NFL schedule release: Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl rematch will kick off 2026 season | NFL
The 2026 NFL season will begin with a Super Bowl rematch. Mike Macdonald, Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks will face Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye and the New England Patriots after raising their championship banner on September 9 in the first of 272 games this season.
The Seahawks dominated the Patriots in a 29-13 victory in February that secured the franchise’s second NFL title.
This game will be just the third time the Super Bowl teams have faced each other again in Week 1. The last time was in 2016, when the Broncos beat the Panthers. The Eagles followed up their Super Bowl victory with another victory against the Chiefs in Week 2 last year.
“Yeah, that was definitely a key data point for us,” NFL executive Hans Schroeder said. “We saw what a big draw it was and so we thought it was really fun. I think it’s been a decade since we were in Super Bowl 50 in Denver and Carolina and coming back in Week 1 the following year. We thought it was a fun way to start the season again with New England in Seattle, after that Super Bowl, definitely a ton to play for. Let’s let our fans see if they play again.”
The NFL season will begin on a Wednesday for only the second time in league history.
The opener will be Vrabel’s first game since the reigning AP Coach of the Year missed the third day of this year’s draft to seek advice following the publication of photos of him and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort. The photos led to Russini’s resignation from The Athletic less than a week later.
Additional highlights from the opening week were announced ahead of the full schedule’s release Thursday evening. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Rams in Melbourne on September 10 in the first of a record nine international games. The Cowboys and Giants meet in the first Sunday night game of the season, while the Broncos and Chiefs meet in the first Monday night game.
Raiders fans can see No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza — likely on the sidelines watching Kirk Cousins start — in Week 1 when Las Vegas hosts Miami.
Josh Allen and the Bills host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night to complete a tripleheader. The Bears-Lions and Eagles-Cowboys matchups have already been released. Aaron Rodgers – maybe – and the Steelers host the Broncos on Black Friday. The Packers and Rams play the day before Thanksgiving.
Santa is scheduled to stop by Philadelphia on Christmas Eve when the Eagles host the Texans on Thursday Night Football. The Christmas Day tripleheader features the Packers-Bears, Bills-Broncos and Rams-Seahawks.
International Games
The league will be played across four continents, starting with the week one match in Australia. Sixteen of the league’s 32 teams will play at least one of their 17 regular season games outside the United States.
The 49ers and Jacksonville each play two international games. San Francisco will also face Minnesota in Mexico in Week 11. The Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London in Weeks 5 and 6 against the Eagles and Texans. The Colts and Commanders also face off in London in Week 4.
The Steelers face the New Orleans Saints on October 25 in Paris in the first NFL regular season game in France. The Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens face off in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3. The Bengals and Falcons are in Madrid in Week 8 and the Patriots and Lions play in Munich in Week 9.
