Patriots to host Seahawks in Week 1 as NFL releases full 2026 schedule

The NFL released its 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday, locking in a Week 1 opener between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The game will be played on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Lumen Field in Seattle, with NBC and Peacock carrying the broadcast. The full slate covers 18 weeks and 272 games, the league said. The schedule also adds a new Thanksgiving Eve game and expands the international lineup to nine games, according to NFL Football Operations. ### Why are the Patriots and Seahawks opening the season? Seattle will host New England in the league’s annual kickoff game because the Seahawks enter 2026 as defending Super Bowl champions, the NFL said. The matchup is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won 29-13 over New England on Feb. 8. NFL.com said it is the first season-opening Super Bowl rematch since 2016. (media.nfl.com) Sept. 9 will mark the first Wednesday season opener since 2012, according to NFL Football Operations. The league said kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. Eastern time. ### What else is on the Week 1 calendar? Sept. 10 will bring the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first regular-season NFL game in Australia, the league said. (media.nfl.com) NFL Football Operations listed that game for 8:35 p.m. Eastern on Netflix. Sunday, Sept. 13 includes Green Bay at Minnesota and Washington at Philadelphia in the late afternoon window, according to the league’s week-by-week schedule. (operations.nfl.com) NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” will carry Dallas at the New York Giants, and ESPN/ABC will air Denver at Kansas City on Monday, Sept. 14. ### What changed on the holiday schedule? Nov. 25 will feature the NFL’s first Thanksgiving Eve game, with Green Bay visiting the Los Angeles Rams at 8 p.m. (media.nfl.com) Eastern in Week 12, NFL Football Operations said. Yahoo Sports’ schedule guide said the holiday slate now includes Thanksgiving “Eve” in addition to the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas windows. (operations.nfl.com) The NFL said NBC will also televise Kansas City at Buffalo on Thanksgiving night. Yahoo’s guide listed holiday placements for individual clubs, including Philadelphia at Dallas on Thanksgiving and Houston at Philadelphia on Christmas Eve. ### How broad is the 2026 schedule release? The league said the 2026 regular season runs from Sept. 9 through Jan. 10 and ends with 16 division games in Week 18, including three on Saturday, Jan. 9, and 13 on Sunday, Jan. 10. (operations.nfl.com) Each team will again play 17 regular-season games and three preseason games, the NFL said. Nine international games are scheduled for 2026, the most in a season, according to NFL Football Operations. (media.nfl.com) The league said the calendar includes first regular-season games in Melbourne, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. ### Where are the team-by-team details and schedule analysis? Yahoo Sports published a release guide with team sections, broadcast windows and strength-of-schedule rankings for all 32 clubs. (media.nfl.com) ESPN posted the full season schedule page, and CBS Sports published a leaguewide strength-of-schedule ranking ahead of the release. (operations.nfl.com) NFL.com is carrying the official week-by-week and division-by-division schedules, along with Week 1 listings and broadcast partners. The league’s preseason schedule is also posted, and Week 17 and Week 18 flex details will be announced later in the season, according to the schedule pages. Sept. 9 is the next date on the calendar for the Patriots and Seahawks, with New England opening on the road in Seattle and the NFL’s 107th season beginning at Lumen Field. (sports.yahoo.com) (media.nfl.com)