The NFL will release its full schedule for the 2026 season on Thursday, May 14. This announcement comes after potential delays due to ongoing negotiations for a streaming package.
Key points
NFL schedule for 2026 to be released on May 14
Potential delays due to streaming package negotiations
Reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter
Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; The NFL shield logo is seen on the field at SoFi Stadium before a game between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The wait for the 2026 NFL schedule is almost over.
According to ESPNās Adam Schefter, the NFL plans to release its full schedule next week on Thursday, May 14.
Last month, NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North acknowledged that the release could slip from its traditionalĀ second week of May window to the week of May 18, primarily because aĀ five-game streaming package the league was negotiating separately hadnāt been finalized.
YouTube, which had been seen as the frontrunner for a separate five-game package, could wind up with nothing after balking at the NFLās preferred approach of splitting a seven-game block between Netflix and YouTube, per Puckās John Ourand.
The schedule will also include a slight increase in broadcast exposure compared to last year, according to Sherman. The NFL is currently facing a Justice Department investigationĀ into its media rights practices and a separate inquiry from the FCC, both examining whether the leagueās antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 applies to games sold to streaming services. The league has relied on the fact that about 87% of its games aired on free over-the-air broadcasts last season, a number it appears set to improve this year. Fox is reportedly in line to air a third Christmas Day game, and the league has other mechanisms to increase the broadcast percentage.
Either way, the schedule will be out before any of that gets resolved, as Mike North told the Itās Always Game Day in Buffalo podcast that the final call belongs to Roger Goodell.
āIt doesnāt get finalized until the commissioner of the National Football League says itās finalized,ā North said. āIf we walk in there on May 11th or 12th and heās not happy with where we are, heāll send us back downstairs, and weāll keep grinding.ā
To date, only two 2026 regular-season games have been officially placed: the 49ers at Rams in Australia on Sept. 10 and the Ravens at Cowboys in Brazil on Sept. 27. Everything else ā the prime time slate, the international schedule, the streaming matchups, the Christmas tripleheader ā gets filled in next Thursday.
What is the confirmed release date for the NFL 2026 schedule?
The NFL has confirmed that the 2026 schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14.
Why might the NFL schedule release be delayed?
The release could be delayed due to ongoing negotiations for a five-game streaming package.
Who reported the NFL schedule release date?
The schedule release date was reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
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