NFL releases 2026 schedule

The NFL released its 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday, laying out an 18-week, 272-game slate that begins on Sept. 9 in Seattle and ends with 16 division games in Week 18 on Jan. 9-10. The league said all 32 teams will again play 17 regular-season games and three preseason games, with the NFC serving as the home conference for the extra interconference game in 2026. (media.nfl.com) The full schedule was posted on NFL.com after a week of staggered announcements by broadcast partners and the league. The opener is not on a Thursday. Seattle, the defending Super Bowl champion, will host New England on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, at Lumen Field in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. (media.nfl.com) The NFL said the game will air at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. ### Why does the season start on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday? Sept. 9 is the date the league chose for its kickoff game, and the shift creates room for a Thursday night showcase in Australia the next day. The NFL said Seattle’s opener against New England will still serve as the annual primetime kickoff game. (media.nfl.com) Sept. 10 then brings the Los Angeles Rams against the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first regular-season NFL game in Australia. The league said the game will stream on Netflix at 8:35 p.m. ET. (media.nfl.com) ### Which Week 1 matchups stand out beyond Seahawks-Patriots? Week 1 includes Dallas at the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football and Denver at Kansas City on Monday Night Football. The NFL said Cowboys-Giants will air at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC on Sept. 13, while Broncos-Chiefs is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on Sept. 14 on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. (media.nfl.com) The league also highlighted two Sunday afternoon games between 2025 playoff teams: Chicago at Carolina and Buffalo at Houston in the 1 p.m. ET window on Sept. 13. In the late window, Green Bay visits Minnesota and Washington visits Philadelphia. (media.nfl.com) ### What does the holiday schedule look like this year? Week 12 expands the NFL’s holiday footprint across five games from Wednesday through Friday. The league said Thanksgiving week starts with Green Bay at the Rams on Wednesday, Nov. 25, on Netflix. Detroit will host Chicago at 1 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, continuing the Lions’ long-running holiday slot. (media.nfl.com) NFL.com said that will be Detroit’s 86th Thanksgiving appearance. The same week ends with Denver at Pittsburgh in the Black Friday game, which the league identified as the annual post-Thanksgiving showcase. ### How far is the NFL pushing its international schedule in 2026? The NFL said it will stage nine international games in 2026 across four continents and seven countries, its largest overseas slate to date. The league announced those matchups on May 13, one day before the full schedule release. (nfl.com) Melbourne gets the opener of that series in Week 1 with Rams-49ers. Rio de Janeiro will host Baltimore against Dallas in Week 3, according to NFL.com, and the league has also announced games in London, Munich, Madrid, Paris and Mexico City. (nfl.com) ### What does the Christmas lineup include? Dec. 25 will feature a three-game Christmas slate. NFL.com said the matchups are Packers at Bears, Bills at Broncos and Rams at Seahawks, all billed as playoff rematches. The NFL has increasingly carved out standalone windows on major holidays, and the 2026 schedule again spreads games across broadcast television and streaming platforms including NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, Netflix and Peacock. (nfl.com) The league said full week-by-week listings and team schedules are available on NFL.com. Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 are the closing dates of the regular season, with three Week 18 games on Saturday and 13 on Sunday, the league said. (nfl.com) Single-game tickets went on sale as games were revealed, and the full 2026 schedule remains posted on NFL.com and the NFL Schedule Release page. (media.nfl.com) (nfl.com)