NFL opens season Seahawks vs Patriots

The NFL released its full 2026 regular-season schedule on Thursday, putting the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in the season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 9. NFL.com said the defending champions will “take the spotlight on Wednesday night on NBC and Peacock,” making the game the first regular-season matchup on the calendar. Seattle’s club site said the opener at Lumen Field is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which the Seahawks won 29-13 over New England on Feb. 8. ESPN’s 2026 schedule page lists the full season slate with game times, television windows and ticket information. The release also locks in the NFL’s largest international schedule to date. (nfl.com) The league said on May 13 that nine regular-season games will be played across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums in 2026. ### Why is Seattle opening the season instead of the usual Thursday night champion slot? NFL.com’s schedule-release page says the reigning champions, the Seattle Seahawks, will open on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, on NBC and Peacock. (seahawks.com) The same page shows a Thursday, Sept. 10 game in Melbourne, Australia, where the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (media.nfl.com) The Australia game appears to be the reason the calendar starts a day earlier than the league’s traditional Thursday kickoff. The NFL did not frame it that way in the page text, but the published Week 1 lineup places Seattle-New England on Wednesday and the Melbourne game on Thursday. ### What stands out about Seahawks-Patriots as the opener? Sept. 9 will bring back the two teams from Super Bowl LX less than seven months after they met in Santa Clara, California. (nfl.com) Seattle’s site said the Seahawks will begin defense of their title against “their opponent in Super Bowl LX,” and identified the game as a home opener at Lumen Field. The Seahawks also have an unusually heavy prime-time load. Seattle said its 2026 schedule includes a franchise-record six prime-time games, including the opener, plus a stand-alone Saturday game in Philadelphia on Dec. 19. ### How big is the international piece of this year’s schedule? (seahawks.com) The NFL said the 2026 season will feature “a record-breaking nine games” outside the United States. Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president of club business, major events and international, called it the NFL’s “most expansive and ambitious international slate yet.” (seahawks.com) The schedule includes first regular-season games in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris, according to the league. London will host three games, and the league will also return to Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. ### Which international matchups are already set? Sept. 10 will send the 49ers and Rams to Melbourne, according to the league’s schedule page and international release. (media.nfl.com) Sept. 27 will put the Baltimore Ravens against the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro. October brings three straight games in London: Colts-Commanders on Oct. 4, Eagles-Jaguars on Oct. 11 and Texans-Jaguars on Oct. 18, the NFL said. (media.nfl.com) The league also set Steelers-Saints for Paris on Oct. 25 and Bengals-Falcons for Madrid on Nov. 8. The Patriots will make a second appearance in one of the league’s marquee windows. (nfl.com) The NFL’s international release says New England is scheduled to face the Detroit Lions in Munich later in the season. ### Where can fans see the full schedule and broadcast windows? ESPN’s 2026 NFL schedule page says it includes game times, TV listings and ticket information for the entire season. (media.nfl.com) NFL.com’s schedule-release hub also links fans to the full schedule and ticket sales as games are revealed. Sept. 9 is the next key date on the calendar, when Seattle hosts New England on NBC and Peacock to open the 2026 regular season. (media.nfl.com) (nfl.com) (espn.com)