoff 2025 has a clear answer: Thursday, September 4, at 8:20 p.m. ET, when the Eagles hosted the Cowboys. College football began earlier, on August 23, so the right date depends on which competition you meant.
If you’re checking a particular team or looking for a replay, search the 2025 schedule by team and confirm the time zone. That small check helps distinguish the season opener from your team’s own first game.