NFL Thanksgiving Eve first: Netflix puts U2 on one of sports’ biggest stages

The NFL ’s first Wednesday- night Thanksgiving week game is headed to Los Angeles, with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium — and halftime belongs to U2. The primetime matchup streams live on Netflix on Wednesday, November 25, 2026 , with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET.

For the Dublin rockers, it ’s a full-circle moment in a milestone year. U2 turns 50 in 2026, nearly a quarter-century after their 2002 Super Bowl XXXVI performance, when the band unfurled a tribute to the victims of September 11 — one of the defining halftime shows in NFL history. The Thanksgiving Eve gig will also mark U2’s first time playing SoFi.

New music in the mix

The timing lines up with fresh material. U2’s 16th studio album, Carnaval de Luz — the band’s first collection of new songs in nine years — arrives November 13, 2026, less than two weeks before the game. The record spans 12 tracks that range from punk-charged cuts to moodier, atmospheric turns, giving the band a choice between road-testing new songs or rolling out stadium anthems.

Netflix has teased special guests, and the new album’s collaborators could point to who shows up under the lights:

• Rosalía — featured on “The Mirror Maker”
• Martin Garrix — tied to the electronic-forward “Glorify”
• Brian Eno — longtime U2 confidant and contributor on the project

Fans are already weighing in on the new era — and picking early favorites.

I have been listening to ‘#TheGreatestShowOnEarth’ by #U2 over and over since it came out and it moves me every time.You can interpret this song in so many different ways. Is it about humanity as a whole? Is it about Christianity or any religion in general? Is it about the band?… — Dyana (@Dyana_) October 18, 2026

The Thanksgiving Eve game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on November 25 at SoFi Stadium — Packers vs. Rams — with U2 headlining halftime, streaming live on Netflix.