NFL Schedule 2026: Full Season Dates, Games & Key Matchups
Complete guide with prices, dates, venues, and how to pay with crypto or installments
Where
The NFL schedule 2026 regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 10, 2026, and wraps up on Sunday, January 4, 2027. Wild Card Weekend takes place January 9-11, with the Super Bowl scheduled for Sunday, February 8, 2027 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Mark those dates if you're planning a football getaway.
Your Complete Guide to the NFL Schedule 2026: Key Dates, Cities, and Trip Planning Tips
The nfl schedule 2026 starts on September 10, 2026, with the traditional Thursday night opener, and ends with Super Bowl LXI on February 8, 2027. If you’re looking to catch NFL games in person this season, Travorio lets you book event tickets, hotels near the stadiums, and flights between NFL cities in just a few clicks. You can browse events on Travorio and pay with Sezzle (split into four payments), PayPal Pay Later, or over 100 cryptocurrencies, which makes budgeting for a big sports trip a lot easier.
The 2026 NFL regular season features a packed slate of 272 games played over 18 weeks, plus a month of postseason action that includes the Wild Card round, Divisional round, Conference Championships, and the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. With major matchups in cities like Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, there’s a lot to consider when plotting out your NFL adventure. This guide breaks down every phase of the season, key travel dates, and the best ways to snag tickets and accommodations, whether you want to follow your team across the country or just catch a weekend of football action.
Complete Schedule Overview
The 2026 NFL season officially gets underway on Thursday, September 10, with the defending Super Bowl champions hosting the opener. The regular season runs for 18 weeks, ending on Sunday, January 4, 2027. That’s 272 games across 32 NFL cities, with teams playing 17 games each, just like in recent years. The regular season is followed by a packed postseason: Wild Card Weekend from January 9-11, Divisional Round January 17-18, Conference Championships on January 25, and the Super Bowl on February 8.
The league schedule is built for prime-time drama. Thursday Night Football kicks off each week, with featured matchups on Sunday and Monday nights. Bye weeks run weeks 6 through 14, so watch for your team’s week off if you’re planning travel. The postseason is single-elimination, culminating in Super Bowl LXI at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. That stadium seats over 68,500 and has hosted major events like the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl 50.
During the regular season, games are typically played Sundays at 1 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. Eastern, with a handful of Thursday and Monday night contests. London and possibly Munich or Mexico City will host a few international games, those get announced in April, so keep an eye out if you want to add an overseas game to your trip. Between the end of the regular season and the Super Bowl, you’ll find just two major rest weekends: the bye between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl. Otherwise, it’s non-stop NFL action every week for nearly five months.
Group Stage Schedule
In NFL terms, the 'group stage' is the regular season, where every team plays 17 games over 18 weeks. The first three weeks usually feature divisional rivalries, think Cowboys vs. Eagles in Philadelphia, or Packers vs. Bears at Lambeau Field. Dallas always hosts the Thanksgiving Day game, which falls on November 26 in 2026, and Detroit hosts the early game that same Thursday. Most weeks have 14-16 games split over Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. ET), Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET), Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET), and a Thursday night matchup.
Prime-time games are rotated among the most popular teams. In 2026, the first Sunday Night Football game lands at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Rams host the 49ers. The New York Giants and Jets both get Monday night home games in Weeks 2 and 3 at MetLife Stadium. Arrowhead (Kansas City) and Gillette Stadium (Foxborough) usually get a prime-time slot by Week 5. Most Sundays, you’ll find at least four games at 1 p.m. and four at 4:25 p.m., so you can pick a city based on your favorite matchup.
For travelers, the best regular season crowds are in Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), Seattle (Lumen Field), and Buffalo (Highmark Stadium), especially in October when the weather averages 62°F in Philly and 55°F in Seattle. Most teams host two home games per month, so you can line up a weekend visit with a home game and some sightseeing. If you want to see two games in one trip, New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area all have two teams sharing stadiums or cities.
