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See the full story · 1 sourcesWhen does the NFL season start in 2026? Complete Week 1 schedule, matchups for all 32 teams originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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As training camp is officially underway, the NFL regular season is just around the corner.
Last year, the Seattle Seahawks culminated their magical season with a Super Bowl victory, the second time the franchise came out on top at the end of the season. However, they seem to be entering the season under the radar, with other teams receiving more hype in 2026.
Most notably, the Los Angeles Rams have assembled perhaps the league's most talented team after landing pass rusher Myles Garrett in a trade. The Rams and Seahawks played three tightly contested games last year and will once again be a premier division rivalry when they play this season.
Elsewhere around the league, the AFC is pretty wide open after a 2025 season that saw some surprising results. The NFC, meanwhile, will be a highly contested conference with many teams that believe they have a chance to make a run to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles this season.
Here's a look at when the 2026 NFL season will begin.
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When does the NFL season start in 2026?
Date : Wednesday, Sept. 9
Game : Patriots at Seahawks
Kickoff time : 8:20 p.m. ET
The NFL season typically opens on a Thursday, but this year the season begins on the Wednesday after Labor Day. The reason for this is because there is another Thursday game, which is taking place in Australia on September 10.
As always, the defending Super Bowl champion will host the first game of the year, with the Seahawks raising their second banner. They will be doing so in a Super Bowl rematch, as the New England Patriots will hope to get revenge after losing to Seattle in February.
This marks the third time in NFL history that a Super Bowl rematch will open the season and the first time since 2016. It is also the second time the Seahawks have hosted an opening game, as they defeated the Green Bay Packers in 2014 to kick off their first defending championship season.
With Labor Day falling on the latest possible date, the NFL season begins as late as it could be. The first Sunday of the NFL season is on September 13, almost halfway through the month of September.
NFL Schedule Week 1
Week 1 in the 2026 NFL season will feature 16 games across four days. The season kicks off with games on back-to-back days, the season opener on Wednesday and a game in Australia on Thursday, before moving forward with a standard NFL week.
Here's a look at the full Week 1 schedule:
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Time (ET) Game TV Channel 8:20 p.m. Seahawks vs. Patriots NBC Thursday, Sept. 10
Time (ET) Game TV Channel 8:35 p.m.* Rams vs. 49ers Netflix *Game will be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground in East Melbourne, Australia
Sunday, Sept. 13
Time (ET) Game TV Channel 1:00 p.m. Panthers vs. Bears Fox 1:00 p.m. Bengals vs. Buccaneers Fox 1:00 p.m. Lions vs. Saints Fox 1:00 p.m. Steelers vs. Falcons Fox 1:00 p.m. Texans vs. Bills CBS 1:00 p.m. Colts vs. Ravens CBS 1:00 p.m. Jaguars vs. Browns CBS 1:00 p.m. Titans vs. Jets CBS 4:25 p.m. Vikings vs. Packers CBS 4:25 p.m. Chargers vs. Cardinals CBS 4:25 p.m. Eagles vs. Commanders Fox 4:25 p.m. Raiders vs. Dolphins Fox 8:20 p.m. Giants vs. Cowboys NBC Monday, Sept. 14
Time (ET) Game TV Channel 8:15 p.m. Chiefs vs. BRoncos ESPN
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