The NFL will release its full 2026 regular season schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The interconference games feature exciting matchups between AFC and NFC teams, including notable quarterback duels and coaching debuts.
Key points
NFL schedule release on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET
Focus on AFC vs. NFC interconference games
Exciting matchups with marquee quarterback duels
Coaching debuts and historic international venues
Full schedule details not yet verified
NFL
The NFL drops its full 2026 regular season schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, ending months of speculation about kickoff times, prime-time slots, and bye weeks. Live coverage airs on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, and NFL+.
Plenty of dates are already public thanks to the international games announcement and a steady drip of leaks. What stands out among the trickle of confirmed matchups is the quality of this yearās interconference slate. AFC playoff hopefuls keep crossing paths with NFC contenders, with marquee quarterback duels, coaching debuts, and historic international venues in the mix.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, 9:30 a.m. ET, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
Two playoff losses from teams that expected more. Liam Coen took Jacksonville from 4-13 to 13-4 in his first year, then watched Trevor Lawrence throw two costly interceptions in a 27-24 Wild Card loss to Buffalo. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles also fell short of their goal after losing Super Bowl LX to the Seattle Seahawks. Philadelphia debuts new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion in his fifth game on the job. The Eagles beat the Jaguars 24-18 in London back in 2018, also at a Sunday morning kickoff. Jacksonville is 0-2 in London since.
Q&A
When will the NFL release the full 2026 schedule?
The NFL will release the full 2026 regular season schedule on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
What are the top AFC vs. NFC games for the 2026 NFL season?
The article highlights the ten best interconference games for the 2026 NFL season, featuring key matchups between AFC and NFC teams.
Where can I watch the NFL schedule release for 2026?
You can watch the NFL schedule release live on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, and NFL+.
What notable events are expected in the 2026 NFL interconference games?
The 2026 interconference games are expected to feature marquee quarterback duels, coaching debuts, and historic international venues.
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Kevin Stefanski makes his international debut as Falcons head coach after the team fired Raheem Morris in January. The two-time AP Coach of the Year inherits Bijan Robinson, fresh off a 2,298-yard All-Pro season, plus Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Joe Burrow has played Atlanta exactly once in his career, a 481-yard outing in 2022. It is also Robinsonās first career game against Cincinnati. The Bengals last played internationally in 2019. Falcons president of football Matt Ryan, the former quarterback, faces his old division foe in his new front-office role.
The only international game in prime time, airing on NBC. Minnesota arrives without a settled starting quarterback after signing Kyler Murray to compete with second-year passer J.J. McCarthy. Tight end George Kittle plays his fourth international game and his second in Mexico, where he caught two touchdowns the last time the 49ers visited in 2022. Jauan Jennings makes his return after signing with Minnesota in May following a free agency departure from San Francisco. The Vikings have won the last two meetings in this series, with different quarterbacks each time.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops to throw at Empower Field at Mile High
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Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8:15 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, NY)
The first regular-season game at the new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium will be streaming on Prime Video. Rookie head coach Joe Brady debuts after Buffalo promoted him from offensive coordinator following the Sean McDermott firing. The last meeting was a 48-42 Bills win in December 2024, in which Jared Goff threw for 494 yards, and Josh Allen accounted for six touchdowns. Buffalo has won five straight in the series and added wide receiver DJ Moore in a March trade with Chicago, joining Allen and 2025 NFL rushing champion James Cook.
Kenneth Walker III meets his former fans in Kansas City colors, the rare Super Bowl MVP to bounce after winning the trophy. He rolled up 313 yards and four touchdowns during Seattleās three-game playoff march. Sam Darnold takes on the Chiefs for the first time since a 35-9 loss as a Jet seven years ago. Andy Reid coaches a 6-11 club coming off its worst finish since 2012, while Mike Macdonald enters Year 3 as head man for the leagueās reigning champion. Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL but is reportedly on track.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m. ET, FC Bayern Munich Stadium (Munich)
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown gets to play in the country where his mother was raised, speaking fluent German and having run camps in Cologne for years. Detroit hosts its first overseas contest since a 45-10 thumping by Kansas City eleven years ago. Drake Maye, runner-up for 2025 MVP, pilots a Patriots offense that ranked in the top 3 in points and yards leaguewide. Romeo Doubs, Alijah Vera-Tucker and DreāMont Jones all arrived via free agency. Jared Goff hopes to drag the Lions back to the top of the NFC North after a last-place divisional finish in 2025.
Back-to-back league MVPs square off if Josh Allen claims a second trophy in 2026, opposite reigning winner Matthew Stafford. Allen owns the all-time mark for total touchdowns through eight career seasons with 301. Stafford guided Los Angeles to within one win of Super Bowl LX before falling to Seattle. The Rams loaded up this spring, acquiring Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie from Kansas City for a haul of picks. These clubs last met at SoFi in late 2024, when Buffalo escaped with a 44-42 win in a thriller. Sean McVay and Joe Brady draw up the chess match.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, 4:25 p.m. ET, MaracanĆ£ Stadium (Rio de Janeiro)
Dak Prescott steps on a foreign field for the first time in his 10-year career, with Dallas counted as home in front of 79,000 fans at the iconic soccer cathedral. Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, comes off the only previous Jackson-Prescott matchup, a 28-25 Ravens win in 2024 featuring a 151-yard, two-TD afternoon from Derrick Henry. Jerry Jones invested both first-round picks on defense after Dallas allowed an NFL-worst 30.1 points per game in 2025. Jesse Minter coaches his first international game in his first year, replacing John Harbaugh.
2. Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs
Date TBD, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO)
Trent McDuffie sees his old locker stall as a visitor after Kansas City sent him to Los Angeles in March for a 2026 first, two later picks and a 2027 third. The Chiefs missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2014, and Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a December loss to the Chargers. Travis Kelce has hinted this could be his final season. Matthew Stafford and Mahomes have started against each other only twice, with each winning once.
1. New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Expected Week 1: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 8:20 p.m. ET, Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
Reports point to this Super Bowl LX rematch headlining the kickoff game, on the same field where Seattle swarmed Drake Maye for six sacks and three turnovers in a 29-13 February rout. Maye, 23, finished one MVP vote short of Matthew Stafford and meets Mike Macdonaldās Dark Side defense again. The two franchises previously met in Super Bowl XLIX, which New England won on Malcolm Butlerās goal-line interception. Vrabel, twice named Coach of the Year, has had eight months to study every Seattle blitz. Seattle is 9-8 at Lumen under Macdonald versus 15-2 on the road.
