The Philadelphia Eagles will host NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL season opener on Thursday 4 September, the league has announced.

It will mark the first time the two teams have faced off in the opening game of a campaign since 2000.

The Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 at Super Bowl 59 in February and will begin the defence of their title against their biggest rivals.

Since 2004, some 20 defending Super Bowl champions have played in the season opener and have gone 15-5 in those games, including the Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2024.

The Cowboys, under the leadership of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, will be looking to avoid becoming victims of that trend.

Several more matches are set to be confirmed over the coming days, with the full schedule being released on Wednesday at 20:00 ET (Thursday 01:00 BST).