The biggest week of the NFL offseason is here. The full 2026 NFL schedule will be officially released on Thursday, May 14 at 8 PM ET — live on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, and NFL+. All 272 games, all 32 teams, every primetime slot, every Thanksgiving and Christmas matchup, every international game.
But here's the thing about Schedule Release Week: by the time the official prime-time broadcast airs, most of the schedule has already leaked. Broadcast partners get to announce select games as part of their network upfronts throughout the week, the league reveals the full international slate the day before, and reliable insider accounts surface dozens of matchups via early ticket sales and venue announcements.
Here's everything we know so far heading into Thursday night.
Confirmed: The First Three Marquee Matchups
Three games are already officially confirmed by the NFL:
- Wednesday, September 9 — NFL Kickoff Game: The defending Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks will host the season's opening game at Lumen Field. Their opponent has not yet been confirmed, but insider Mike Garafolo has reported the Chicago Bears as the most likely matchup.
- Thursday, September 10 — First-Ever NFL Game in Australia: The San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of an expected sellout crowd. The game will air on Netflix at 8:35 PM ET (Friday morning local time).
- Sunday, September 13 — Sunday Night Football Week 1: NBC confirmed Monday that the Dallas Cowboys will travel to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants in the season's first SNF game. This will mark John Harbaugh's coaching debut with Big Blue.
A Record Nine International Games — Across Four Continents
The 2026 season will feature a record nine international games — the most ever — spanning four continents, seven countries, and eight stadiums. The full international slate will be officially revealed on Wednesday, May 13 at 9 AM ET on Good Morning Football. Here's what's already been confirmed:
- Australia: 49ers vs Rams in Melbourne (Sept 10) — the first-ever NFL regular-season game in Australia
- Brazil: Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro (Sept 27)
- France: New Orleans Saints will host a game at Stade de France in Paris — the first-ever NFL game in France
- Germany: Detroit Lions at Allianz Arena in Munich (November)
- Spain: Atlanta Falcons in Madrid — the first-ever NFL game in Spain
- United Kingdom: Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders will both play in London
- Mexico: San Francisco 49ers will play in Mexico City
The Jaguars will serve as the home team for two consecutive international games this season — a league first.
Father's Day Falls Five Weeks After the Schedule Drops — And That's Not An Accident
Here's the gift-giver's secret about Schedule Release Week: it's the moment when every NFL fan in your life starts mentally circling fall Sundays. The week-1 hype, the primetime games, the rivalry weekends, the holiday slots — fans are emotionally back into football season the moment those matchups drop.
Father's Day 2026 falls on Sunday, June 21 — exactly five weeks after the schedule release. If you give Dad something tied to his team right after he's spent a week obsessing over their schedule, you've got a hit. That's why we hand-craft NFL card plaques for every team — Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and every other franchise — featuring real licensed cards from Topps, Donruss, and Panini, mounted and shipped in time for Father's Day.
Father's Day order-by deadline: Monday, June 8 for guaranteed delivery.
What Else We Know Heading Into Thursday Night
Schedule Release Day Itself
The official release will air at 8 PM ET on Thursday, May 14, simulcast on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, NFL+, and the NFL Channel on FAST platforms (Amazon FireTV, Roku, Tubi, Pluto, and others). Expect a 90-minute presentation walking through major matchups, primetime slots, and full team schedules.
The Network Upfront Leaks (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Throughout the week leading up to Thursday, the NFL's broadcast partners (NBC, FOX, Amazon, ESPN/Disney, CBS, Netflix, and YouTube) get the chance to announce one or two marquee games each as part of their network upfront presentations. NBC already announced Cowboys-Giants for Week 1 SNF. Watch for big primetime reveals from the other networks Tuesday through Wednesday.
Team Schedule Release Videos
Once the official schedule drops Thursday night, all 32 teams will release their own schedule announcement videos — often hilarious, increasingly cinematic productions that have become an unofficial Super Bowl of social media for team marketing departments. The Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans have all earned awards for their creativity in recent years.
Thanksgiving and Christmas Games
Expect the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys to host their traditional Thanksgiving Day games. The Christmas Day slate is expected to feature three games, with Netflix carrying the bulk of the broadcast rights for the second consecutive year. The Kansas City Chiefs have publicly expressed interest in playing at home on Christmas for the fourth straight year.
The Bottom Line
Schedule Release Week is the unofficial start of NFL season — the moment when every fan in your life starts planning their fall. By Sunday, they'll know their team's primetime games, their home opener, their division rivals' visit dates, and which holiday they'll be glued to the TV.
Whichever team they live for, we have a plaque for them. Shop our full collection of NFL card plaques — handcrafted with real licensed cards, shipped fast, designed to live on a fan cave wall for years.
This post will be updated throughout the week as more matchups are confirmed.