The 2026 NFL season will begin on a Wednesday, instead of the usual Thursday start.
The 2026 NFL season will get underway in September, though there’s a notable wrinkle to the schedule this season. For the first time since 2012, the first game of the upcoming season will be played on a Wednesday night.
Typically, the NFL season starts on a Thursday, but as the league pursues more international games, they’ve opted to adjust the start time of the season opener accordingly. The first game of the 2026 season will be played at Lumen Field, home of the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks, on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Although Seattle’s opponent has not yet been announced, the game has a kickoff time of 8:20 p.m. ET.Thursday night slot in Week 1 will be an international showdown between the Rams and 49ers. That game will take place at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, marking what will be the first-ever regular-season NFL game held in Australia. That game will start at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 10, with the local kickoff time set for 10:35 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 in Melbourne. In seasons past, the NFL’s first international game of the season has been played on the Friday following the season opener, which is usually played on Thursday. Per, that isn’t an option for the 2026 season due to bylaws instated by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which prohibits broadcasts of professional football games on Friday and Saturday, starting on the second Friday of September. In 2024 and ‘25, the season began during the first week of September, but this year, play won’t get started until the second week of the month. As a result, the first international game had to be moved to a Thursday, and the season opener was pushed ahead to Wednesday in order to abide by the restrictions set by the Sports Broadcasting Act. The last time the season started on a Wednesday was in 2012. That game, played between the Giants and Cowboys, was moved up from Thursday in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with former President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. In total, the NFL has scheduled nine international games during the 2026 regular season. In addition to Melbourne, the league will be playing three games in London, England and one game in each of Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Madrid and Munich.Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
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