2025 NFL schedule release: Philadelphia Eagles to host Dallas Cowboys in season opener

Once the clock hit triple zeros and the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned Super Bowl LIX champions, we knew they’d be the host team for the 2025 regular season opener. After all, it’s customary for the defending champs to kick off the following year at home. Now, we know who they’ll be hosting. 

In the lead-up to the full 2025 regular season schedule being released on Wednesday, NBC officially unveiled Philadelphia’s Week 1 opponent and who’ll join them in kicking off the new year: the Dallas Cowboys. The game will be held on Thursday, September 4, at Lincoln Financial Field.

So, after the Eagles unveil their latest Super Bowl banner, we’ll have ourselves an NFC East rivalry to sink our teeth into right out of the gate. 

Of course, Philadelphia has arguably the storyline hovering over them as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champions. That said, the Cowboys, as always, are a lightning rod of headlines as well. This game will be the debut of first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who was hired after the club decided to part ways with former coach Mike McCarthy. On top of the new leader on the sideline, Dallas will also welcome the return of quarterback Dak Prescott, who was limited to just eight games last year and missed the final nine weeks of the regular season due to a hamstring injury. 

This matchup sets the stage for what is expected to be a wildly competitive division in the NFC East. En route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last season, the Eagles needed to go through another division rival in the Washington Commanders, whom they met in the NFC Championship. And if Dallas can rebound in 2025, that adds another team standing in Philly’s way of a potential back-to-back title run.