Lumen Field
Photo: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
The NFL has announced that the 2026 regular season will kick off on Wednesday, September 9 with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting an opponent to be determined at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash.
The Seahawks’ opponent for the season-opener will be announced when the complete 2026 NFL schedule is revealed later this spring. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:20pm ET / 5:20pm PT and it will be broadcast live via NBC and Peacock.
The NFL also announced today that the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the first-ever regular season game in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 10 at approximately 8:35pm ET / 5:35pm PT. That contest will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and the eleventh-largest stadium globally.
The 49ers-Rams contest in Australia is one of a record nine NFL international games set for the 2026 season. Three games will be played in England (London), while games will also be played in Spain (Madrid), Mexico (Mexico City), Germany (Munich), France (Paris), and Brazil (Rio De Janeiro).
Earlier this month, it was announced that the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers will meet in the 2026 NFL/Hall of Fame Game. That preseason contest is slated to be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. The game will kickoff at 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT and will be nationally televised by NBC and streamed via Peacock.
NFL Schedules