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 year’s interconference slate. AFC playoff hopefuls keep crossing paths with NFC contenders, with marquee quarterback duels, coaching debuts, and historic international venues in the mix.
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MORE: NFL schedule leaks tracker: Every rumored & confirmed game for 2026
Here are the ten best interconference, or put another way, AFC vs. NFC games on the 2026 NFL calendar, counted down from 10 to 1.
(Please note: the full NFL schedule has not been released. The published available date/time details are from leaks and have not yet been verified.)
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10. Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts looks to throw a pass in heavy rain against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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.
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9. Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, 9:30 a.m. ET, Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid)
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 Robinson’s 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.
8. Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22, 8:20 p.m. ET, Estadio Banorte (Mexico City)
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.
7. Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops to throw at Empower Field at Mile High
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) drops to throw at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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.
6. Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks
Date TBD, Lumen Field (Seattle, WA)
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 Seattle’s 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 league’s reigning champion. Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL but is reportedly on track.
5. New England Patriots at Detroit Lions
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 Dre’Mont 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.
4. Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) drops back to pass against the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Date TBD, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
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.
3. Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, 4:25 p.m. ET, Maracanã 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
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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 Macdonald’s Dark Side defense again. The two franchises previously met in Super Bowl XLIX, which New England won on Malcolm Butler’s 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.
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