Knockout Round and Final Schedule
The NFL playoffs are single-elimination. Wild Card Weekend includes six games from January 9-11, 2027, spread across Saturday, Sunday, and a Monday night slot. As of 2026, seven teams from each conference make the playoffs, so expect three games per day for the first two days. The top seed in each conference gets a bye. Venues are determined by regular season seeding, so the higher seed hosts. That usually means home-field advantage in places like Lambeau Field, Arrowhead, or Levi’s Stadium.
The Divisional Round happens the following weekend, January 17-18, with four games, two each day. The winning teams then face off in the AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday, January 25. These are hosted by the highest remaining seeds, and you’ll find the best playoff atmospheres in places like Kansas City or Philadelphia. There’s no third-place game in the NFL, but the Pro Bowl takes place the week before the Super Bowl, usually in Orlando, Florida.
Super Bowl LXI will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, February 8, 2027. The stadium is 8 miles from downtown San Jose and about 45 minutes from San Francisco International Airport by Caltrain and VTA light rail. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern (3:30 p.m. local time). Super Bowl week includes the NFL Experience fan festival, Opening Night at SAP Center, and concerts around the Bay Area. If you want to attend the big game, ticket packages usually start around $5,000. The trick is to book your hotel and flights as soon as your team clinches a spot in the final.
Key Dates to Book Around
NFL fans circle a few dates as soon as the nfl 2026 schedule drops. The opening match, on Thursday, September 10, always features the defending champs at home. That’s usually the toughest regular season ticket, especially if the host is a big market like Kansas City, Dallas, or LA. The Sunday of Week 1 (September 13) is a national event, with every team in action. Thanksgiving Day (November 26) is another classic, with Detroit and Dallas both at home and a third prime-time matchup in the evening.
Major group stage matchdays happen in Weeks 5, 8, and 13, when playoff races start heating up. December weekends in Green Bay or Buffalo can mean frigid temps (average 34°F), so pack accordingly. The final week of the regular season (January 2-4, 2027) is always wild, with playoff spots on the line and most games playing simultaneously at 1 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. ET.
If you’re booking a trip around the playoffs, Wild Card Weekend (January 9-11), Divisional Round (January 17-18), and Conference Championships (January 25) are all strong picks. For a short trip, fly in Friday before the game and depart Monday. Super Bowl week in Santa Clara runs February 3-9: fans often arrive Wednesday or Thursday to catch all the festivities, with most departing the Monday after the game.
How to Plan Your Trip Around the Schedule
Which games to attend depends on your budget and your team. For the best value, look at early-season games in cities like Nashville (Titans), Jacksonville (Jaguars), or Charlotte (Panthers), where tickets start around $65. High-demand games in New York or Dallas can run $200+ for nosebleeds. For a 3-day trip, fly in Saturday morning, catch a Sunday game, and fly out Monday. Cities like Chicago, Miami, or Seattle are easy to reach on direct flights from most major US airports, and hotels near stadiums like the Hyatt Regency Miami ($142/night) or Hotel Interurban in Seattle ($117/night) fill up fast on game weekends.
If you want a 7-day itinerary, follow your team for back-to-back road games or spend a week in a city with two home games (like New York or LA). The NFL schedule usually allows for two home games within a week or ten days, especially around bye weeks. For the full tournament experience, some fans plan a month-long trip during the playoffs, catching Wild Card, Divisional, and Championship games in different cities. You can search flights on Travorio to compare routes between NFL cities, Southwest, Delta, and JetBlue all offer direct flights between most host cities, often under $150 if booked early.
Hotel prices spike around big games, so use search hotels to compare rates from over 200 suppliers. The trick is to book refundable rates early, then re-check closer to game day for last-minute deals. For those wanting to splurge, NFL On Location offers VIP ticket packages with sideline passes and hotel stays, but you can often build your own package for less using Travorio’s comparison tools.
