The 2026 NFL regular season gets underway on Wednesday, September 9, with the New England Patriots facing the Seattle Seahawks in a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch that will kick off the league’s 18‑week slate.
After Labor Day, the first Monday Night Football contest of the year is slated for September 14, when the Denver Broncos travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, marking the return of the prime‑time slot after a one‑week hiatus.
Schedule Highlights and Broadcast Overview
The regular season will feature a single game per week from Week 1 through Week 17, all broadcast at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC, while additional matchups are spread across Sundays, Thursdays and Wednesdays, with multiple contests on select Sundays and coverage shared among NBC, CBS, Fox, Netflix and ESPN/ABC.
Fans can look forward to a varied slate of primetime and weekend contests, as the league’s new broadcasting agreements bring fresh primetime matchups and a broader national audience to the 2026 campaign.