Rutledge, Orlovsky, Schrager, Hawkins, Brandt and Schefter headline SportsCenter Special Presented by Nationwide: 2026 NFL Schedule Release at 8 p.m. ET (Thu)
Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck to reveal an exclusive marquee MNF matchup on GMA; Troy Aikman to appear on Get Up
Multiple international games to be revealed Wednesday on Good Morning Football and Get Up
ESPN’s ‘Year of the Super Bowl’ features largest NFL portfolio ever
ESPN is set to present SportsCenter Special Presented by Nationwide: 2026 NFL Schedule Release on Thursday, May 14, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, NFL Network, the ESPN App and NFL+ in conjunction with the NFL’s official 2026 schedule release.
Ahead of the full schedule release, on Tuesday, May 12, Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck will exclusively reveal a marquee Monday Night Football matchup on Good Morning America (7 a.m., ABC), while his broadcast partner, Troy Aikman, will join Get Up (8 a.m., ESPN). Appearances are attentively scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on GMA and 9 a.m. on Get Up.
Hosted by Laura Rutledge, the two-hour primetime SportsCenter Special Presented by Nationwide: 2026 NFL Schedule Release will feature ESPN and NFL Network analysts live from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, reacting to and analyzing the most anticipated matchups of the 2026 NFL season, including the complete Monday Night Football and NFL Network schedules.
Rutledge will be joined by Dan Orlovsky, Peter Schrager and Andrew Hawkins, with NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt making his first trip to Bristol to appear in-studio alongside the crew. Adam Schefter will join virtually with breaking news and analysis throughout the evening, with Buck providing his instant reaction to the Monday Night Football schedule for a segment. Additional guests, including coaches and players, will be announced Thursday.
On Wednesday, May 13, the remaining 2026 International Games will be announced on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and ESPN’s Get Up at 9 a.m*.* The complete Monday Night Football and NFL Network schedules will be available on ESPN Pressroom following the NFL’s official announcement Thursday night.
ESPN set for largest NFL portfolio ever during ‘Year of the Super Bowl’ESPN will present its largest NFL game portfolio ever during the 2026 season, culminating with Super Bowl LXI — ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl presentation.
With ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network, the company will air 29 NFL games during the 2026 season. ESPN is slated to televise 19 regular-season games, with the majority of ESPN’s games also simulcast on ABC, while NFL Network will carry seven regular-season matchups. ESPN and ABC will also present a Wild Card playoff game and Divisional Round game for the fourth consecutive season.
On Feb. 14, 2027, ESPN’s ‘Year of the Super Bowl’ culminates with Super Bowl LXI from SoFi Stadium across ESPN and ABC. For more information on ESPN’s “Year of the Super Bowl” coverage, click here.
ESPN and NFL Network will also provide fans with extensive NFL preseason game coverage, with the full schedule to be announced next month.