Cowboys, rest of NFL to learn full details of 2026 schedule with Thursday release

One of the most eagerly-anticipated days of the NFL calendar has finally been set, as the league has announced when it will reveal the full schedule of games for the upcoming season.

Mark your calendars, Cowboys Nation, for Thursday, May 14. That's the night you'll be able to fill in the blanks for all 272 games that will make up the 2026 campaign. We've known who the Cowboys will play and we've even known where; soon, we'll find out the all-important when.

The NFL's 2026 schedule release will take place at 8:00 p.m. ET and, as has become custom, be turned into a live television extravaganza on NFL Network, ESPN2, and NFL+.

So far, the Cowboys know the details of just one of their 17 games. They'll travel to Rio de Janeiro to face the Baltimore Ravens for a Week 3 matchup on Sunday, Sept. 27. It will be the first NFL contest ever to be staged in that city.

And while the Cowboys can safely assume they'll host their traditional Thanksgiving Day game in the late-afternoon slot as well as a handful of nationally-broadcast primetime showcases sprinkled throughout the fall, the particulars of the schedule will remain a mystery for at least a few more days.

Expect the details of a few select games leaguewide to trickle out next week. The full slate of international matchups, for example, will be unveiled Wednesday morning. Other key games will likely be announced by the various networks ahead of Thursday's full reveal.

Based on win-projection totals from Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys already have the fourth-toughest strength of schedule in the NFL in 2026. The ins and outs of the travel schedule could make for an even harder road.

We'll find out Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: NFL to release Cowboys' full 2026 schedule on Thursday