Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Thanksgiving and Christmas matchups will highlight division rivalries and key playoff contenders, setting up high-stakes holiday games.
The NFL Schedule release is the next big milestone on the NFL calendar. Following the completion of the draft, there had been buzz that the slate could be slightly delayed due to rights negotiations.
That speculation is all for naught, however, and fans will be getting the schedule in the same time frame they have become accustomed to since 2020. Let's take a look at some potential spotlight games on the 2026 NFL schedule, keeping in mind that we have already known who everyone is playing since the end of the 2025 regular season.
When will the NFL schedule be released?
- 49ers will play the Rams in Week 1 in Australia
- Ravens will face the Cowboys Week 3 in Rio de Janeiro
The NFL Schedule's official release is slated for Thursday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Intrepid minds can find out most of the schedule well ahead of that time frame, however, as leaks tend to spread throughout the day on social media to build hype for the full slate.
We do, however, know two matchups already for this season. Week 1's international game will come on Thursday, Sept. 10 for the U.S. as the 49ers take on the Rams in Australia for the first ever Melbourne regular-season game. The other fixture we already know is that the Ravens will visit the Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro during Week 3's 4:25 window.
Who will play in the NFL's opening night matchup?
- Seahawks will host the NFL's Opening Night matchup
- Intriguing opponents could be the Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs or Bears
The addition of the Melbourne game in Week 1 means the NFL is pushing the traditional kick off game up to Wednesday night. The Seattle Seahawks will host as the reigning Super Bowl champions and they have an interesting assortment of opponents to choose from.
With both of their top NFC West rivals off the board, the most intriguing options appear to be the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears. The Giants will likely be too risky to try given their long track record of losing while the Chiefs may get saved due to the uncertainty of Patrick Mahomes' availability.
Dallas is a good draw but they were just in this spot last year against the Eagles. The Super Bowl rematch has some appeal here, but we'll go with the Bears, an ascending team in a big market that had a dramatic playoff win a year ago.
Which NFL teams will play on Thanksgiving?
- Lions and Cowboys always host Thanksgiving games
- Giants could also play on Thanksgiving
There are rumors a Thanksgiving Eve game could be added to the schedule, but without it being confirmed we will operate as if there is the traditional Thanksgiving tripleheader and one game on Black Friday. Detroit and Dallas host these games, and it is important to remember the NFL scheduled big matchups in the Thanksgiving slots last season to try and chase ratings records.
The Lions have a bunch of good options for the early game, but this is the slot we will lock the Giants into. John Harbaugh's arrival as head coach should lead to more featured national windows for Big Blue, and putting them on Thanksgiving day could give the nation a look at exciting young quarterback Jaxson Dart.
The 4:30pm ET slot is a marquee window and should have the highest ratings of the day with Dallas. The NFL will likely want to save the Cowboys' divisional foes for more featured windows, so we'll lock in the 49ers for a massive clash among potential NFC playoff teams.
The night cap has been a floating matchup for a while, but it is worth mentioning that the NFL has been trying to snap some Thanksgiving droughts over the past decade or so. The Rams haven't played on Turkey Day since 1975 and the league will snap that streak this year by pitting them against the Seahawks to cap the tripleheader on NBC.
Which NFL teams will play on Black Friday?
- Amazon typically lands a Black Friday matchup
- Look out for the Chiefs or Chargers
Black Friday has become something of a new fixture for the NFL and there are rumors that the league is aiming to play a second game on Friday to create a doubleheader here. Without official confirmation that this is happening, we will operate under the assumption that Amazon Prime will get one game on Black Friday.
Amazon has gotten big names for this window in the past, with a Jets team that just added Aaron Rodgers playing in the first one followed by the Chiefs in 2024 and Bears-Eagles last year. The big game hunting continues this year as Kansas City is back in this spot, this time playing host to the Chargers in a key AFC West matchup.
Which NFL teams will play on Christmas Eve?
- Amazon could broadcast a Christmas Eve game, since it's on a Thursday
- Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders could be an attractive fit
The NFL's history on Christmas Eve is a bit mixed since most sports leagues tend to go dark after sun down to allow time for families to celebrate the holidays. While the league has played an afternoon slate on Christmas Eve when Christmas falls on a Sunday, they have shown a bit of hesitation when it comes to scheduling night games on the holiday.
That stance appears to have softened in recent years, with NFL Network airing Christmas Eve games during the 2022 season (featuring the Raiders at the Steelers) and 2023 campaign (featuring the Patriots at the Broncos). The 2022 game was uniquely scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, but otherwise the NFL has tried to schedule any night games on Christmas Eve to feature two teams in the Western time zones.
That trend should continue this year with Christmas Eve landing on a Thursday, when Amazon has traditionally gotten a game. We'll go Raiders-Broncos for this one, which will give Fernando Mendoza a national audience on a holiday night.
Which NFL teams will play on Christmas Day?
- Roger Goodell hopes to maintain a triple-header on Christmas Day
- Expect division rivalries to take centerstage
Despite the protests of LeBron James, the NFL is determined to take over Christmas just because they can. The NFL has a new deal with Netflix that gives the streamer a doubleheader on Christmas each year through the 2026 season and made it a triple header last year when Christmas fell on a Thursday.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has indicated he wants to maintain the tripleheader annually, and with Netflix close to extending its Christmas arrangement this could become a reality sooner rather than later. The NFL has tried to schedule big name teams on Christmas to encroach on the NBA's turf, a strategy that worked in 2024 (with Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans producing four AFC postseason contenders) but flopped in 2025 when five of the six teams scheduled ended up missing the postseason entirely.
Division rivalries will help on Christmas, so pencil in Bills-Patriots and Packers-Bears for two of the three games. If we do get a third game, which seems likely given the NFL's aspirations to wring every dollar out of its broadcast partners whenever possible, Bengals-Steelers would also be a good third option.
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