The 2026 NFL regular season starts Wednesday, September 9, 2026, when the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. It is a Wednesday, not the usual Thursday, and it is a rematch of Super Bowl LX.
| Event | Date | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff Game | Wed, Sept. 9 | Patriots at Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock |
| Melbourne game | Thu, Sept. 10 | 49ers vs Rams in Australia, 8:35 p.m. ET, Netflix only |
| First Sunday slate | Sun, Sept. 13 | 13 games, CBS and FOX regionally, plus Cowboys at Giants on NBC |
| First Monday nighter | Mon, Sept. 14 | Broncos at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN with an ABC simulcast |
| First Amazon Thursday | Thu, Sept. 17 | Lions at Bills. Amazon’s package starts in Week 2, not Week 1 |
| Mexico City game | Sun, Nov. 22 | Vikings vs 49ers at Estadio Banorte |
| Thanksgiving | Thu, Nov. 26 | Detroit and Dallas host, plus a primetime game |
| Regular season ends | Sun, Jan. 10, 2027 | Week 18 |
| Wild Card round | Jan. 16 to 18, 2027 | Six games, three per conference. Amazon streams one exclusively |
| Divisional round | Jan. 23 to 24, 2027 | Top seed plays the lowest remaining seed |
| Conference championships | Sun, Jan. 31, 2027 | AFC and NFC title games |
| Super Bowl LXI | Sun, Feb. 14, 2027 | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, on ABC |
Why is it a Wednesday this year?
The league moved the opener off its traditional Thursday for 2026. Wednesday, September 9 is the only game that night, which gives the Kickoff Game a standalone window with no competition.
The knock on effect is that Thursday belongs to Melbourne, and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football package does not begin until Week 2 on September 17. So Week 1 runs across four days: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday.
Three things people get wrong about this year’s start
- The opener is not on Thursday. If your fantasy league locks players at kickoff, anyone in the Patriots or Seahawks game locks Wednesday night.
- The Thursday game has no TV channel. 49ers and Rams from the Melbourne Cricket Ground streams on Netflix only. There is no broadcast or cable option in the United States.
- Amazon does not have a Week 1 game. Their first Thursday is September 17.
How long is the season?
Eighteen weeks of regular season, with each team playing 17 games and taking one bye. From the September 9 opener to the February 14 Super Bowl is a little over five months.
Super Bowl LXI falls on the Sunday of Presidents Day weekend, and on Valentine’s Day. It is the latest calendar date the NFL has ever finished a season.
Related
NFL Week 1 schedule, times and TV · NFL games today · Super Bowl LXI odds · Patriots vs Seahawks preview · 49ers vs Rams in Melbourne
The Bottom Line
September 9, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. ET, Patriots at Seahawks on NBC. The season ends January 10, 2027, and Super Bowl LXI is February 14 at SoFi Stadium.