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When Does the 2026 NFL Season Start? Week 1 Kickoff Date, Time and TV Schedule



 The 2026 NFL regular season starts Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the New England Patriots visit the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET at Lumen Field in Seattle. The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock, with NFL+ also offering access under its applicable viewing rules.

The Wednesday start is worth remembering. The NFL itself describes this year's opener as a "rare Wednesday offering," so fans who automatically expect the season to begin on Thursday could easily miss it.

Quick Take

  • NFL regular season begins: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026
  • First game: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
  • Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC
  • Streaming: Peacock and eligible NFL+ access
  • First full Sunday of games: Sept. 13
  • Monday Night Football opener: Sept. 14

What Is the First NFL Game of the 2026 Season?

The Patriots-Seahawks matchup officially opens the NFL's 107th season.

Seattle hosts the game after winning Super Bowl LX, and the matchup happens to be an immediate rematch of that championship game. The Seahawks defeated New England 29-13 in February and will begin their title defense against the same opponent.

The NFL traditionally gives the defending Super Bowl champion a prominent opening-week game. This year's scheduling is especially unusual because the kickoff game falls on Wednesday rather than the more familiar Thursday slot.

The NFL announced the Sept. 9 date earlier in the year and later confirmed New England as Seattle's opponent when the full schedule was released.

Why Does the NFL Season Start on Wednesday This Year?

There is no need to adjust your calendar. Wednesday, Sept. 9 is the official regular-season opener.

The NFL's Week 1 schedule contains games on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday. The league specifically describes the Seahawks-Patriots opener as a rare Wednesday game.

The following night also has an unusual matchup. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

The NFL has not presented the Wednesday opener as a permanent change to its season-opening format. For 2026, viewers should simply be aware that football begins one night earlier than they may expect.

How Can You Watch Patriots vs. Seahawks?

The Sept. 9 kickoff game will be available on:

  • NBC
  • Peacock
  • NFL+

The game begins at 8:20 p.m. Eastern, which is 7:20 p.m. Central, 6:20 p.m. Mountain and 5:20 p.m. Pacific.

NFL+ provides live local and primetime regular-season games on supported mobile devices, while Peacock provides the NBC stream through its service. Viewing availability can depend on your device and subscription, so checking your service before kickoff is a good idea.

For viewers using a traditional TV provider, NBC is the main broadcast network for the opener.

What NFL Game Is on Sept. 10?

The season's second game will be just as unusual.

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams play Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET, but the game will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

It is the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia.

In the United States, the Melbourne game will stream live on Netflix.

Netflix says the game is included with all of its subscription plans, meaning subscribers do not need to purchase a separate sports package or pay-per-view event to watch it.

That also means the first two games of the season have very different viewing setups: Wednesday's Patriots-Seahawks game is on NBC and Peacock, while Thursday's 49ers-Rams game is on Netflix.

When Is the First Full Sunday of NFL Games?

For fans who think of Sunday as the real start of football season, the date to remember is Sunday, Sept. 13.

The afternoon schedule begins at 1 p.m. ET and includes games such as Bears-Panthers, Buccaneers-Bengals, Bills-Texans and Ravens-Colts. Later afternoon games include Packers-Vikings and Commanders-Eagles.

Sunday Night Football then features one of the NFL's familiar division rivalries:

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

  • Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
  • TV: NBC
  • Streaming: Peacock and NFL+

The Giants host the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.

When Does Monday Night Football Start?

Week 1 concludes with the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, Sept. 14.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium.

The game will be available on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, along with eligible NFL+ access.

So the opening stretch of the 2026 NFL season looks like this:

  • Wednesday, Sept. 9: Patriots at Seahawks
  • Thursday, Sept. 10: 49ers vs. Rams in Melbourne
  • Sunday, Sept. 13: Full Sunday schedule
  • Monday, Sept. 14: Broncos at Chiefs

If you only remember one date, make it Wednesday, Sept. 9. That is when the 2026 NFL regular season officially begins.


Sources

NFL, 2026 Week 1 Schedule View the official Week 1 schedule

NFL, “Seahawks to kick off 2026 NFL regular season on Wednesday, Sept. 9 in Seattle” View the NFL kickoff announcement

Netflix Tudum, 2026 NFL Melbourne Game information View Netflix's NFL schedule information

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