The NFL officially unveiled its 2026 schedule on Thursday night, confirming dates and start times for all 272 regular-season games.
A Super Bowl rematch is among the several notable contests on this year's slate, as the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks will kick off the season by hosting the New England Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
The mid-week start is to accommodate travel for the NFL's first-ever game in Australia, where the Los Angeles Rams play host to the division-rival San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, Sept. 10. That NFC West tilt is one of nine international trips on the schedule, which also includes the NFL's first game in France, a third straight trip to Brazil, and a return to Mexico for the first time since 2022.
The Sunday Night Football schedule opens with a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. John Harbaugh's first game in East Rutherford marks the eighth time in the past 15 seasons that the two NFC East rivals face off in Week 1.
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs round out the opening week with the first Monday Night Football action of the season. The Chiefs have dropped four of their last five games against the Broncos, and Patrick Mahomes isn't a lock to be ready for Week 1 after tearing his ACL and LCL last December. Justin Fields will likely start for Kansas City if the superstar quarterback needs more recovery time.
Here's a full look at the opening week:
The Week 1 opener won't be the only Wednesday game played this year, as the NFL also added its first-ever Thanksgiving Eve contest on Netflix. With the new addition teeing up a Thanksgiving Day triple-header and the league's Black Friday tradition now firmly in place, a total of five games will be played before the holiday weekend.
The NFL's ongoing attempts to wrestle the Christmas spotlight from the NBA will continue this year with a prime-time affair on Dec. 24 and three games on Dec. 25.
After the Rams and Seahawks provided fans with three captivating matchups last season, the two NFC West squads will cap a four-game slate that features eight potential contenders.
Flex scheduling is a factor later in the season, so not all the prime-time games are locked into their current spots. Sunday night contests can be swapped out twice during Weeks 5-10 and at any time during Weeks 11-17. The Week 18 slot is left open to afford the league a last-minute choice of a high-stakes game to cap the regular season. Monday night matchups can be flexed any time from Weeks 11-17, and the league can move Thursday games twice between Weeks 13-17.
Still, the initial volume of prime-time placements is a telling indicator of the teams the NFL expects to be marquee competitors. The Rams lead the way with seven prime-time games, while the Seahawks, Cowboys, Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Green Bay Packers each have six.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals were shut out of prime-time scheduling.
Prime Video's Thursday Night Football lineup kicks off in Week 2, with the Bills hosting the Detroit Lions in their first game at the new Highmark Stadium.
After opening with a matchup between the Cowboys and Giants, Sunday Night Football heads to Kansas City for the Chiefs to host the Indianapolis Colts.
Monday Night Football doubleheaders are now a thing of the past. ESPN has a solo game to close out each week of action, with the Rams hosting two of the first five.
The countdown is on: only 118 days until football is back.
