Jacksonville opens 2026 vs Cleveland Browns

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2026 opener is set for September 13 against the Cleveland Browns, and the game will be played in Jacksonville, according to the teams’ official schedules. The Jaguars list the game as a 1 p.m. EDT kickoff at EverBank Stadium on CBS, and the Browns’ schedule also shows Week 1 as an away game in Jacksonville. That matters because some early preview coverage around the schedule framed Cleveland as the host. The official team and league schedule pages show the opposite: Jacksonville opens at home, not on the road. ### Where is the game actually being played? EverBank Stadium is the listed site for Week 1 on the Jaguars’ official 2026 schedule page. The Browns’ official schedule page matches that listing, showing Cleveland “at Jacksonville Jaguars” on Sunday, September 13. (jaguars.com) NFL.com’s game center also identifies the matchup as “Browns at Jaguars” for Week 1. Taken together, the three official listings settle the home-road question in Jacksonville’s favor. (jaguars.com) ### What did the early Jaguars Wire preview say? Jaguars Wire published a May 23 opponent preview looking ahead to Jacksonville’s Week 1 game against Cleveland. The article said the Jaguars open the season at home against the Browns and described the matchup as part of a difficult early stretch for Jacksonville. (jaguars.com) (nfl.com) Jaguars Wire also noted that the 2026 meeting will be the 21st all-time between the franchises. The outlet said Jacksonville leads the series 12-8 and that the Browns won the teams’ most recent meeting, 18-13, in September 2024. ### What else stands out about Jacksonville’s Week 1 setup? (jaguarswire.usatoday.com) John Oehser of Jaguars.com wrote in the club’s week-by-week schedule breakdown that Week 1 is important because Jacksonville follows it with games against Denver and New England in Weeks 2 and 3. He also wrote that four of the Jaguars’ first five games after the opener come against teams that had winning records in 2025. (jaguarswire.usatoday.com) The Jaguars’ broader 2026 schedule includes two London games, with Philadelphia at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 11 and Houston at Wembley Stadium on October 18. The club’s official schedule page also lists three prime-time games during the regular season. ### What do the Browns’ schedule details show? Cleveland’s official schedule lists the Jaguars game as the first of two straight road games to open the season, followed by a Week 2 trip to Tampa Bay. (jaguars.com) The Browns’ home opener is scheduled for Week 3 against Carolina at Huntington Bank Field. News 5 Cleveland separately reported after the schedule release that the Browns’ 2026 slate includes a Thursday-night home game against Pittsburgh in Week 4. (jaguars.com) That places Jacksonville as the first opponent on Cleveland’s regular-season calendar, but not as a home date. ### What should readers watch next? September 13 is the next key date: Cleveland at Jacksonville is scheduled for 1 p.m. (clevelandbrowns.com) EDT on CBS. Fans looking for the most current listing can find the matchup on Jaguars.com, Browns.com and NFL.com, which all show the Browns opening the season on the road. (jaguars.com) (news5cleveland.com)