2025 NFL schedule arrives with controversy: Chiefs start with an advantage and the Chargers complain

The Los Angeles Chargers are unhappy with the identity of their Week 1 opponents for the 2025 season and it’s leading to more accusations of favoritism in the NFL.

The Chargers signed up for a game in Brazil as part of the international games series. As a result they will miss out on one of their regular season home games, but will stand to gain in increase coverage and penetration into a new market.

As part of the international games agreement the Chargers were able to ‘protect’ two of their home games, picking two fixtures that would not be taken overseas. Sports Business Journal reports that the Chargers chose to protect fixtures against teams that don’t often come to LA, likely two of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Commanders.

The logic is that the home games against these infrequent opponents would be more lucrative than more common fixtures against conference rivals.

However their plan may have backfired. On Wednesday it was announced that the Chargers’ international game in Brazil will see them take on the Kansas City Chiefs, another major commercial draw and a divisional rival.

Now the Chargers are unhappy that they lose their home advantage against the mighty Chiefs, the team that has won the AFC West for nine consecutive seasons. Making matters worse, the NFL very rarely picks divisional match-ups to be played on a neutral venue for an international game.

In fact, since the introduction of the international games in 2007 only six of them have been divisional games. Among some football fans online, this fact has led to accusations of favoritism towards the Chiefs. But while the Chargers can consider themselves a little unfortunate, they only have themselves to blame for not protecting a home game against their biggest divisional rivals.

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