NFL schedule release 2026 expected May 13 or May 14

The NFL schedule release 2026 is expected to occur on Wednesday, May 13 or Thursday, May 14, according to a report from Alex Sherman of CNBC.

Per @sherman4949 of CNBC, the NFL Schedule Release is expected to take place next Wednesday or Thursday (May 13 or 14).

Ahead of the full release, ESPN and other broadcast partners are expected to announce select games during their Upfront presentations as they did last year. pic.twitter.com/KDP0VbNAGG

— Ozzy (@OzzyNFL) May 7, 2026

Last year, the league released its full schedule on Wednesday, May 14, marking the sixth straight year the announcement arrived in May following the NFL Draft. Prior to 2020, the schedule had traditionally been revealed in mid‑to‑late April.

If the 2026 NFL schedule is in fact released Wednesday, May 13 or Thursday, May 14, it would fall in line with recent trends. Below are the NFL schedule release dates for the past 12 seasons:

• 2025 – Wednesday, May 14
• 2024 – Wednesday, May 15
• 2023 – Thursday, May 11
• 2022 – Thursday, May 12
• 2021 – Wednesday, May 12
• 2020 – Thursday, May 7
• 2019 – Wednesday, April 17
• 2018 – Thursday, April 19
• 2017 – Thursday, April 20
• 2016 – Thursday, April 14
• 2015 – Tuesday, April 21
• 2014 – Wednesday, April 23

The 2026 regular season is slated to kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting an opponent to be announced.

The league has also confirmed details for one International Series matchup. The Los Angeles Rams will host the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.

The NFL Playoff Schedule begins on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2027, with the Wild Card Round. Divisional Round games are scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 23-24, followed by the NFC and AFC Championship Games on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Super Bowl LXI is set for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN and ABC.

The NFL Preseason Schedule will open with the annual Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday, Aug. 6. This year’s matchup features the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals, with kickoff at 8:00pm ET.

Below are links to the 2026 NFL schedules for all 32 teams. Opponents for each team are set, while exact dates will be announced in May.

AFC East

• 2026 Buffalo Bills Schedule
• 2026 Miami Dolphins Schedule
• 2026 New England Patriots Schedule
• 2026 New York Jets Schedule

AFC North

• 2026 Baltimore Ravens Schedule
• 2026 Cincinnati Bengals Schedule
• 2026 Cleveland Browns Schedule
• 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule

AFC South

• 2026 Houston Texans Schedule
• 2026 Indianapolis Colts Schedule
• 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule
• 2026 Tennessee Titans Schedule

AFC West

• 2026 Denver Broncos Schedule
• 2026 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
• 2026 Las Vegas Raiders Schedule
• 2026 Los Angeles Chargers Schedule

NFC East

• 2026 Dallas Cowboys Schedule
• 2026 New York Giants Schedule
• 2026 Philadelphia Eagles Schedule
• 2026 Washington Commanders Schedule

NFC North

• 2026 Chicago Bears Schedule
• 2026 Detroit Lions Schedule
• 2026 Green Bay Packers Schedule
• 2026 Minnesota Vikings Schedule

NFC South

• 2026 Atlanta Falcons Schedule
• 2026 Carolina Panthers Schedule
• 2026 New Orleans Saints Schedule
• 2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule

NFC West

• 2026 Arizona Cardinals Schedule
• 2026 Los Angeles Rams Schedule
• 2026 San Francisco 49ers Schedule
• 2026 Seattle Seahawks Schedule