The NFL confirmed that the 2026 season will begin on a Wednesday night, marking a rare midweek start. The annual Kickoff Game is set for Wednesday, September 9, on NBC, featuring the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks against an opponent to be named later. The International Series game in Melbourne, Australia, will follow the next night, showcasing the San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams on a network to be announced.
A Wednesday start hasn’t occurred since 2012, when the league adjusted the Kickoff Game to accommodate the Democratic National Convention. This year’s midweek opener is unrelated to politics, but rather a result of the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which prohibits NFL games on Friday nights and Saturdays from the second week of September through the third week of December. Since the Week 1 Friday falls in the second week this year, the league opted to move the season opener to Wednesday to preserve the primetime International Series game.
Wednesday games are gradually becoming more common for the NFL. In 2020, a Ravens-Steelers game postponed from Thanksgiving aired on a Wednesday afternoon, drawing nearly 11 million viewers. Similarly, the league experimented with doubleheaders when Christmas fell on a Wednesday, demonstrating flexibility in its scheduling.
This season, the Kickoff Game may not be the only Wednesday matchup. Reports indicate the NFL is considering another Wednesday night game before Thanksgiving, with teams on bye the previous week.