The NFL originally said it had no intention of holding a Christmas game in 2024, as Dec. 25 falls on a Wednesday this year.
In March, the league announced a change in policy. And in May, the NFL agreed to a three-year partnership with Netflix to stream Christmas games in the United States and beyond.
“If you look at the viewership numbers over the past year, fans have really made their voices heard,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president of media distribution.
“They really enjoy and want NFL football at Christmas. What we’ve seen over the last few years is unprecedented growth, and not just Christmas, but Thanksgiving as well.”
The most-watched regular season game in NFL history was the 2022 Thanksgiving game, which drew 42.1 million viewers.
Last year’s Christmas Game One had 29 million viewers, second only to the 1989 game.
“That occasion, and our belief that soccer brings people together, is even truer this long weekend,” Schroeder added.
The league says these games will be the first “truly globally distributed matches” in world sport.
Inevitably, money is also a factor. ABC/ESPN is paid $2.6 billion (£2.1 billion) to broadcast around 100 NBA games each season, including five Christmas games.
This equates to around $26 million (£21 million) per match. Netflix reportedly paid $150m (£118m) to broadcast two NFL games this Christmas.
