The full 2026 NFL Week 1 schedule has been leaked ahead of the league’s official release, which is set for 8 p.m. ET on May 14. Unsurprisingly, the opening slate doesn’t disappoint.
The Week 1 schedule features a Super Bowl rematch, the first regular-season game ever played in Australia, and two primetime divisional showdowns to close the week. For a league that loves spectacle, this is as strong an opening week as any in recent memory.
Every Week 1 Matchup for the 2026 NFL Season
The season opens on Wednesday, September 9, at Lumen Field when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots. The following night, the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in the NFL’s first-ever game in Australia.
Here’s the full Week 1 schedule:
- Patriots at Seahawks [Wednesday]
- Rams vs. 49ers [Thursday]
- Buccaneers at Bengals [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Bills at Texans [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Jets at Titans [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Browns at Jaguars [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Ravens at Colts [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Bears at Panthers [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Saints at Lions [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Falcons at Steelers [Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET]
- Cardinals at Chargers [Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET]
- Dolphins at Raiders[Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET]
- Commanders at Eagles [Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET]
- Packers at Vikings [Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET]
- Cowboys at Giants [SNF]
- Broncos at Chiefs [MNF]
The Seahawks-Patriots matchup is the first Super Bowl rematch to kick off the following season since 2016, when the Denver Broncos faced the Carolina Panthers.
For Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, the return to Seattle offers an immediate shot at redemption after his team’s conservative game plan drew criticism in February, and he can also shut down the noise surrounding him.
The Full Week 1 Schedule pic.twitter.com/phAo3ve9qi
— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) May 14, 2026
The Rams-49ers matchup in Melbourne gives reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and a loaded Rams roster the global stage for an NFC West rivalry game. For San Francisco, it won’t be an easy opener, and the travel demands alone make the matchup fascinating from a competitive standpoint.
Tampa Bay at Cincinnati is one of Sunday’s underrated 1 p.m. games. The Bengals are built to contend, and the Buccaneers showed enough last season to make this a competitive game.
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Buffalo at Houston, meanwhile, pits two playoff teams from 2025 against each other in what should be a tough test for Josh Allen against the Texans’ defense, which ranked second in the league last season, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric.
Sunday Night Football features a revamped NFC East clash, with John Harbaugh making his Giants coaching debut and second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart facing Dak Prescott in a meaningful game for the first time. Dallas invested heavily in defense in the offseason under new coordinator Christian Parker, and it will be interesting to see how that unit will fare.
Monday Night Football closes the week with one of the biggest storylines in football. Patrick Mahomes is targeting a return from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in December. On the other sideline, Bo Nix returns from the fractured ankle that ended his playoff run during the Divisional Round, which caused him to miss the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots.
