NFL Unveils Full 2026 Schedule with Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl Rematch Opening Season.

The NFL officially released its full 2026 regular-season schedule Thursday night, headlined by a Week 1 Super Bowl rematch between the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Seven months after Seattle defeated New England in Super Bowl LX, the two teams will meet again Sept. 9 at Lumen Field to kick off the new season. The matchup marks just the third time in league history that the previous season’s Super Bowl participants have met in Week 1, and the first such opener since the Denver Broncos faced the Carolina Panthers in 2016 following Super Bowl 50. Seattle enters the season looking to continue a strong trend for reigning champions. Since 2004, defending Super Bowl winners are 16-5 in NFL Kickoff Games. The opener will also be played on a rare Wednesday night due to the league’s first regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. That international matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will air Sept. 10 in the United States as part of a record nine international games this season. One of the most anticipated return games of the year comes Oct. 25, when running back Kenneth Walker III returns to Seattle with the Kansas City Chiefs for a Sunday night showdown. Walker earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the Seahawks before leaving in free agency this offseason.

Several major offseason moves also created notable revenge matchups throughout the schedule:

• Quarterback Malik Willis and the Miami Dolphins visit the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20 after Willis departed Green Bay.

• Former Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle, now with the Denver Broncos, faces Miami on Dec. 6.

• Newly acquired DJ Moore and the Buffalo Bills host Moore’s former team, the Chicago Bears, on Dec. 19.

• Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. will meet the Indianapolis Colts for the first time after being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Las Vegas Raiders could debut No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza in Week 1 against Miami, though veteran Kirk Cousins remains in the quarterback mix after signing with the team this offseason. Another marquee reunion arrives Dec. 31, when edge rusher Trey Hendrickson returns to Cincinnati with the Baltimore Ravens after leaving the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. The NFL’s primetime slate includes six standalone games for Seattle, its highest total since 2000. The Seahawks will also face the Rams twice in the final three weeks of the season in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game.

On Thanksgiving, the Bears visit the Lions, the Eagles travel to Dallas, and the Chiefs face the Bills in the nightcap. The league’s Christmas Day tripleheader features Bears-Packers, Bills-Broncos, and Rams-Seahawks. “Monday Night Football” will include appearances by every playoff team and division winner from last season. Among the headline matchups are Cowboys-Eagles in Week 7 and a potential first showdown between Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in Week 15. The regular season concludes Jan. 10, 2027, with Super Bowl LXI scheduled for Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium.