2026 NFL schedule release: Tracking all 32 teams and predictions

NFL NationMay 14, 2026, 08:11 PM ET
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The NFL released the full 2026 schedule Thursday night, and it opens with a rematch of Super Bowl LX as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks will host the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.

Since 2004, defending champs have gone 16-5 in season openers, according to ESPN Research, including the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys to start the 2025 season.

The season is starting on a Wednesday to accommodate the first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. The Los Angeles Rams will play the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET. Melbourne is 14 hours ahead of New York and 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles and San Francisco, meaning the game will kick off at 10:35 a.m. local time the next day in Australia.

The NFL will play a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents and seven countries.

All NINE international games in 2026 🌎🌍🌏

NFL Schedule Release – Thursday 8pm ET on ESPN/NFLN pic.twitter.com/XS1mNSsXGd

— NFL (@NFL) May 13, 2026

The only other time the NFL season started on a Wednesday was in 2012 to accommodate then-President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention the following day.

The first “Sunday Night Football” matchup will feature John Harbaugh making his New York Giants debut against the Cowboys. In another NFC East rivalry game, Dallas will host the Eagles on Thanksgiving.

The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs will face off Sept. 14 in the first “Monday Night Football” game.

NFL Nation reporters will provide a bold prediction for every team, along with analysis for each team and links to see the full schedule. Check out which teams have the hardest and easiest schedules.

NFC EAST

The Cowboys will close the season fast and reach the postseason. Last season, the Cowboys found themselves on the edges of the playoff race in December but lost four of their last five games to finish 7-9-1 and miss the playoffs for a second straight year. That won’t happen this year.

The Cowboys play two of their final three games at home. They have beaten the Giants eight straight times at AT&T Stadium, and they have won four of their past five games at the Commanders. That should allow them to make the playoffs at least as a wild-card team. Read more from Todd Archer

Are Cowboys or Giants in a better position to make a statement in Week 1?

Damien Woody and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ matchup vs. the Cowboys on the first Sunday night game of the season.

The Giants will enter their Week 8 bye week with a winning record. And in order to do that, it will have to involve beating either the Cowboys or Rams in one of the first two games. There are some opportunities for wins early in the season for the Giants.

Of their first seven opponents, only the Rams and Texans had winning records last season. Four of the first six games are also at home. Read more from Jordan Raanan

The regular-season finale versus the Giants will seal at least one team’s playoff fate. The Giants have been largely irrelevant in the NFC East race in recent years but the coach/quarterback combo of John Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart appears formidable and could lead a football renaissance in New York. Perhaps the division title will be on the line when these teams tangle Week 18. Read more from Tim McManus

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NFC NORTH

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The Lions will play spoiler at Buffalo in Week 2, which could set the tone for the season. The game will mark the first to be played at Highmark Stadium — the Bills’ new home. But Detroit is no stranger to nationally televised matchups and will be motivated to beat Buffalo after losing an epic 48-42 shootout at Ford Field in their last matchup on Dec. 15, 2024. Read more from Eric Woodyard

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The Vikings will need to beat the Bears in Week 18 to get into the playoffs. With that tough primetime stretch to start the second half of the season, it’s reasonable to think the team will have some catching up to do from a record perspective. Divisional records can often have a big impact on tiebreakers, and whether it’s for the division title or a wild-card spot, the Bears will stand between the Vikings and their preferred outcome. Read more from Kevin Seifert

NFC SOUTH

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The Saints will beat the Lions in their opening game. While the Lions are coming off a down season, this won’t be an easy game by any means, especially considering the Saints started the 2025 season 0-4. But this is a different team with a new starting quarterback. The Saints, who finished 21st in total offense last season, should look like a different team this September behind Tyler Shough and some new offensive additions such as running back Travis Etienne Jr. and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Read more from Katherine Terrell

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NFC WEST

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The Rams will win at least five games in the NFC West. Los Angeles went 4-2 in the division during the 2025 regular season, losing to the 49ers at home and the Seahawks on the road. And while this will continue to be one of the best divisions in the NFL, the Rams took big strides to improve their defense this offseason. Read more from Sarah Barshop

Despite the long Australia trip, the 49ers will open the season 3-0. Beating the Rams anywhere is a tall task, and the disparate travel plans between the teams — the Niners will spend about a week in Melbourne while the Rams will be in and out — will provide an interesting test case for jet lag recovery and time zone acclimation.

But San Francisco almost always finds a way to be competitive with the Rams, and if it can get a win there, the Niners will have manageable home games against the rebuilding Dolphins and Cardinals to soften the blow when they return to the United States. Read more from Nick Wagoner

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AFC EAST

The Bills will win at least five of their seven standalone window games. There are some tough opponents and travel in there, but the first game is Buffalo’s stadium opener, the team has had success historically against the Chiefs in the regular season and Allen often shines in primetime Read more from Alaina Getzenberg

Miami will finish the season with a .500 record… at home. What the Dolphins may lack in top-end talent, they’ll make up for in effort — and that’s enough to catch a few teams slipping. Hafley’s squad gets at least four wins at Hard Rock Stadium. Read more from Marcel Louis-Jacques

Unlike Super Bowl LX, during which the Patriots were handled with relative ease, the opener against the Seahawks will come down to the end of the fourth quarter with New England pulling off the upset … and the game-winning touchdown scored by a wide receiver not currently on the Patriots’ roster. Read more from Mike Reiss

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AFC NORTH

The Ravens go on an early tear to begin 6-0, which would mark the best start in franchise history. This is easily the softest part of the Ravens’ schedule. Baltimore’s first six opponents (the Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons and Browns) all had losing records last season and had a combined 37-64-1 record (.369) in 2025.

This would represent a complete turnaround from last season, when the Ravens struggled early and began 1-5, which tied the worst start in team history. Read more from Jamison Hensley

Schrager: Bengals’ game in Spain shows NFL’s belief in Cincinnati

Peter Schrager reacts to the Bengals getting a matchup vs. the Falcons in Spain.

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The Browns will go undefeated in their four-game homestand to get back into the AFC playoff hunt. Between Cleveland’s unsettled quarterback situation and as many as five new starting offensive linemen, it could be a bumpy start for an offense that will have to go on the road several times in the season’s first half. The offense, though, should get its footing a bit after the Browns’ Week 11 bye and will rack up some wins at home with an elite defense. Read more from Daniel Oyefusi

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AFC SOUTH

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The Jaguars sweep November. They play five games that month, beginning with the Colts at home. Then come consecutive road games against the Ravens, Titans and Giants, followed by a rematch with the Titans in Jacksonville to end the month.

The Jaguars and QB Trevor Lawrence really got rolling in November — winning the final eight games of the season to win the AFC South — and they do it again in 2026. Read more from Mike DiRocco