NFL fixtures 2026: Super Bowl rematch between Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to open new season on a Wednesday night

The 2026 NFL season will kick off with a Super Bowl rematch on September 9 when champions Seattle Seahawks open up against the New England Patriots.

The Seahawks dominated the Patriots in a 29-13 victory in February that secured the franchise's second NFL title, with the 2026 season-opener - taking place on a Wednesday night in the USA - just the third time that the teams who contested the Super Bowl face off again in Week 1.

The NFL season will be opening on a Wednesday for just the second time in league history in a campaign which will feature nine international fixtures across four continents, starting with the Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on September 10.

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants meet in the first Sunday night game of the season while the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs go head to head in the first Monday night game.

On an immediate Week 1 match-up between the 2025 Super Bowl opponents, NFL executive Hans Schroeder said: "It was definitely a key data point for us.

"We saw what a big draw that was and so we just thought it was really fun. I think it's been a decade since we did Denver and Carolina in Super Bowl 50 and came back in Week 1 the next year.

"We thought it was a fun way to start the season again with New England in Seattle, coming off that Super Bowl, certainly a ton to play for. Let our fans see if they play again."

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night to complete a triple-header. The Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles-Cowboys matchups were previously released.

Christmas Eve will see the Eagles host the Houston Texans, while the Christmas Day triple-header features the Green Bay Packers-Bears, Bills-Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams-Seahawks.

The two games on Boxing Day have yet to determined.

Sixteen of the league's 32 teams will play at least one of their 17 regular-season games outside the United States.

London hosts three international matches, while there are first-ever games in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will again host two games, in successive October weekends with the Eagles - 2025 champions - playing the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday October 11.

Wembley will also host a fixture as the Texans face the Jaguars a week later on Sunday October 18.

New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers vs Los Angeles Rams - Melbourne, Australia