NFL to open 2026 season on Wednesday ahead of Australia fixture
The Seahawks are scheduled to host the Patriots on 9 September, with the league moving its traditional opener to accommodate a Thursday-night game in Australia.
The NFL is scheduled to begin its 2026 season on Wednesday, 9 September, with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots.
CBS Sports reports the league shifted the fixture from its usual Thursday slot so the defending champions could play first, before the Rams–49ers game in Australia receives a Thursday-night broadcast in the United States.
That match is scheduled to begin at 10:35am Australian time on Friday. The time difference has created a scheduling constraint for the NFL, which has also had to account for restrictions on Friday and Saturday broadcasts during much of the US college and high-school football season.
The source says the Seahawks–Patriots fixture would be only the second Wednesday season opener in NFL history. The previous one was the Cowboys–Giants game in 2012, which was scheduled to avoid Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Pro Football Reference is cited as recording Wednesday games in Week 1 in 1933 and 1948, although neither was the opening game of the season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has also said the league intends to return to Australia, indicating the scheduling issue could recur.
