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.
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
View Comments (3)
The following will be a dream mock NFL schedule for one particular week.
Bye: Green Bay, Tennessee
FOX doubleheader early
NY Giants at Philadelphia
Carolina at Cleveland
Atlanta at New Orleans
FOX doubleheader late
Chicago at Buffalo GOTW
San Francisco at LA Chargers
CBS Singleheader
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville
Detroit at Minnesota
New England at NY Jets
Cincinnati at Baltimore
Miami at Las Vegas (late)
Nationally televised games
Thursday LA Rams at Arizona (Amazon)
Sunday 9:30AM ET Seattle vs Washington at London (NFLN)
Sunday Night Tampa Bay at Dallas (NBC)
Monday Houston at Indianapolis 7:15PM ET (ESPN)
Kansas City at Denver 8:15PM ET (ABC)
The only problem with that Dan is as a result of buying the NFL Network ESPN "sacrificed" their Monday Night Football doubleheaders and sold/gave back those games to the league. So there will not be two MNF games in any week this season because of that.
Hank buddy I found out there will be 4 or 5 doubleheaders for Monday Night Football however You Tube & Netflix will split those games along with ESPN for example this is just an educated guess Kansas City at Denver will be on ESPN/ABC & Houston at Indianapolis on You Tube & will be shown on OTA TV for Indianapolis & Houston Audiences.