As the 2026 NFL Draft draws closer, the anticipation for a new season of football is slowly starting to build. While teams try to figure out the right pieces to help enhance their overall rosters, fans can get excited about the prospect of seeing them on the field.
After a thrilling 2025 season, in which the Seattle Seahawks walked away as the Super Bowl champions, here is the schedule for the 2026 season.
Key Dates for the 2026 NFL Season Schedule
The entire offseason workout program will begin in the first week of April for all teams with a new head coach who are enrolling in the veteran workout. Once it concludes, attention for the respective fan bases will turn to the preseason.
A precursor to the actual season, it offers a glimpse into what fans can expect from their rosters and how the different pieces gel together on the gridiron. As is typical for the season, that preseason slate begins with Hall of Fame Week, which usually encapsulates one game.
So far, the NFL hasn’t released specific schedules for any games. However, the dates for each week of the season have been meticulously laid out.
The Hall of Fame weekend will take place from Aug. 6 onwards, before the first week of the preseason arrives on Aug. 13. From there, three weeks of preseason action will precede the regular season, set for a special commencement time.
Rather than the Thursday-Friday slate the NFL has used over the past two years, a unique clause has forced them to adopt a Wednesday-Thursday slate for the 2026 season.
As a result, the 2026 NFL season will start on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Since the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, they will play in the first game of the season; however, their opponent hasn’t been announced yet.
The only game on the schedule that has been announced beforehand, though, is the first game to be played in Australia.
At the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the NFL will go Down Under for the first time ever, as the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Los Angeles Rams in a game that L.A. is “hosting.”
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It will occupy the usual prime-time Thursday night slot, but for fans at the venue, the kickoff is slated for 10:35 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11.
From there, the typical NFL schedule follows, with the final week of the season beginning on Jan. 9, 2027. The playoff slate will begin on Jan. 16, culminating with Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home of the Rams, on Feb. 14.
