Welcome to the Philadelphia Sports Complex. Home to the Flyers, Sixers, Phillies, and Eagles. The Wings, the local lacrosse team, also call the area home. For a brief period, the Soul, an arena football team, also played their games in town.
We could go on and on about other sports teams that call Philadelphia home, but we’d be here for a while. Philadelphia is one of the only cities where all four major sports teams play in the same area. Detroit is similar, with the Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, and Lions playing near each other. The main difference between the two is that Philadelphia’s arenas all face each other in some way.
The four are also within a closer driving distance, though it’s less than a mile to walk from Little Caesar’s Arena to Ford Field. However, it’s a 12-minute drive between the two, with Comerica Park being a similar distance.
It’s five minutes to get across the street from Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field. Less than that to go from the latter to Wells Fargo. And it still takes you under 10 minutes to go between a baseball game and a hockey or basketball game.
Now that we have that established, let's discuss who plays where. If you’re looking for a Flyers or Sixers game, you can head over to Wells Fargo Center...sorry, that’s actually Xfinity Mobile Arena starting next month. When lacrosse season comes around, you can catch a Wings game. And there’s some college basketball as well.
Ready to cheer on the star-studded football team, the Philadelphia Eagles? You can cross the street to Lincoln Financial Field. The annual Army/Navy game is held on the same field, as well as various other football games. Fancy yourself a soccer fan? The stadium hosts matches occasionally and is the home for the FIFA World Cup next year.
How about the World Series-contending baseball team? That’s the Phillies, playing across from the Eagles, at Citizens Bank Park. Get ready for the All-Star Game, which will come to Philadelphia next summer as well.
So with four teams playing right next to each other, how plausible is it to catch more than one game in a day? It’s possible, and surely has been done numerous times. The most likely scenario is catching two games in one day. Maybe an early afternoon Eagles game and an evening Phillies game. Or a Flyers matinee and Sunday Night Football. Maybe even staying in the same arena for the Flyers and Sixers.
Okay, we could be here for a while listing the possibilities. What about the rare triple header? It’s not often there are three games in one day. But there is a non-zero chance that the Flyers/Sixers, Phillies, and Eagles could all play on the same day. One team could be playing at 1:00, another could have a 4:05 or 4:35 matchup, and the last plays at 7:00.
If timed correctly, someone could plausibly see all three games in one day. But it’s more likely they’d have to leave one or two early to catch all three. Depending on the pace of play and the sport itself, games can take at least three hours or so. Games rarely, if ever, start at the scheduled time. But it’s not impossible. Let’s hope you plan on walking between the three, though, because the parking lots and adjacent streets will be a mess.
Speaking of parking, if you’re from the area, you might find it best to hop on SEPTA to get to the complex. Just make sure you’re on the Broad Street Line, and it’ll take you right outside of the arenas. If you’re coming out for a day game, you might even be able to avoid paying for parking and heading across the street to FDR Park. Though if there’s an Eagles game, there may be a fee to park.
Just make sure you get out of there before it closes. Trust me, don’t be the one who doesn’t realize it closes before the game is over, and you have to hop the curb to get out because the gates are closed. Totally not speaking from experience or anything.
Don’t have time to catch multiple games in each stadium or arena? Or do you want the stadium atmosphere without the stadium prices? Look no further than Xfinity Live. Located in the same parking lot as the Flyers and Sixers arena, you can be sure to catch all of the action with your fellow fans.
So how many times do the teams play on the same day?
There is one current instance of the Phillies and Flyers playing on the same day. That falls on September 27th. Though it's nearly impossible to catch both games. The Flyers will host the Boston Bruins at 5:00 p.m. The Phillies will have the Minnesota Twins in town for the second of a three-game series. That is scheduled to start at 6:05.
There is also only one instance of the Phillies and Eagles playing home games on the same day. And that is the following day, September 28th. The Eagles will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 with a 1:00 p.m. scheduled kickoff. The Phillies will be holding their Fan Appreciation Day game and final game of the regular season against the Twins. That game starts at 3:05 p.m.
The Eagles only have two home games in October, so it's possible the Phillies could host a playoff game at the same time. We'll find out soon.
The Flyers and Eagles do not have any regular season games that line up at the same time. While they do have games on the same day on a few occasions, one team is home while the other is away. Even if the Eagles Week 18 game falls on a Saturday, which would be January 3rd, the Flyers will be away in Edmonton.
It's possible that an Eagles playoff game could fall at the same time as a Flyers regular-season game. It would have to be a Saturday, though, as the Flyers do not play on a Sunday in January.
Come on down to Philadelphia and catch a game or two. You won't be disappointed. Except if you're a Philly sports fan. We know disappointment all too well.