NFL releases 2026 schedule Seahawks-Patriots opener

The NFL released its full 2026 regular-season schedule on May 14, setting the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots in the season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Lumen Field. The league said the 18-week schedule includes 272 games and closes with 16 division matchups in Week 18 on Jan. 9-10. NFL.com and the league’s media arm published the full slate, while CBS Sports posted by-team schedules with dates, kickoff times and TV assignments. Seattle’s opener against New England is a rematch of Super Bowl LX, the league said, and NBC will carry the game at 8:20 p.m. ET. NFL.com said it is the first season-opening Super Bowl rematch since 2016. The league’s announcement said the Seahawks will begin their title defense at home before Week 1 continues with games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. (media.nfl.com) ### Why does the season start on a Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday? Sept. 9 is the opening date because the NFL scheduled its kickoff game for Wednesday night in Seattle, followed by a Thursday night international game in Australia. The league said the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will meet on Sept. 10 at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia. (media.nfl.com) The Week 1 layout gives the league games on four different days right away. NFL.com’s Week 1 release said opening week will feature games on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday, with the Seahawks-Patriots game leading the slate. ### How big is the 2026 international schedule? The NFL said May 13 that the 2026 season will include a record nine international games across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. (media.nfl.com) Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, major events and international, called it the league’s “most expansive and ambitious international slate yet.” (nfl.com) Melbourne hosts the first of those games on Sept. 10, with Rio de Janeiro following on Sept. 27 for Ravens-Cowboys at Maracanã Stadium. London then gets three straight games in October, Paris hosts Steelers-Saints on Oct. 25, Madrid gets Bengals-Falcons on Nov. 8, and Munich hosts Patriots-Lions on Nov. 15, according to the league. (media.nfl.com) ### What are the league’s core numbers for 2026? The NFL said each team will play 17 regular-season games and three preseason games for the sixth straight year. The league said the NFC is the home conference for the 17th game in 2026, and that its schedule-making process weighed more than 26,000 factors, including stadium availability, travel, prime-time inventory and competitive fairness. (operations.nfl.com) Week 18 is set to end the regular season with three games on Saturday, Jan. 9, and 13 on Sunday, Jan. 10. NFL.com’s team schedule page also says several late-season windows remain flexible, with some Week 16, Week 17 and Week 18 dates and kickoff times to be finalized later in the year. ### Where can fans find the full schedule for each team? (media.nfl.com) NFL.com has posted official 2026 schedules by team, with game dates, kickoff times, TV channels and streaming information. CBS Sports also published a team-by-team list covering all 32 franchises after the league’s release. The next fixed date on the calendar is Sept. 9, when the Seahawks host the Patriots in Seattle at 8:20 p.m. (media.nfl.com) ET on NBC, followed by Rams-49ers in Melbourne on Sept. 10. (nfl.com)