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The 2026 National Football League (NFL) season will kick off on Wednesday, September 9, marking the first time since 2012 that the league has not started on its usual Thursday night. The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will host the opening game at Lumen Field on Wednesday night against the New England Patriots. The game will kick-off at 8:20 p.m ET.
The reason for the shift is tied to the league’s debut of regular-season action in Australia. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams will play the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. Due to the time zone difference, the game will air in the United States on Thursday night, meaning the traditional Thursday opener would have overlapped with the Australia game.
Stephanie Cheng, the head of the Rams' international department, said in a statement: "We are thrilled to kick off our season in Melbourne, enhancing an already historic moment for both the NFL and the Rams."
This move is part of a broader push by the NFL to expand its international presence, with a record nine games scheduled outside the United States in 2026. The last time the NFL opened on a Wednesday was in 2012, when President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention caused a similar schedule change.
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