For the second straight year, the NFL’s Opening Weekend will feature a game played on Friday in Brazil. That game is expected to be streamed on YouTube.
Andrew Marchand of The New York Times reported Thursday that “Google YouTube has emerged as the heavy favorite to stream its first exclusive NFL game on Friday of the opening week.”
He also detailed how this is different from deals the NFL has with other streaming services.
“However, this partnership would be different from the agreements with Amazon and Netflix, as it is anticipated not to be tied to any paid subscription,” Marchand wrote. “The game is expected to be available globally for free on YouTube. It would be free in the United States, as well, while subscribers to the cable-like and U.S.-based YouTube TV will be able to access through that service, as well.”
Before Week 1’s Brazil game in 2024, John Breech of CBS Sports detailed that, “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).”
The NFL always opens its season on the Thursday after Labor Day. In most years, the Friday after Labor Day is the second Friday in September and would therefore be disqualified. That was not the case in 2024, when Labor Day was on Sept. 2 and will not be the case in 2025, when Labor Day falls on Sept. 1. But in years when Labor Day falls on Sept. 3 or later, a Friday night game would seemingly not be plausible.
That said, carrying the game on YouTube gives the NFL a chance to exploit a potential loophole in the Sports Broadcasting Act,” even if it’s not needed this year. While the NFL can’t “televise” a game on a Friday (unless a large portion of it is complete by 6 p.m. in the local market, which is how Black Friday games are played), the wording of that does potentially leave the door open for streaming a game on a free service, such as YouTube. As it’s highly unlikely that the NFL will only want a Week 1 Friday game in years when Labor Day is on Sept. 1 or Sept. 2, we’ll likely see that tested in 2026.
This season’s Brazil game will be played on Sept. 5 and the Los Angeles Chargers are the designated “home” team. Their opponents will be revealed on Tuesday, May 13, when the 2025 international games are announced on Good Morning Football. In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles were the “home” team for the Week 1 Friday game in Brazil, defeating the Green Bay Packers 34-29.
Like the 2024 game, 2025’s Brazil game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo.
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