With so many ways to watch football on Christmas, that night won’t be so silent after all. Whether you’re a college football fan ready for bowl season or an NFL fanatic eyeing the playoffs, this time of year brings plenty of gridiron excitement.
Football is the perfect backdrop for festive gatherings. That’s why I created this watch guide, so you can plan these final days of December around your favorite teams.
Here’s everything you need to know about watching football on Christmas, which will feature three games on two separate streaming services.
NFL Christmas games
This year, Christmas Day falls on a Thursday, which will feel intimately familiar to fans of Thursday Night Football . You’ll get a steady lineup of quality games with playoff and postseason implications, whether you’re getting ready for Christmas dinner or contemplating how to secretly return that strange gift from your mom.
The action starts at 1:00 p.m. ET and takes you the rest of the night on two different streaming services. I’ll take you through everything you’ll need so you don’t get left with a lump of sports coal.
NFL Christmas schedule
| Game | Day | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders | Thursday, Dec. 25 | 1:00 p.m. | Netflix |
| Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans | Thursday, Dec. 25 | 4:30 p.m. | Netflix |
| Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs | Thursday, Dec. 25 | 8:15 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video |
Data effective as of post date.
Crave more holiday football action? Visit our Premier League on Boxing Day guide to learn how to watch European football at its finest on December 26.
How to watch NFL games on Christmas for free
There’s no way to watch this year’s three NFL Christmas Day games for free. Two of them are streaming exclusively on Netflix with no free trial access. The late game is also a streaming exclusive on Amazon Prime Video. Bah humbug!
Fortunately, all other NFL games throughout Christmas week will air on traditional channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. If you don’t have a TV plan, you can still get these channels for free with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna like the Mohu Leaf 50. Additionally, streaming services like Fubo and DIRECTV offer free trials, which can be a quick way to stream the games. Check out our streaming TV trials guide for more info.
College football Christmas games
For college football fans, the Christmas bowl schedule falls in the sweet spot between the early bowl season and the College Football Playoff. For Christmas week, fans will get a handful of great major-conference matchups between various SEC, Big Ten, AAC, MAC, and Conference USA teams.
Here’s a quick look at the bowl games happening around Christmas. Head over to our main college bowl game guide for the full lineup, and visit our weekly college football preview column to learn more about this week’s games.
College football Christmas schedule
| Bowl | Opponents | Day | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Washington State vs. Utah State | Monday, Dec. 22 | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Toledo vs. Louisville | Tuesday, Dec. 23 | Noon | ESPN |
| New Orleans Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Southern Mixx | Tuesday, Dec. 23 | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Frisco Bowl | UNLV Rebels vs. Ohio | Tuesday, Dec. 23 | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Hawaii Bowl | California vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | Wednesday, Dec. 24 | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| GameAbove Sports Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Northwestern | Friday, Dec. 26 | 11:00 a.m. | ESPN |
| Rate Bowl | New Mexico vs. Minnesota | Friday, Dec. 26 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| First Responder Bowl | Florida International vs. UTSA | Friday, Dec. 26 | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Military Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 9:00 a.m. | ESPN |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Clemson Tigers | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 10:00 a.m. | ABC |
| Fenway Bowl | UConn vs. Army Black Knights | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 12:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Pop-Tarts Bowl | Georgia Tech vs. BYU | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 1:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Arizona Bowl | Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 2:30 p.m. | The CW |
| New Mexico Bowl | North Texas vs. San Diego State | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 3:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Gator Bowl | Virginia vs. Missouri | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 5:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Texas Bowl | LSU Tigers vs. Houston | Saturday, Dec. 27 | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN |
Data effective as of post date.
How to watch college football on Christmas for free
You won’t have much luck getting college football games for free this Christmas season. Only four matchups are slated for broadcast channels available via an OTA antenna. You’ll also be set for those matchups if you already have a live TV subscription. The rest of the games are on ESPN.
If you want to watch college football on Christmas for free, we recommend Fubo’s five-day free trial.
How to watch football on Christmas FAQ
Who’s playing football on Christmas Day?
This year, three NFL teams will play on Christmas Day. Cowboys vs. Commanders opens the day at 1:00 p.m. ET, followed by Lions vs. Vikings at 2:30 pm ET. Broncos vs. Chiefs closes out the NFL’s Christmas Day schedule at 6:15 p.m. ET.
Are there football games on Christmas?
The NFL will put on three games on Christmas Day. College football won’t have a bowl game on Christmas Day, but you’ll still have multiple bowl games throughout the week, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, and Pop-Tarts Bowl.
What NFL teams are playing Christmas Day in 2025?
The following NFL teams play on Christmas Day 2025:
- Dallas Cowboys
- Washington Commanders
- Detroit Lions
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
Can I stream football on Christmas 2025?
Yes. The three NFL games on Christmas are on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on Christmas Day. During Christmas week, the slew of college football games are on broadcast networks and ESPN, which can be streamed with services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, DIRECTV, and ESPN Unlimited.
Why you should trust us
Our CableTV.com senior writer, Eric Chiu, analyzed this year’s Christmas college football and NFL schedule to figure out this year’s top matchups. He also drew from our cord-cutter and streaming deal coverage to find the best college football and NFL watch solutions for your holiday season.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
