The NFL has served up a doozy of a first game for the 2025 season, with NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia squaring off in the City of Brotherly Love.

As Super Bowl winners last season, the Eagles were already known to be the hosts of the Opening Night encounter but, as the first domino to fall in this week’s protracted schedule reveal, the league has confirmed that Dallas will be the visitors to The Linc on Thursday 4^th September.

It will be an immediate test of the rejigged Cowboys roster under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, as a fit-again Dak Prescott will lead his team into Philly with George Pickens lining up alongside CeeDee Lamb out wide, and rookie Jayden Blue expected to lead the backfield cohort. The Eagles won both encounters on their way to success in Super Bowl LIX, albeit against a Cowboys team beset by injury — not least under center — but have also suffered losses through free agency, including key parts of their defense in Milton Williams and Josh Sweat.

Nevertheless, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the remainder of Nick Sirianni’s defending Super Bowl champions will be confident of success in what will be the first September meeting between the two sides since 2021, and their first Week 1 encounter since 2000, when the Eagles ran out comfortable winners by 41-14.

The entire 2025 schedule is expected to be unveiled at 8pm ET on Wednesday, although certain aspects of it, such as the International Series, will undoubtedly emerge earlier than that.