Super Bowl Rematch Opens 2026 NFL Season as League Unveils Schedule

NFL 2026 schedule released with record nine international games  

Seattle will host New England on Wednesday, September 9 to start the 2026 NFL season. The schedule includes expanded Thanksgiving games, Christmas Day matchups, and the first NFL game in Melbourne.

The Seattle Seahawks will host the New England Patriots on September 9 in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl. The 2026 schedule also features nine international games and the first regular-season game in Australia...

The Seattle Seahawks will open the 2026 NFL season on September 9 against the New England Patriots. It is a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl, which Seattle won to claim the championship.

The Wednesday night game at Seattle’s Lumen Field was one of the headline matchups in the schedule release. The league revealed the full 2026 slate earlier this week.

This is the first time since 2016 that a season has started with a Super Bowl rematch. That year, the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in the opening game.

The game was moved to Wednesday to make room for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. On September 10, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Melbourne game is one of a record nine international matchups announced on Wednesday. The games will be played across seven countries on four continents.

The international slate includes the NFL’s first regular-season game in France. On October 25, the New Orleans Saints will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France.

The league is also expanding its Thanksgiving week schedule. It starts with a Thanksgiving Eve matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams.

On Thanksgiving Day, the Detroit Lions will host Chicago in an NFC North divisional game. The Dallas Cowboys will play the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC East clash, and the Buffalo Bills will host the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC matchup.

The league is extending its holiday schedule with a Black Friday game the day after Thanksgiving. The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Denver Broncos in that matchup.

NFC rivals Chicago and Green Bay will meet in one of three games scheduled for Christmas Day.

KICKOFF 2026: A Super Bowl LX rematch to start off the season 🍿 pic.twitter.com/b3DMYRn7Cw

— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2026

Other notable games announced on Thursday include a October 25 meeting between Seattle and Kansas City. Kenneth Walker, who was Super Bowl MVP for the Seahawks, signed with the Chiefs as a free agent during the offseason.

The Las Vegas Raiders will open their season at home against the Miami Dolphins on September 13. The Raiders made quarterback Fernando Mendoza the top pick in this year’s NFL draft.

The regular season will end on January 10, 2027. The playoffs will conclude with the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on February 14.

This will be the first time the Super Bowl is played on Valentine’s Day.

THE WEEK 1 SCHEDULE 👀 pic.twitter.com/JK57YM6BTm

— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2026