The 2026 NFL rivalries best watched with a crowd

Some NFL games you watch. Others you live. The difference is almost always the same thing: a rivalry. When two teams that have hated each other for decades meet, every play counts double, the table splits down the middle, jerseys face off and the whole bar ends up invested even if nobody there roots for either side. With the 2026 season just getting started, Guicho's Sports Bar has a proposal: instead of watching the NFL alone on the couch, pick the rivalries that are truly worth it and live them with a crowd, with screens all over the bar, wings in the middle of the table and ice-cold beer.

This is our guide to the classic NFL rivalries, why each one matters, how to enjoy them in Nuevo Vallarta and what to order for a divided table. If you already have a team, you'll find your favorite enemy here. If you don't have one yet, careful: after one rivalry Sunday at the bar, you will.

Why rivalries are the best part of the NFL.

The NFL regular season runs 17 weeks, but not every week feels the same. Divisional games, where each team plays its three division rivals twice a year, are the ones that truly write the league's history. They're neighborhood games: nearby cities, fan bases that live side by side, decades of unfinished business and, very often, a playoff spot on the line.

For a sports bar, that's pure gold. A rivalry makes people show up early, sit together even if they've never met, trade friendly trash talk between tables and turn a game into an event. We see it every season at Guicho's: rivalry Sundays are the loudest, the fullest and the ones that gather the most jerseys in Nuevo Vallarta.

The classic rivalries you can't miss.

There are dozens of rivalries in the league, but these are the ones you absolutely have to watch with people around you.

Packers vs. Bears: the oldest of them all

Green Bay and Chicago have been going at it since the 1920s. It's the NFL's oldest rivalry, the most-played matchup in league history and the purest expression of cold-weather football: running games and defenses that bite. Two Midwestern cities a few hours apart and a sporting grudge passed down from grandparents to grandkids. You can tell at the bar: whenever they play, there's always a green-and-gold jersey and a navy-blue one ready to argue about who has more titles.

Cowboys vs. Eagles: the NFC East classic

Dallas and Philadelphia are the most intense rivalry in the league's most intense division. The Cowboys have, by far, the biggest fan base in Mexico; on any given Sunday in Nuevo Vallarta you'll spot the blue star on several tables. And the Eagles are the perfect villain: loud, proud and used to winning in recent years. When they meet, the NFC East shakes and the bar splits right down the middle. It's probably the rivalry game that draws the biggest crowd at Guicho's every season.

Steelers vs. Ravens: the most physical football there is

Pittsburgh and Baltimore don't like each other and they prove it on every tackle. It's the hardest-hitting rivalry in the AFC North: low scores, punishing defenses, games decided by a field goal in the final minute. The Steelers have a huge following in Mexico thanks to their championship history, so black-and-gold jerseys are everywhere here on the bay. If you love trench football, this is your game.

Chiefs vs. Raiders: the West Coast grudge

Kansas City and Las Vegas (formerly Oakland, formerly Los Angeles, always the Raiders) carry a rivalry of more than half a century that dates back to the old AFL. Today the Chiefs are the division's dominant force and the Raiders are the eternal rebel, with a silver-and-black fan base that never gives up. Raider Nation in Mexico is enormous and very loud, so when this game is on at the bar, the volume goes up on its own.

49ers vs. Seahawks: the Pacific war

San Francisco and Seattle have a younger rivalry, but one of the hottest of the past few decades, with conference championship games people still talk about. This year it comes with extra spice: the Seahawks arrive as defending champions after lifting the Lombardi at Super Bowl LX, as we covered in our story of Seattle's title. And every division rival wants to be the first to knock them off their perch.

Patriots vs. Jets and Bills: the AFC East shares the hate

New England has spent years as the team everyone in the division wants to beat, and after falling one step short of the title last February, the Patriots are back hungry. Their games against the Jets are the New York-versus-Boston classic, and the Bills, with the loudest fans in the north, have become the rival that challenges them hardest for the division. Three fan bases, one goal: ruin the neighbor's Sunday.

The rivalries that hit hardest in Mexico.

