NFL adds Thanksgiving Eve game to 2026 five-game holiday slate

The National Football League will expand its Thanksgiving week programming in 2026, adding a national window on Wednesday, November 25. The move creates a five-game slate across three days, from Thanksgiving Eve through Black Friday. The schedule blends broadcast television and major streaming platforms during one of the most-watched stretches on the sports calendar. The matchups give fans clear national windows and teams prime-time exposure.

Thanksgiving Eve will feature the Green Bay Packers visiting the Los Angeles Rams in a game streamed on Netflix. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, retains the traditional tripleheader: the Chicago Bears travel to the Detroit Lions on CBS and Paramount+, the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Fox, and the Kansas City Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills in the nightcap on NBC.

The week concludes on Black Friday, November 27, when the Denver Broncos meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Prime Video.

The expanded lineup underscores the league’s distribution strategy. Legacy broadcast networks continue to anchor Thursday’s window, while Wednesday and Friday shift to global streaming platforms. That mix broadens reach across devices and markets and offers partners distinct national windows for cross-promotion.

Schedule and broadcast partners for 2026 holiday week

Thanksgiving Eve: Packers at Rams on Netflix

The new Wednesday slot places a high-profile NFC matchup in prime time on a streaming-only platform. Positioning Packers–Rams on Netflix extends the holiday week into an additional night and introduces a contiguous run of games before, during and after the holiday.

Thanksgiving Day tripleheader on CBS/Paramount+, Fox and NBC

Detroit and Dallas maintain their long-running hosting roles as part of the Thursday tradition. The Bears–Lions game opens the day on CBS and Paramount+, followed by Eagles–Cowboys on Fox. Chiefs–Bills closes Thanksgiving night on NBC, sustaining the holiday prime-time showcase with a headline AFC matchup.

Black Friday: Broncos at Steelers on Prime Video

Black Friday remains a dedicated national window on Amazon’s platform. Denver–Pittsburgh caps the three-day run and continues the league’s push into the shopping-day slot introduced in recent seasons.

Tradition meets a broader platform mix

Holiday footprint expands beyond Thursday

Thanksgiving football has steadily grown. The NFL added a third game to the Thursday slate in 2006 and introduced a Black Friday matchup in 2023. The 2026 season adds a Thanksgiving Eve contest for the first time, creating three consecutive days of nationally televised football.

What fans and teams can expect next

For fans, the structure delivers a compact lineup of nationally relevant games with clear viewing options across the week. For media partners, the blend of broadcast and streaming supports broader audience reach and targeted promotions. Teams gain headline exposure in showcase windows that historically deliver some of the year’s highest viewership.

The NFL is expected to release additional production details for the holiday broadcasts closer to the 2026 season. Ticketing information and local market logistics will follow standard in-season timelines as clubs and partners finalize game-week operations.