Full 2026 NFL regular-season schedule to drop tonight at 8 p.m. ET

The NFL will publish its full 2026 regular-season schedule at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 14, with the league pointing fans to NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+ for the reveal. The league has already confirmed several anchor dates and standalone windows ahead of the full release, including a Wednesday night opener in Seattle and a record nine international games. NFL media and Football Operations pages say selected games were disclosed by broadcast partners during the week leading into the full announcement. March 25 set the opening frame for the season when the NFL announced that the 2026 kickoff game will be played on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 8:20 p.m. ET in Seattle on NBC and Peacock. The opponent for the Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks had not been named in that league announcement, but the date, site and broadcast window were locked in weeks before the schedule release. (nfl.com) ### What is the league actually releasing tonight? Thursday, May 14, is the point when every 2026 regular-season game gets a date, kickoff time and broadcast assignment, according to the NFL’s schedule-release notice. The league has branded the event as the “2026 NFL Schedule powered by AWS” and said full live coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET. (media.nfl.com) NFL Football Operations said the complete team-by-team and week-by-week listings will appear on NFL.com and in the NFL app once the release goes live. The same page says broadcast partners were authorized to roll out select matchups in advance, which is why pieces of the calendar surfaced before the full drop. ### Which dates were already official before the full schedule came out? (nfl.com) Sept. 9 in Seattle was the first fixed date on the calendar, with the defending champion Seahawks opening the season in the league’s kickoff game. The NFL said that game will air on NBC and Peacock at 8:20 p.m. ET. Sept. 10 in Melbourne is the second confirmed date, with the San Francisco 49ers facing the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first regular-season NFL game in Australia. (media.nfl.com) NFL media called it the start of the international slate and listed Netflix as the broadcaster for that Week 1 game. Nov. 25 in Los Angeles is another disclosed tentpole, with the Rams hosting the Packers in what the league called its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game on Netflix. (media.nfl.com) Nov. 26 will open with Detroit hosting Chicago in the traditional Thanksgiving Day window, according to NFL.com. ### How big is the international schedule this year? Nine games is the headline number, and the NFL says that is a record for a single season. (media.nfl.com) The league said those games will be played across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City are the host cities or markets named by the league. (nfl.com) London will stage three games, while Jacksonville and San Francisco are among the clubs scheduled for multiple international appearances. Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, major events and international, said in the league release that the 2026 season will feature its “most expansive and ambitious international slate yet.” His statement accompanied the league’s announcement of first-time regular-season stops in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris. (media.nfl.com) ### What do the early reveals say about the league’s TV strategy? NBC, Peacock and Netflix are attached to some of the highest-profile dates already made public. The Sept. 9 opener belongs to NBC and Peacock, while the Sept. 10 Melbourne game and Nov. 25 Thanksgiving Eve game were assigned to Netflix in league materials. (media.nfl.com) ESPN2, the ESPN App, NFL Network and NFL+ will carry the schedule-release show itself, the NFL said. The staggered rollout of selected games before the full unveiling also reflects the league’s practice of giving media partners their own announcement windows. ### Where should fans look once the full slate goes live? (media.nfl.com) NFL.com and the NFL app are the league’s designated homes for the complete 2026 schedule once the release begins. NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+ are carrying the live reveal and analysis on Thursday night. At 8 p.m. ET on May 14, the remaining unanswered items — including Seattle’s Week 1 opponent and the full Sunday, Monday and late-season holiday lineup — are scheduled to be published by the NFL and its media partners. (operations.nfl.com 1) (operations.nfl.com 2) (nfl.com)