The 2026 NFL season will kick off with a Super Bowl rematch on September 9 when champions Seattle Seahawks open up against the New England Patriots.
The Seahawks dominated the Patriots in a 29-13 victory in February that secured the franchise’s second NFL title, with the 2026 season-opener – taking place on a Wednesday night in the USA – just the third time that the teams who contested the Super Bowl face off again in Week 1.
The NFL season will be opening on a Wednesday for just the second time in league history in a campaign which will feature nine international fixtures across four continents, starting with the Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on September 10.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants meet in the first Sunday night game of the season while the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs go head to head in the first Monday night game.
On an immediate Week 1 match-up between the 2025 Super Bowl opponents, NFL executive Hans Schroeder said: “It was definitely a key data point for us.
“We saw what a big draw that was and so we just thought it was really fun. I think it’s been a decade since we did Denver and Carolina in Super Bowl 50 and came back in Week 1 the next year.
“We thought it was a fun way to start the season again with New England in Seattle, coming off that Super Bowl, certainly a ton to play for. Let our fans see if they play again.”
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night to complete a triple-header. The Bears-Lions and Eagles-Cowboys matchups were previously released.
Christmas Eve will see the Philadelphia Eagles host the Houston Texans, while the Christmas Day triple-header features the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears, Bills-Broncos and Rams-Seahawks.
The two games on Boxing Day have yet to determined.
See the full 2026 NFL schedule here
NFL 2026 schedule, selected weeks:
Week One
Wednesday September 9
New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks
Thursday September 10
San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams – Melbourne, Australia
Sunday September 13
Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts
Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans
Cleveland Browns @ Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Jets @ Tennessee Titans
Atlanta Falcons @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals
New Orleans Saints @ Detroit Lions
Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Chargers
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Miami Dolphins @ Las Vegas Raiders
Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Monday September 14
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos
Week Two
Thursday, September 17
Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, September 20
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans
Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets
Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots
Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers
Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs
Monday, September 21
New York Giants @ Los Angeles Rams
Thanksgiving week
Wednesday, November 25
Green Bay Packers @ Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, November 26
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills
Friday, November 27
Denver Broncos @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Christmas
Thursday, December 24
Houston Texans @ Philadelphia Eagles
Friday, December 25
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Buffalo Bills @ Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every London and European game as well as every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
