The 2026 NFL season opens with the traditional Thursday night kickoff on September 10, followed by the first full Sunday slate on September 13 — here are the dates worth putting on your calendar now.
Key Takeaways
- Kickoff game: Thursday, Sept 10 (defending champion hosts, per tradition)
- First full Sunday: Sept 13; first Monday Night Football: Sept 14
- Thanksgiving tripleheader: Nov 26
- 18-week regular season runs into early January, then playoffs to the Super Bowl
Opening week, day by day
| Date | What airs |
|---|---|
| Thu, Sep 10 | NFL Kickoff Game, primetime on NBC/Peacock |
| Sun, Sep 13 | Full Sunday slate: CBS and FOX afternoons, NBC Sunday Night Football |
| Mon, Sep 14 | Monday Night Football on ESPN/ABC |
The season’s anchor dates
- Weekly rhythm: Thursday Night Football streams on Prime Video; Sunday morning international games appear on select weeks
- Thanksgiving (Nov 26): the traditional Detroit and Dallas games plus a night game
- Christmas window: holiday games have become a streaming showcase in recent seasons
- Week 18: early January, all division rivals, flexed scheduling
- Playoffs: Wild Card weekend mid-January through the Super Bowl in February
How to watch without cable
The NFL’s split rights mean no single service has everything: CBS and FOX Sunday games ride on any live-TV streamer or antenna, NBC games stream on Peacock, ESPN’s Monday games need a pay-TV login or ESPN’s service, Prime Video owns Thursdays, and out-of-market Sunday games live in NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube. Most fans cover 90% of their team’s season with one live-TV service plus Prime Video.
FAQ
When does the full schedule with times come out?
The league releases the complete game-by-game schedule in May; late-season Sunday night matchups can still be flexed on shorter notice.
Are preseason games still on?
Preseason wraps in late August — by the final week, starters rarely play, which is why Week 1 feels like the true opening.
What each broadcast partner carries
- CBS and FOX: the Sunday afternoon packages, split between AFC-heavy and NFC-heavy schedules, with regional coverage determined by market.
- NBC and Peacock: Sunday Night Football plus the season opener and select holiday games.
- ESPN and ABC: Monday Night Football, occasional Saturday games late in the year, and a share of the playoffs.
- Prime Video: Thursday Night Football, plus a Wild Card game in recent seasons.
- NFL Network: a small slate of exclusive games, most notably in the international series and late-season Saturdays.
- YouTube and NFL Sunday Ticket: out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
Choosing a setup based on how you watch
Most fans fall into one of three groups. The local fan who follows the home-market team gets nearly every game through an antenna for CBS, FOX, and NBC, plus Prime Video for Thursdays and a way to watch ESPN on Mondays. The displaced fan following an out-of-market team needs Sunday Ticket for the afternoon games and then the same national windows as everyone else. The fantasy or RedZone viewer wants NFL RedZone, which is sold as a sports add-on by most live-TV streaming services and by cable providers. Working out which group you belong to before the season prevents paying for packages you never open.
The dates that move
Not everything on the schedule is fixed in May. From Week 5 onward the league can flex Sunday afternoon games into the Sunday night window with 12 days’ notice, and late in the season Monday and Thursday games can also be moved. Week 18 kickoff times are not assigned until the previous weekend’s results are known, so playoff-relevant games can land in any of the day’s windows. International games played in Europe kick off in the early morning U.S. time and usually stream on a single national platform rather than local stations.
When do playoff and Super Bowl dates get set?
The regular season ends in early January, Wild Card weekend follows the next weekend, and the Super Bowl is played in early February on the network whose turn it is in the rotation. Exact kickoff times for playoff games are announced after the final regular-season Sunday.
Is preseason worth watching?
Preseason games are useful for seeing rookies and roster-bubble players, but starters see limited snaps and the results do not count. Broadcasts are mostly local, with a few national showcases on the league’s own network.
Sources
- NFL schedule release · network announcements
Broadcast details subject to league flex decisions. Last updated August 26, 2026 · InfoBrief Staff