2026 NFL Season: Kickoff in Seattle, First Game in Australia
The 2026 NFL season kicks off September 9 in Seattle with Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks hosting. Nine international games include the NFL's first in Australia, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
How the season opens
The league's spring release said a record nine international games span four continents — London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro among the hosts.[1]
Nine international games — the number people quote, and the ones they miss
The NFL's own release puts it as a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. The headline figure is usually just the nine; the spread is the part that shows how far the league has pushed — four continents in one regular season.[1]
The Australia fixture is the first of its kind: San Francisco vs the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Thursday 10 September, about 8:35 p.m. ET. That ET timestamp is why listings disagree on the date — kickoff falls on Friday morning local time in Melbourne, so Australian sources date it a day later.[1]
What the league release does not say
The NFL release calls Seattle “the Super Bowl LX champion” and stops there — it never names the team they beat. That detail comes from match reporting: ESPN records Seattle 29, New England 13 on 8 February 2026 at Levi's Stadium, with Kenneth Walker III taking MVP on 135 rushing yards and the Seattle defence recording six sacks and three takeaways.[1][4]
Super Bowl LXI has no date or venue in the league release either. Figures circulating for it are not carried here as confirmed, because the one official document this page relies on does not contain them.[1][4]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
The 2026 NFL season kicks off Wednesday, September 9 at 8:20 p.m. ET in Seattle on NBC/Peacock, hosted by the Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks.[1][4] 2 sources · independent
Seattle won Super Bowl LX 29-13 over New England on 8 February 2026 at Levi’s Stadium; Kenneth Walker III was named MVP after 135 rushing yards.[1][4] 2 sources · independent
The league's first regular-season game in Australia features San Francisco vs. the LA Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Sept 10 ET / Sept 11 local).[1][4] 2 sources · independent
The NFL states a record nine international games in 2026 across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.[1][4] 2 sources · independent
The Melbourne game is San Francisco versus the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday 10 September at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET.[1][4] 2 sources · independent
Reported, not confirmed
Not cross-checked — do not read as factFrom here on: claims and speculation that are not cross-checked.
A record nine international games will be played across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.[1] single-source ×1 · official release (single source)
The regular season ends January 10, 2027; Super Bowl LXI is February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium.[1] single-source ×1 · Reported in secondary listings; not stated in the NFL Communications release this page relies on, so it is recorded as reported rather than confirmed.
The kickoff opponent is New England — a Super Bowl LX rematch (the spring release predated the schedule reveal and listed the opponent as TBA).[1] single-source ×1 · Reported in secondary listings; not stated in the NFL Communications release this page relies on, so it is recorded as reported rather than confirmed.
Super Bowl LXI is reported as 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium.[1][4] single-source ×2 · Not stated in the NFL Communications release this page relies on, so it is recorded as reported rather than confirmed.
Timeline
- Model
- claude-fable-5
- Time
- 08/18/2026, 12:40
- Body characters
- 1,336
- Sources
- 2 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-fable-5 (review passed)
- Time
- 08/18/2026, 12:55
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 08/18/2026, 12:40 | First authored (claude-fable-5) | Created |
| 08/18/2026 | New document (user-directed English batch). Season-opening facts are rising-search now and archival after. Kickoff details and the Melbourne first cross the NFL's official release + encyclopedia; international-game count and Super Bowl LXI details are single-source claims. The Sept 10/11 Melbourne date is flagged as timezone framing. The kickoff-opponent detail notes the official release predated the schedule reveal. | Updated |
Frequently asked
When does the 2026 NFL season start?
Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 8:20 p.m. ET — the Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks host the Kickoff Game in Seattle, on NBC and Peacock.[1]
What is the Australia game?
The first NFL regular-season game ever played in Australia: San Francisco vs. the LA Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, September 10 ET (September 11 local time).[1]
Who did Seattle beat in Super Bowl LX?
New England, 29-13, on 8 February 2026 at Levi’s Stadium. Kenneth Walker III was MVP with 135 rushing yards. The NFL season release calls Seattle the champion but does not name the opponent.[1][4]
Why do sources give different dates for the Melbourne game?
The NFL lists it as Thursday 10 September at about 8:35 p.m. ET. That is Friday morning in Melbourne, so Australian listings show the following day.[1]
Official links
- Official NFL