NFL to release 2026 schedule tonight

The NFL is set to publish its full 2026 regular-season schedule at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 14, ending several days of staggered announcements by the league and its broadcast partners. The league said the release will air on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+, with additional coverage on The NFL Channel’s free streaming platforms. (media.nfl.com) Wednesday’s disclosures already answered two of the biggest schedule questions. The NFL unveiled all nine International Series matchups on May 13, and league and network announcements have also filled in several Week 1 national windows ahead of the full rollout. (media.nfl.com 1) (media.nfl.com 2) What follows is the practical guide to what is known before the final grid goes live tonight. The key points are the release time, the international inventory, the early primetime reveals and the mechanics behind what the league is publishing. ### What exactly arrives at 8 p.m. ET tonight? (media.nfl.com) Thursday, May 14, is the NFL’s official schedule-release date for the 2026 regular season, according to the league’s May 8 announcement. The release covers the full regular-season slate, including dates, kickoff times and broadcast assignments. NFL Football Operations said broadcast partners would announce select games during the week leading up to the full reveal. (media.nfl.com) That is why some international and primetime matchups were known before the complete schedule was posted. ### Which games had already been announced before the full release? (media.nfl.com) The NFL said on May 13 that all nine international games for 2026 had been set, calling it the league’s largest overseas slate to date. Those games span four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris will host regular-season NFL games for the first time in 2026, while the league returns to London, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. (media.nfl.com) The NFL said London will stage three consecutive games, with two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and one at Wembley Stadium. (operations.nfl.com) Baltimore will face Dallas in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 27 at Maracanã Stadium, the league said in one of the international announcements. NFL Football Operations had separately noted earlier this spring that Detroit would play in Munich. ### What do we know about the season opener and other Week 1 windows? (media.nfl.com) ESPN reported last month that Super Bowl LX champion Seattle will open the 2026 season on Wednesday of Week 1 rather than in the league’s usual Thursday night kickoff slot. ESPN said the shift was tied to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers opening their seasons in Melbourne, Australia, in a game that will air Thursday night in the United States. (media.nfl.com) NFL Football Operations said the Week 1 Sunday Night Football opener will feature the New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium. NFL.com also reported this week that Denver will play Kansas City in the Monday Night Football season premiere on Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. (media.nfl.com) ET. CBS Sports reported that Seattle will kick off the season on Sept. 9 and said the full international slate and some other showcase windows had emerged before the complete release. Its running list of leaks and announcements has tracked those piecemeal disclosures. ### Why were so many details public before schedule night? (espn.com) The NFL has turned schedule release into a multi-day media event, and its own operations page said partner networks would unveil select games ahead of the full publication. That approach lets the league spread out major windows such as international games, Sunday night, Monday night and holiday matchups before the full matrix drops. (operations.nfl.com) The 2026 schedule page on NFL Football Operations also links the release to the league’s scheduling process, which starts from opponents already fixed by formula. ESPN published every team’s 2026 home and away opponents in January, leaving dates, times and sequencing for the May release. (cbssports.com) ### Where can fans check the full schedule once it is live? NFL.com and the NFL’s schedule-release page are set to carry the official release at 8 p.m. ET on May 14, the league said. The same announcement listed NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+ as broadcast and streaming outlets for the live reveal and analysis. (operations.nfl.com) Thursday night’s next milestone is simple: the league posts all 272 regular-season games, with dates, kickoff times and TV windows, once the 8 p.m. ET release begins. Fans will then be able to see the complete 2026 slate in one place on the league’s official schedule pages and partner platforms. (operations.nfl.com) (media.nfl.com) (operations.nfl.com)