The 2026 NFL season will begin on Wednesday, September 9, with the Seattle Seahawks welcoming the New England Patriots in a highly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LX.
A week later, the first Thursday Night Football contest of the year will take place on September 10 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, where the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams.
Global Reach of Thursday Night Football
The matchup will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, with kickoff scheduled for 8:35 p.m. Eastern Time, marking the league's growing global footprint and its willingness to bring prime-time football to new audiences.
Thursday, September 3 will not feature any NFL action, but college football will fill the evening with games such as UMass at Rutgers and Bethune‑Cookman at Central Florida, broadcast across ESPN, ESPN+ and the Big Ten Network.