NFL Schedule 2026
The 2025 NFL Schedule was released on Wednesday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET. See below for the full NFL schedule release history, information and matchups for the 2025 NFL season.
NFL Schedule Release Date Table of Contents
- NFL Schedule Release Date 2026
- NFL Opening Day 2026
- NFL International Schedule 2026
- NFL Draft 2026
- NFL 17-Game Season Explained
- NFL Super Bowl 2026
- NFL Preseason Schedule 2026
- NFL Postseason Schedule 2026
- Thursday Night Football Schedule
- Monday Night Football Schedule
- Sunday Night Football Schedule
- Christmas Day Games
The release of the NFL schedule is always a big moment on the football calendar, as it signals the first time fans can look ahead to exact dates and times that they’ll be able to head to the stadium to cheer on their favorite team.
Vivid Seats has a full breakdown below of the 2025 NFL schedule release and other key dates for the 2025 season.
When will the 2026 NFL schedule be released?
Vivid Seats has compiled the historical NFL schedule release dates, which can help fans understand when the 2026 NFL schedule for the regular season will be released:
- 2026 - May 13 (Anticipated)
- 2025 - May 14
- 2024 - May 15
- 2023 - May 11
- 2022 - May 12
- 2021 - May 12
- 2020 - May 7 (Delayed due to COVID-19)
- 2019 - April 17
- 2018 - April 19
- 2017 - April 20
- 2016 - April 14
- 2015 - April 21
- 2014 - April 23
- 2013 - April 18
- 2012 - April 17
- 2011 - April 19
- 2010 - April 20
- 2009 - April 14
- 2008 - April 15
- 2007 - April 11
- 2006 - April 6
- 2005 - April 13
After experimenting with releasing the schedule during the second week of April, the NFL mostly shifted to releasing the schedule during the third week of April for much of the 2010s, sometimes moving the schedule release up if it conflicted with the week leading into Easter.
During the pandemic season of 2020, the NFL schedule release took place in May for the first time ever. It's a trend that the league has kept for the subsequent seasons. Still, it has never been released later than May 15.
By moving the schedule to May, it allows the month of April to be dedicated to the NFL Draft.
"This month really should be dedicated to prospects and draftees," said Mike North, VP of NFL Broadcast Planning. "This way, we let everybody really focus the month of April on the draft."
North also said that releasing the schedule in May "also gives us as a chance as a schedule team to react to something that happens at the Draft," meaning that the NFL would have 7-10 days to react to trades or Draft surprises that could affect scheduling.
The 2026 NFL Draft will run from April 23-25 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With April 25 being a Saturday, the NFL is unlikely to release the schedule on the following Wednesday or Thursday, making the second or third week of May a more likely target, as the results of the Draft could influence which games are featured in prominent time slots.
This is especially true in 2026, given that QBs are expected to dominate the first few picks. Highly touted rookie QBs can be featured in primetime games. In April 2023, NFL schedule maker Mike North confirmed on the podcast It's Always GameDay in Buffalo that the 2023 schedule would come out the second week of May. In 2025, the league confirmed that the 2025 NFL schedule will be released on May 14. The announcement was made during the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay.
Based on historical trends and most recent info, the 2026 NFL schedule release date will be May 13.
Teams usually begin releasing their schedules individually, on their respective sites and social media accounts, at 7:30 p.m. ET, a half hour earlier than the comprehensive league schedule release on NFL Network and ESPN at 8 p.m. ET. In 2020, home openers were released in the morning on schedule release date, a tactic that was not repeated in 2021 or 2022.
When Does the NFL Schedule Come Out?
The entire NFL season schedule is announced at the same time, although in the 24-48 hours before the full schedule is released, certain individual games may be announced or leaked, such as the season opener, Week 1 games or a Super Bowl rematch. The NFL season schedule is a key moment of the offseason each year.
NFL teams have their schedules in advance of the official league announcement, and teams will typically reveal them with creative video assets on social media accounts.
In the days leading up to the formal announce, individual games typically leak and team beat reporters will share them on Twitter. Between NFL international games, home openers, and single games being reported by team beat writers, it's not uncommon for fans to have a relatively good sense for a team's schedule before it is officially announced.
When is NFL Opening Day (Opening Weekend)?
The 2026 regular season will kick off on Thursday, September 10. As in past seasons, it's customary for the reigning champs to open the year at home. In 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles upheld this tradition by hosting the Dallas Cowboys to start the season.
