The 2026 NFL season will kick off on Wednesday, 9 September, with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. The Seahawks, led by head coach Mike Macdonald and quarterback Sam Darnold, will raise their championship banner before facing Mike Vrabel's Patriots, featuring quarterback Drake Maye. Seattle defeated New England 29-13 in February to secure their second NFL title.
This marks only the third time in NFL history that the Super Bowl opponents meet again in Week 1. The last instance was in 2016 when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers. NFL executive Hans Schroeder noted the appeal of such matchups, saying, 'We thought it was a fun way to start the season again.' The Wednesday opener is just the second in league history.
The opening week also features the San Francisco 49ers against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on 10 September, the first of a record nine international games. The Dallas Cowboys face the New York Giants in the Sunday night game, while the Denver Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. The Las Vegas Raiders host the Miami Dolphins, with top draft pick Fernando Mendoza likely backing up Kirk Cousins.
Other highlights include the Buffalo Bills hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving night, the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Denver Broncos on Black Friday, and the Philadelphia Eagles playing the Houston Texans on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Day tripleheader features the Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears, Bills-Broncos, and Los Angeles Rams-Seahawks.
The NFL will play across four continents, with 16 of 32 teams playing at least one game outside the US. The 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars each have two international games. The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the New Orleans Saints in Paris on 25 October, the league's first regular-season game in France. Other international matchups include the Cowboys-Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Bengals-Falcons in Madrid, and Patriots-Lions in Munich.