Mexico has more NFL fans than any other country outside the United States, and you can tell in any sports bar on the Riviera Nayarit. At Guicho's, every season we see three big groups of fans:

The Cowboys. The largest fan base in the country, by a mile. Any Dallas game fills tables, and their matchups against the Eagles, Giants and Commanders are the most-watched games in the NFC.

The Steelers. Mexico's second big block of fans. Their games against the Ravens, Browns and Bengals are among the league's most intense and always draw a crowd here.

The Raiders and the 49ers. Two West Coast teams with a massive following on the Mexican Pacific: the Raiders for their rebel history, the 49ers because so many families have ties to California and the bay. When they play each other, or the Chiefs and the Seahawks, the bar turns into a party.

And the visitors? Guests from the United States and Canada staying at Nuevo Vallarta's hotels bring their own rivalries: every season we welcome Packers, Bears, Lions, Vikings and Bills fans, and supporters of just about any team you can name. That mix of locals, expats and vacationers is exactly what makes watching the NFL at Guicho's different.

How to plan your rivalry Sunday at Guicho's.

Watching a rivalry game with a group is a science of its own. Here's our advice after many seasons of loud Sundays:

1. Build a divided table. The most fun part of a rivalry is having both sides sitting together. Invite the buddy who roots for the other team, put on the jerseys and let the game decide who buys the next round.

2. Arrive before kickoff. For the big games, the best tables in front of the screens go fast. Getting there early guarantees a good spot and gives you time to order the first round of snacks before the game starts.

3. Reserve on WhatsApp. For groups of six or more, the best move is to message us at 322 199 9535 and book a table. That way nobody ends up standing in the third quarter.

4. Check the week's schedule. NFL kickoff times change every week and not all rivalry games land on Sunday: some are played on Thursday Night Football or Monday Night Football. We post what's on each week on Guicho's Facebook page.

5. Use the time zone to your advantage. From Nayarit, the NFL's early window lands comfortably around midday and the primetime game wraps up at a reasonable hour. You can have a relaxed breakfast, hit the beach and still get to the bar fresh. More details in our guide to the 2026 NFL season in Nuevo Vallarta.

The menu for a divided table.

A good rivalry is eaten two-sided. From Guicho's menu, this is what works best when the table is split in two:

The Wings (400 g, $205). Pure drumsticks tossed in the sauce of your choice: Buffalo, BBQ, Mango Habanero, Parmesan or Lemon Pepper. The house trick is to order two batches in different flavors, one per side, and let the best one win.

Guicho's Nachos ($265). Chips loaded with beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole made to order and grilled arrachera steak. The ultimate center-of-the-table dish: it arrives to be shared and disappears before halftime, whatever the score.

The Guicho's ($310). Three hundred grams of Angus beef with Mennonite cheese, bacon and grilled onion on a brioche bun, with french fries. This is the burger for whoever plans to stay the full three hours of the game.

Boneless Wings ($195) and Cheese Fingers ($185). The quick snack for when the game is tight and nobody wants to take their eyes off the screen.

Kids' Burger ($150). Because rivalries are inherited too: if you bring the kids, they get their own 150-gram burger with yellow cheese on an artisan bun.

Ice-cold beer and a proper clamato. The beer comes out ice-cold, the way it should, and the clamato is the official sidekick of the Sunday early window. Whoever loses the bet buys the next round; that's the bar's unwritten rule.

A rivalry calendar for the fall.

You don't need to know all 272 games of the season. Just mark the dates of your favorite rivalry and the league's biggest classics and you've got a plan for every weekend from now until January. Our suggestion: open your team's official schedule, mark its six divisional games and add the two or three national classics that catch your eye. That easily gives you a bar Sunday every other week.

And when the playoffs arrive in January, rivalries get even more serious: many of these teams cross paths in the postseason, and then it's no longer pride on the line, it's the entire season. Those are the dates that fill up fastest at Guicho's, so if you've got a game in mind, book a table ahead of time.

You bring the jersey and the rival; we bring the screens, the wings and the cold beer. See you at Blvd. Nayarit 137B, Local 5, Nuevo Vallarta.

Frequently asked questions.