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We have known for several months who each NFL team will play in the 2026 season. But this week we will know when the 272 games of the next regular season will be played.
The NFL will release the full 2026 regular season schedule on Thursday. However, the league is announcing the dates of several games before then, such as the marquee matchups in Week 1.
So, as you prepare your schedules to prepare for what you’ll be doing this fall, here’s a look at which games we know will be played and when ahead of Thursday’s schedule release.
Week 1: Seahawks will open the 2026 NFL regular season on Wednesday 9/9
The Seattle Seahawks will open the 2026 season on a Wednesday, marking the first time the NFL has opened a regular season on a Wednesday since 2012. Still, it marks a continuation of the tradition of the defending champion playing in the game’s season opener.
As of Monday morning, there are five potential opponents the Seahawks could face in the season opener. One of them includes the New England Patriots, which would be a rematch of Super Bowl LX. The Seahawks’ other potential opponents are the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals.
Week 1: 49ers and Rams to play first NFL game in Australia
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play their first game on September 11 in Melbourne. The game is expected to begin around 10:35 a.m. that Friday in Australia, which is 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday night (September 10) in the United States.
Week 1: Giants open John Harbaugh era with home showdown against Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys will visit the New York Giants in the first Sunday night game of the 2026 NFL season on September 13. It will be the eighth time in the last 15 years that the Cowboys and Giants have opened the season against each other.
Dallas is always a national TV draw as “America’s Team,” and New York could get more primetime exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh as coach and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise quarterback after his eventful rookie year. It will be Harbaugh’s debut with the Giants.
If healthy, it would also be the first meaningful game between Dart and Dak Prescott. While each began the season finale on January 4, by then the teams were already eliminated from playoff contention.
This could also be the NFL debut for a pair of former Ohio State teammates: Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, selected shortly after with the 11th pick.
Week 1: Chiefs and Broncos meet in first Monday matchup of the season
While it’s unclear whether Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will return from ACL and LCL tears for the first game of the season or not, what is known is that he will have an extra day to prepare for that possibility: The Chiefs and Denver Broncos will meet in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2026 season on September 14. It’s also unclear at this early stage which team the home game is for, but the full schedule release on Thursday will answer that. asks long before we know what’s going on with Mahomes’ recovery plans.
Week 2: Bills to open a new stadium versus Lions
The Buffalo Bills’ first game at the new Highmark Stadium will be against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night in Week 2. It will mark the beginning of a new era in Buffalo, as the Bills played the vast majority of their home games from 1973 to 2025 at the stadium formerly nicknamed The Ralph. It will also mark the beginning of a new era for the Bills on the field, as it will be Joe Brady’s first home game as their head coach.
Week 3: Ravens and Cowboys will play in Brazil
The Baltimore Ravens have been chosen to play the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL’s opening game in Rio de Janeiro this season. That match will be played on Sunday, September 27.
The NFL previously made a multi-year commitment to bring at least three regular-season games to Rio de Janeiro over the next five years. The NFL has already played two games in Brazil: Packers-Eagles in 2024 and Chiefs-Chargers in 2025 at the Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, but this will be the first in Rio.
Week 12: Eagles and Cowboys will play on Thanksgiving Day on FOX
One of the NFL’s best rivalries will be presented on Thanksgiving Day and will air on FOX. The Philadelphia Eagles will meet the Cowboys in Dallas over the holiday this year, as the two NFC East rivals meet on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 2015.
Here are five stories you should know before the showdown.