2026 NFL International Schedule
In January, the NFL unveiled its initial lineup of international games for the 2025 season. The league is expected to host as many as eight international games this year.
The NFL announced that the Miami Dolphins will play as the designated team in the historic first-ever regular-season game in Spain. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts will host the first-ever regular season game in Berlin.
Like last year, there will be three NFL games in the UK. Those games will feature the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars as the home teams.
Here is a full breakdown of the NFL's 2025 International Schedule:
- Friday, Sept. 5: TBD vs. Los Angeles Chargers - Corinthians Arena (São Paulo)
- Sunday, Sept. 28: Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - Croke Park (Dublin)
- Sunday, Oct. 5: Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
- Sunday, Oct. 12: Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
- Sunday, Oct. 19: Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium (London)
- Sunday, Nov. 9: Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts - Olympic Stadium (Berlin)
- Sunday, Nov. 16: Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins - Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid)
When is the 2026 NFL Draft?
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from April 23 to April 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick and are widely expected to select Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
Will the 2026 NFL Season Have 17 Games?
Yes! Like previous years, the 2026 NFL schedule will again feature 17 games. In total, there will be 272 games in the entire 2025 NFL season.
The exact games are dictated by how teams in those conferences finished in 2025 (e.g., the No. 1 team from the AFC East vs. the No. 1 team from the NFC East).
When is the 2026 Super Bowl?
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara at Levi's Stadium. SoFi Stadium will host its second Super Bowl in 2027.
Buy Super Bowl Tickets and experience it live!
NFL Preseason Schedule 2025
The 2026 NFL Preseason will begin in early August with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
This year, the NFL preseason schedule is truncated to just three weeks, to allow teams more time to prepare for the 17-game schedule.
See here for team-by-team NFL preseason schedules and tickets.
NFL Week 1 Schedule Rumors 2026
The first week of the NFL season usually features marquee matchups. In recent years, it's been customary for the defending Super Bowl champion to host the first game of the following season. In 2024, a Ravens vs. Chiefs matchup at Arrowhead Stadium opened the NFL season. In 2025, it was the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2026, the league will once again spotlight the Super Bowl champion in Week 1 because of the added 17th game.
Vivid Seats will have the full list of NFL Week 1 Games when announced.
NFL Postseason Schedule 2026
The NFL postseason will begin in mid-January with Wild Card Weekend games.
NFL 2026 Schedule Key Dates and Games and NFL Fixtures
- Feb. 3: Pro Bowl Games (San Francisco)
- Feb. 8: Super Bowl LX (Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California)
- Feb. 23 - March 2: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis)
- March 3: Deadline for franchise tag
- March 11: Free agency begins
- April 23-25: NFL Draft (Pittsburgh)
- Mid-July: Training camp opens
- Sept. 10: Opening Day (Thursday Night Football)
Thursday Night Football Schedule 2026
The full Thursday Night Football schedule will be announced when the entire schedule is revealed. It will be broadcast exclusively on Amazon in 2026. Teams that return from London the previous week are usually exempt from playing on Thursday Night Football the following week. Teams that play on Monday Night Football also are unlikely to play on Thursday Night Football the following week.
Monday Night Football Schedule 2026
The Monday Night Football Schedule for 2026 will be revealed when the entire 2026 NFL schedule comes out. In 2025, the season kicked off with a marquee Monday Night Football game: the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The flex schedule will be available once again at the end of the season, which means that games can be moved in and out of Monday Night Football in the later weeks of the season.
Sunday Night Football Schedule 2026
Some of the best matchups of the season tend to fall on Sunday Night Football, televised on NBC. In 2026, this likely will be no different. Expect to see top teams and marquee players on NBC on Sunday nights during the fall.
NFL Black Friday Schedule
Commissioner Roger Goodell told Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal that the NFL is considering adding a second Black Friday game. In 2025, the Chicago Bears traveled to Philadelphia to face the Eagles, marking the third Black Friday matchup streamed on Prime Video since the now-annual tradition began in 2021.
NFL Christmas Day Schedule for 2026
The NFL has hosted at least one game on Christmas Day every year since 2020, with Commissioner Roger Goodell confirming that the league plans to schedule three games annually on the holiday.
NFL Schedule: 2026 Opponents
Here's the complete home and away opponent list for each NFL team. The dates and times of each game will be released at some point during the spring.