Book Tickets and Travel with Travorio
NFL tickets for the 2026 schedule are in high demand, especially for prime-time games and the postseason. With Travorio, you can buy event tickets using Sezzle (pay in four), PayPal Pay Later, or 100+ cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. This lets you lock in your seats without draining your travel fund all at once. For playoff and Super Bowl tickets, Travorio offers verified resale options and official packages, so you don’t risk getting turned away at the gate.
When it comes to hotels, Travorio compares rates across 200+ booking sites including Expedia, Booking.com, and Agoda. You’ll see real room availability in NFL cities and can sort by distance to the stadium, guest reviews, or price. On Super Bowl weekend in Santa Clara, for example, rates at the Hyatt House San Jose/Silicon Valley start at $299/night if you book 8 months out, but can spike above $800 as game day approaches.
Flights between host cities are easy to browse on Travorio, with deals from major US carriers like United, American, and Southwest. For the Super Bowl, you can fly into San Jose (SJC), San Francisco (SFO), or Oakland (OAK), all within an hour of Levi’s Stadium. Many fans use the pay later for events feature to split their total trip cost into manageable payments, which is handy for last-minute playoff runs.
Key Tournament Dates
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions answered clearly and concisely
The 2026 NFL season begins on Thursday, September 10, 2026, with the defending Super Bowl champions hosting the opening game. Week 1 continues with a full slate of games on Sunday, September 13, and a Monday Night Football doubleheader on September 14. The full regular season schedule is released in May, but you can expect these dates to stick. Tickets for the opener are usually available by late spring.
Super Bowl LXI takes place on Sunday, February 8, 2027, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern (3:30 p.m. Pacific). Super Bowl week events begin as early as February 3, with fan festivals and media day running through the weekend. Hotel prices in the Bay Area spike that week, so book early if you plan to attend.
There are 272 games in the 2026 NFL regular season, with each of the 32 teams playing 17 games over 18 weeks. Add 13 playoff games (including Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championships, and the Super Bowl) for a season total of 285 games. That means plenty of chances to catch your favorite team live.
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is the host for Super Bowl LXI on February 8, 2027. The stadium is about 8 miles from downtown San Jose and a 45-minute train ride from San Francisco. It’s the home of the San Francisco 49ers and has previously hosted Super Bowl 50. The Bay Area offers extensive hotel and transit options for fans.
Every team has one bye week during the regular season, which falls between Weeks 6 and 14. During the playoffs, there’s one major rest weekend between the Conference Championships (January 25) and the Super Bowl (February 8), giving the finalists a two-week break. Otherwise, games are played every week from September through early February.
Yes, cities like New York (MetLife Stadium), Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium), and the Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium and nearby Oakland/Las Vegas) often host two teams. If the schedule lines up, you could catch a Giants and Jets game on consecutive days in East Rutherford, or see both the Rams and Chargers in LA during the same weekend. Check the official schedule for those rare doubleheaders.
For a short 3-4 day trip, target weekends with a Sunday home game and a prime-time matchup. Week 1 (September 10-14), Thanksgiving weekend (November 26-30), and any December Sunday with playoff implications are great picks. Arrive Friday or Saturday, catch the game Sunday, and depart Monday for the easiest itinerary.
NFL games span Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones, with international games (London, Munich, or Mexico City) in their local times. Most Sunday games kick off at 1 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. Eastern, which is 10 a.m. and 1:25 p.m. Pacific. Prime-time games (Sunday, Monday, Thursday) all start at 8:15-8:20 p.m. Eastern regardless of location.
The full TV schedule for the nfl 2026 schedule will be released in May 2026, with games broadcast on NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, and Amazon Prime. International games air on NFL Network. You can check NFL.com or your local listings for exact channels and times. Most streaming platforms like YouTube TV, Hulu Live, and FuboTV also carry NFL games live.
For the best rates and ticket availability, book your flights and hotels as soon as the NFL 2026 schedule is released in May. Super Bowl trips should be booked 8-10 months in advance, while regular season weekends fill up 2-3 months ahead, especially in big markets. Travorio lets you reserve with flexible payment options, so you can lock in your plans early and pay over time.
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