The NFL’s full 2026 schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14, but the league has already started peeling back the curtain. International games will be announced separately on May 13, with Netflix and YouTube revealing additional matchups throughout the day.
A record nine international games will be played in the 2026 season. They will span over four continents, seven countries, and eight stadiums. Several matchups are already locked in, while others have surfaced through reliable schedule leak accounts that have proven accurate in previous years.
Cowboys-Giants Will Headline Week 1 SNF
The league announced on Monday that the Dallas Cowboys will visit the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 1. It marks the eighth time in 15 seasons that the NFC East rivals have played their first game of the season against each other.
The matchup also marks head coach John Harbaugh’s first game with the franchise and the first meaningful meeting between Dak Prescott and second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Both teams have made significant improvements in the offseason, and this will be an exciting matchup to watch on NBC in Week 1.
Seahawks Still Await Opponent for Season Opener
The confirmation of the Giants-Cowboys game narrows the field for the Seattle Seahawks’ season opener. The defending champions will host the kickoff game on Wednesday, Sept. 9, but the opponent has not been announced.
With the Cowboys and Giants now booked, and the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers headed to Melbourne for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia on September 10, the remaining candidates are the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, or Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo believes the Bears might face the Seahawks in Week 1. He thinks that because Patrick Mahomes’ injury status is still uncertain, the league could decide to keep the Chiefs out of the season opener.
International Slate Features Games in London, Melbourne, and a FOX Tripleheader
The Rams-49ers matchup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the biggest game of the international schedule. Netflix will exclusively stream the game between the two NFC West teams, and kickoff is set for 8:35 p.m. ET on September 10, which will be 10:35 a.m. local time in Melbourne.
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Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch revealed during a conference call that the network acquired the broadcast rights to the Detroit Lions’ designated home game at Allianz Arena in Munich on Nov. 15 (Week 10). It will create the first-ever broadcast tripleheader on a single network.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said today that FOX has picked up two more NFL regular-season games, including the game in Munich, Germany, allowing FOX to have the first-ever NFL broadcast tripleheader. pic.twitter.com/zxjZk1Rild
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 11, 2026
On the leak front, an account on X named Ozzy NFL, which has a strong track record of accurate schedule leaks, reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans will play each other at Wembley Stadium in London in Week 6.
That would be the second of Jacksonville’s back-to-back London games, following another contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it will be the first time in league history that a team has played consecutive international home games.
The full international slate also includes a game between the Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro. The New Orleans Saints will host the NFL’s first game in Paris. Moreover, the 49ers will play in Mexico City, the Washington Commanders will also play in Lodnon, and the Atlanta Falcons will play in Madrid.
