The 2026 NFL regular season opens on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, when the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field in Seattle. As of today, July 25, 2026, that is 46 days away.
If you are counting down, you are not alone. Millions of NFL fans hit this exact search every July, and this year there is more reason than usual to be excited — the season starts on a Wednesday for only the second time in 75 years, the first-ever NFL game in Australia happens on Thursday, and Patrick Mahomes makes his return from a torn ACL on Monday Night Football.
Here is your complete countdown guide: the exact kickoff date and time, what is happening between now and September 9, and how to get ready before the first snap.
The Official Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026
NFL Kickoff Game 2026: Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC and Peacock
This is a Super Bowl LX rematch. The Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29–13 in February 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to win their first Lombardi Trophy in 12 years. The Patriots open on the road in Seattle looking for redemption.
The 2026 campaign kicks off with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots on Wednesday, September 9, marking just the second time in 75 years the NFL has begun a season on a Wednesday.
Why Is the Season Starting on a Wednesday?
The NFL traditionally opens on Thursday night. The Wednesday kickoff in 2026 is unusual — only the second time in 75 years it has happened — and the reason comes down to scheduling logistics around the league’s expanded international game slate.
The 2026 NFL season is wasting no time embracing a wild new era of scheduling. Right out of the gate, Week 1 flips the traditional script with the NFL Kickoff Game moving to a special Wednesday night broadcast on NBC. The Australia game on Thursday required the opener to move up by one night to allow proper broadcast spacing between the Kickoff Game and the international broadcast.
Week 1 First-Look Calendar
Here is the full opening week after the Wednesday kickoff:
Wednesday, September 9 Seahawks vs. Patriots — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Thursday, September 10 Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia — 8:35 p.m. ET (Netflix) (10:35 a.m. Friday morning local time in Melbourne)
Saturday/Sunday, September 13 Full 16-game Sunday slate — CBS, Fox, NBC
Monday, September 14 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos (MNF) — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN) Patrick Mahomes’ return from ACL tear
See also: 2026-2027 NFL Schedule
The 46-Day Countdown: What Happens Between Now and September 9
Forty-six days might feel like a long time, but between now and kickoff, an enormous amount of football happens. Here is your calendar:
Right Now: Training Camps (Open)
All 32 NFL training camps are open as of this week. The Seattle Seahawks rookies reported on July 17 — the earliest of any team — and all 32 teams have been in full pads since July 28. Camp battles, depth chart decisions, and the first looks at 2026 draft picks are happening daily.
Key things to watch in camp:
- Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from ACL tear — how many reps is Andy Reid giving him?
- Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson for the Browns starting job
- Ten new head coaches installing their systems for the first time
August 6: Hall of Fame Game (13 days away)
The first live game action of 2026: Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. This is technically preseason, not the regular season, but it is the first time you will see NFL players hitting each other in 2026.
August 13–15: Preseason Week 1
All 30 remaining teams play their first preseason games. Starters will play limited snaps. Rookies and roster bubble players compete for their professional lives.
Notable Week 1 preseason games:
- Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals — Thursday, August 13
- Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears — Saturday, August 15
- Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens — Saturday, August 15
See also: NFL Strength of Schedule 2026: Which Teams Have the Hardest and Easiest Path
August 20–23: Preseason Week 2
Teams typically use more starters in Week 2 than Week 1. This is often the best week to evaluate which players have developed through camp. Nationally televised: Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans on ESPN (August 20) and Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans on FOX (August 23).
August 27–29: Preseason Week 3
Final preseason week. Most teams rest starters entirely to avoid injuries before the regular season. Focus shifts to final roster decisions.
August 30: Roster Cutdown Day
Every team must trim from 90 players to 53 by 6:00 p.m. ET. This is one of the most emotionally charged days in NFL football — careers are made and ended on August 30. After cuts, teams can sign 16 players to their practice squad.
September 9: NFL Kickoff Day
5 Things to Do Before the Season Starts
1. Set your fantasy football draft If you play fantasy football, your draft should happen the week before the season — ideally August 28 to September 6. After the final preseason game and roster cuts, you have the clearest possible picture of who is starting and who is healthy. Drafting too early means making picks before camp injuries are known.
2. Set up your streaming situation The 2026 season is spread across more platforms than ever:
- NBC/Peacock — Sunday Night Football (and the kickoff game)
- CBS/Paramount+ — AFC games
- Fox/Fox Sports App — NFC games
- ESPN/ESPN App — Monday Night Football
- Amazon Prime Video — Thursday Night Football
- Netflix — Australia game (September 10) and 4 other games this season
If you plan to watch everything without cable, YouTube TV ($72.99/month) covers NBC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN in one package. For Netflix games (including the Australia opener) you need a separate Netflix subscription.
3. Check your team’s schedule Every team’s 2026 schedule is confirmed. Go to our NFL schedule section and find your team’s full 18-week schedule — home games, away games, prime-time appearances, bye week, and TV listings. Print it or screenshot it.
4. Plan around the bye week Check when your team’s bye week falls — it is the one week each season with no game for your team. Bye weeks are used by some fans to plan travel or events that would otherwise conflict with game days.
5. Register for NFL+ NFL+ ($7.99/month) gives you access to local preseason games on mobile, live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, and the NFL Network. It is the most affordable way to catch games you might otherwise miss while traveling or away from your TV.
What Makes the 2026 Season Worth the Wait
Every offseason produces storylines, but the 2026 edition has a few that stand out:
Mahomes returns. The most talented quarterback of his generation missed the final six weeks of the 2025 season with a torn ACL. He is expected to start Week 1 against Denver. Whether he is the same Mahomes — same mobility, same pocket extension, same deep ball — is the dominant question of the early season.
Defending champions with a target. The Seattle Seahawks open with a Super Bowl LX rematch at home against the Patriots. Every team will be gunning for them all season.
The Australia game. The NFL has never played a regular season game in Australia before. The Rams and 49ers playing an NFC West divisional game in Melbourne on Thursday, September 10, on Netflix is a genuine first in league history.
Ten new head coaches. Buffalo, Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Las Vegas, and the Giants all have first-year head coaches. The biggest coaching shakeup in years means significant scheme changes and roster reshuffles across the AFC and NFC.
The AmericanFootballSchedule.com Editorial Team is a group of football writers, schedule analysts, and die-hard NFL fans dedicated to providing the most accurate and complete American football schedule information on the web. Our team covers all 32 NFL teams, every FBS college football program, and the full CFL season from opening kickoff through the Grey Cup.