For decades, Thanksgiving and the NFL have gone hand in hand, with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys serving as the league’s holiday staples. Now, the Kansas City Chiefs are pushing to claim Christmas Day as their own.
According to The Athletic, Kansas City has formally requested that the NFL establish them as an annual Christmas Day fixture.
“When it comes to domestic standalone games, the Chiefs have requested that the NFL make them a fixture on Christmas Day, according to a league source,” the report stated.
This move aligns with the Chiefs’ rise as one of the league’s most dominant teams, both in competition and media appeal.
Kansas City has played in five Christmas games in franchise history, winning three. Their most recent Christmas appearance came last season, where they drew a massive audience.
That matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in 24.1 million viewers across Netflix and CBS affiliates, reinforcing their position as a major television draw.
The NFL has steadily increased its Christmas programming, ensuring at least one game is played on the big day every year since 2020.
While Christmas used to belong to the NBA as far as the sports world is concerned, the NFL has officially taken over the tradition.
Kansas City’s popularity has made them a prime candidate for these marquee games.
The Chiefs have already been featured in multiple record-breaking broadcasts, including a 2024 playoff victory over the Houston Texans that became the highest-rated NFL game in ESPN’s history with 32.7 million viewers.
Ahead of Thanksgiving last season, the league revealed that Kansas City was involved in four of the five most-watched games of the year.
Their presence in standalone matchups – including Amazon’s Black Friday game against the Raiders and a high-profile Christmas Day showcase – has only further solidified their role as one of the NFL’s top draws.
In addition to their Christmas aspirations, the Chiefs are also in discussions to play internationally.
The NFL recently announced that its second game of the 2025 season will take place in São Paulo, Brazil, on September 5, with the Los Angeles Chargers designated as the home team. Reports suggest Kansas City is the frontrunner to be their opponent.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has expressed enthusiasm for participating in overseas games. “On playing international games, we’re willing to do it whenever the opportunity presents itself,” Hunt said.
“We don’t have a lot of control over that, except periodically with the league’s rotation of teams scheduled to play overseas. We make the league aware every year that we would be delighted to play an international game, whether as a home team or as an away team. We hope, at some point, we’ll get picked back up.”
As the NFL expands its reach both domestically and internationally, the Chiefs are positioning themselves at the forefront of the league’s most high-profile matchups.
If their Christmas Day request is approved, Kansas City could become as synonymous with December 25th football as the Cowboys and Lions are with Thanksgiving.
What are your thoughts on the Chiefs requesting to be a permanent Christmas Day team???
