From thousands of scenarios to one: How the 2026 NFL schedule is made

Q: When will the 2026 NFL schedule be released?

The 2026 NFL schedule is set to be released on May 14.

Q: How many games will each NFL team play in 2026?

Each NFL team will play 17 games during the 2026 season.

Q: What factors influence the NFL schedule-making process?

The schedule-making process is influenced by technology, broadcasting partnerships, and the previous season's outcomes.

Q: What is the significance of the Val Pinchbeck Room in NFL scheduling?

The Val Pinchbeck Room at NFL headquarters is where league executives create the NFL schedule, a process that has evolved over the years.

When it comes to corridors of power and rooms in which negotiations of outsize importance are conducted, midtown Manhattan has several. The “Val Pinchbeck Room” inside NFL headquarters might be the most impactful for the American psyche, though.

Named after the former NFL executive who constructed the NFL season by hand on cork board, the Pinchbeck room is where league executives still hunker down to produce the 272-game itinerary for the upcoming campaign.

Technology, the addition of broadcast – ahem, streaming – partners and a 17th game have changed the process over the years. With the 2026 NFL schedule release set for May 14, here is a look at how the NFL makes its annual schedule.

How is the NFL schedule made?

All teams play 17 games and have one bye week, giving the league 272 matchups to produce. Opponents are determined by the end of the previous season. The order is what makes creating the NFL schedule an ordeal.

Teams alternate seasons in which they host nine regular-season games and one preseason game, or eight regular-season games and two preseason games. The NFC will have nine regular season home games in 2026.

There are several restrictions within each schedule. For example, the Seattle Seahawks will have to play the domestic opener before the first Sunday of the season. There are nine international games slated for 2026, with those matchups typically having designated home teams.

The schedule makers must also work around events previously scheduled in (or near) NFL stadiums – from playing surface questions after a concert to traffic due to a holiday parade. The league begins collecting information from the clubs in January about these events.

Partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the NFL’s thousands of cloud-based computers come up with thousands of schedule scenarios. Then it’s up to the league to figure it out.

More: NFL schedule leaks: Tracking latest news, rumors, updates about 2026 schedule

Who makes the NFL schedule?

A handful of individuals are responsible for taking what the computer gives them and figuring out the most ideal circumstance for the 32 teams, the league office and the fans. Those people are:

Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of media distribution
Michael North, vice president of broadcasting planning
Onnie Bose, vice president of broadcast operations
Charlotte Carey, director of broadcasting

Longtime schedule supervisor Howard Katz retired after the 2025 schedule was released.

How are the opponents determined?

Each team plays the other 31 over a four-year span, which becomes a reality is thanks to a lengthy checklist. Here is how each team’s opponents are set:

Six games against the three other teams in the division — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road (the NFC South plays the entire NFC North in 2026, for example).
Four games against teams from a division in the other conference — two games at home and two on the road (the NFC South plays the entire AFC North in 2026, for example).
Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season (the third place team from the NFC North plays the third place team from the NFC South, for example).
The 17th game is an additional game against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.