American Football Conference
AFC East
New England Patriots Schedule 2026
Home: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Steelers, Vikings, Packers
Away: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Jaguars, Bears, Lions, Seahawks
Home: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Bengals, Bears, Lions,
Away: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Colts, Vikings, Packers, 49ers
Home: Patriots, Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Ravens, Bears, Lions
Away: Patriots, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Raiders, Texans, Vikings, Packers, Rams
Home: Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Broncos, Raiders, Browns, Vikings, Packers
Away: Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Chiefs, Chargers, Titans, Bears, Lions, Cardinals
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens Schedule 2026
Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers
Away: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Texans, Colts, Bills, Falcons, Panthers, Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule 2026
Home: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Texans, Colts, Broncos, Falcons, Panthers
Away: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Titans, Patriots, Saints, Buccaneers, Eagles
Cleveland Browns Schedule 2026
Home: Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, Texans, Colts, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers
Away: Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, Jaguars, Titans, Jets, Saints, Buccaneers, Giants
Cincinnati Bengals Schedule 2026
Home: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, Chiefs, Saints, Buccaneers
Away: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Texans, Colts, Dolphins, Falcons, Panthers, Commanders
AFC South
Home: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Bills, Cowboys, Giants
Away: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Chargers, Commanders, Eagles, Packers
Indianapolis Colts Schedule 2026
Home: Texans, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys, Giants
Away: Texans, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles, Vikings
Tennessee Titans Schedule 2026
Home: Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Browns, Steelers, Jets, Commanders, Eagles
Away: Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Ravens, Bengals, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants, Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule 2026
Home: Texans, Colts, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Commanders, Eagles
Away: Texans, Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Broncos, Cowboys, Giants, Bears
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs Schedule 2026
Home: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Colts, 49ers, Cardinals
Away: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Bills, Dolphins, Bengals, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons
Los Angeles Chargers Schedule 2026
Home: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Texans, Cardinals, 49ers
Away: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Bills, Dolphins, Ravens, Rams, Seahawks, Buccaneers
Home: Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, Bills, Dolphins, Jaguars, Seahawks, Rams
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders, Patriots, Jets, Steelers, 49ers, Cardinals, Panthers
Las Vegas Raiders Schedule 2026
Home: Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Bills, Dolphins, Titans, Rams, Seahawks
Away: Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Patriots, Jets, Browns, Cardinals, 49ers, Saints
National Football Conference
NFC East
Home: Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Cardinals, 49ers, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens
Away: Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Rams, Seahawks, Packers, Texans, Colts
Philadelphia Eagles Schedule 2026
Home: Giants, Cowboys, Commanders, Rams, Seahawks, Panthers, Texans, Colts, Steelers
Away: Giants, Cowboys, Commanders, Cardinals, 49ers, Bears, Jaguars, Titans
Washington Commanders Schedule 2026
Home: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, Texans, Colts, Bengals
Away: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Cardinals, 49ers, Vikings, Jaguars, Titans
Home: Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals, 49ers, Saints, Jaguars, Titans, Browns
Away: Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Lions, Texans, Colts
NFC North
Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Eagles, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars
Away: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks, Bills, Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings Schedule 2026
Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Falcons, Panthers, Commanders, Bills, Dolphins, Colts
Away: Bears, Lions, Packers, Saints, Buccaneers, 49ers, Patriots, Jets
Green Bay Packers Schedule 2026
Home: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Cowboys, Bills, Dolphins, Texans
Away: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Rams, Patriots, Jets
Home: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Titans
Away: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Cardinals, Bills, Dolphins
NFC South
New Orleans Saints Schedule 2026
Home: Falcons, Buccaneers, Panthers, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals, Browns, Steelers, Raiders
Away: Falcons, Buccaneers, Panthers, Bears, Lions, Giants, Bengals, Ravens
Home: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs
Away: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Packers, Vikings, Commanders, Browns, Steelers
Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026
Home: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Seahawks, Ravens, Bengals, Broncos
Away: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Browns, Steelers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule 2026
Home: Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Packers, Vikings, Rams, Browns, Steelers, Chargers
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Bears, Lions, Cowboys, Bengals, Ravens
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams Schedule 2026
Home: 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants, Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Bills
Away: 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks, Eagles, Commanders, Buccaneers, Broncos, Raiders
Seattle Seahawks Schedule 2026
Home: Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots
Away: Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Eagles, Commanders, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders
San Francisco 49ers Schedule 2026
Home: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, Eagles, Commanders, Vikings, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins
Away: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Chargers
Arizona Cardinals Schedule 2026
Home: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Eagles, Commanders, Lions, Broncos, Raiders, Jets
Away: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Chiefs, Chargers
|
*Updated January 7, 2026