NFL Games 2026 – Schedule, Scores, Games Today & Matchups
Follow NFL Games 2026 with the latest schedule, scores, games today, kickoff times, teams, matchups, results and key updates throughout the NFL season.
NFL Games 2026 — Every Game, One Place.
Follow NFL Games 2026 with the latest schedule, scores, games today, kickoff times, teams, matchups, results and key updates throughout the NFL season.
Welcome to NFL Games 2026, your complete guide to the 2026 NFL season. Find the latest NFL game schedules, kickoff times, scores, weekly matchups, team schedules, standings, international games, playoff information and Super Bowl updates in one place.
The 2026 NFL regular season features 18 weeks of football with games involving all 32 NFL teams. This website is designed to make it easy for football fans to find NFL games today, upcoming games this week, the complete NFL schedule, team matchups, game times and important NFL season information.
Whether you are looking for today's NFL games, the NFL schedule for 2026, NFL Week 1 games, team schedules, international NFL games or the 2026 NFL playoffs, you can find the information here.
Watch NFL games live online with IPTV streaming. Find NFL games, live streams, schedules, channels, and easy ways to watch your favorite NFL teams in 2026.
Looking for NFL games today? Check the latest NFL schedule for today's matchups, kickoff times, television networks and upcoming games. The NFL schedule can change because of flexible scheduling, so check the latest schedule information before game time.
You can also explore upcoming NFL games, weekly schedules and team-by-team matchups throughout the 2026 NFL season.
The 2026 NFL schedule includes 18 regular-season weeks featuring all 32 NFL teams. Fans can follow the complete schedule by week or by team, including game dates, kickoff times, opponents and available television or streaming information.
The regular season begins in September 2026 and continues through January 2027, followed by the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl LXI.
NFL schedule information may change during the season because of flexible scheduling, particularly for selected primetime games. Always check the latest schedule before a game.
NFL Week 1 of the 2026 regular season begins with an exciting Wednesday night matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on September 9, 2026.
Week 1 also features a historic international matchup in Melbourne, Australia, where the San Francisco 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams on September 10.
The remainder of Week 1 features a full slate of Sunday games followed by Monday Night Football between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
If you are new to the NFL, understanding the season can seem confusing at first. There are 32 teams, two conferences, eight divisions, 18 regular-season weeks, playoffs, and finally the Super Bowl.
This beginner's guide explains how the 2026 NFL season works from start to finish. You will learn how the NFL is organized, how the regular-season schedule works, how teams qualify for the playoffs, how the playoff bracket is determined, and what happens on the road to the Super Bowl.
Whether you are watching your first NFL game or simply want to understand the schedule better, this guide gives you the basic information you need.
The National Football League, commonly known as the NFL, is the highest professional American football league in the United States.
The NFL has 32 teams. These teams are divided into two conferences:
American Football Conference (AFC)
National Football Conference (NFC)
Each conference has 16 teams.
The AFC and NFC are each divided into four divisions:
East
North
South
West
That means there are eight divisions in total, with four teams in each division.
The division structure is important because teams compete not only for an overall record but also for their division. Winning a division can give a team a direct path into the playoffs and a favorable postseason position.
The NFL regular season consists of 18 weeks, but each team plays 17 regular-season games.
Every team receives one bye week during the regular season.
This means you will see NFL games across 18 weeks, but an individual team will not play during one of those weeks.
The league has 32 teams and 17 games per team, producing a total of 272 regular-season games.
The schedule is carefully constructed using the NFL's scheduling formula, which determines each team's opponents before the league assigns the games to specific dates and times.
This is one of the most common questions from new NFL fans.
The answer is the bye week.
A bye week is a week when a team does not play a game. It gives players additional time to rest, recover from injuries and prepare for the next opponent.
For example, a team could play in Week 5, have its bye in Week 6, and return to action in Week 7.
Not every team has its bye at the same time. This allows the league schedule to spread the bye weeks throughout the regular season.
The NFL's 32 teams are divided like this:
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Understanding these divisions makes it much easier to understand the NFL schedule and standings.
NFL schedules are not random.
The league uses a scheduling formula to determine opponents. Every team plays its three division opponents twice, once at home and once away. That gives each team six divisional games.
The remaining games come from the NFL's rotating conference and interconference schedule, along with games determined by the previous season's standings.
The basic 17-game structure is:
6 games against divisional opponents
4 games against another division in the same conference
4 games against a division in the other conference
2 games against same-conference opponents based on previous standings
1 additional interconference game based on the scheduling formula
This system means that teams do not simply play the same opponents every year. The NFL uses rotating divisions so teams eventually face opponents from across the league.
A division game is a game between two teams in the same division.
For example, if the Buffalo Bills play the Miami Dolphins, that is an AFC East divisional game.
Division games are extremely important because they can directly affect the division standings.
A team may have a strong overall record, but losing important divisional games can make winning the division much more difficult.
Because each team plays its three divisional opponents twice, there are six divisional games on every team's regular-season schedule.
The NFL has two conferences: the AFC and NFC.
The conferences matter most when the playoffs arrive.
During the regular season, AFC teams play both AFC and NFC opponents. NFC teams also play both NFC and AFC opponents.
At the end of the regular season, the best teams from each conference qualify for the postseason.
The ultimate goal is to win the conference championship and advance to the Super Bowl.
NFL standings show how teams are performing during the season.
You will normally see information such as:
Wins
Losses
Ties
Winning percentage
Division record
Conference record
Points scored
Points allowed
For example, a team with a 10-4 record has won 10 games and lost 4.
Winning percentage is important because it helps determine how teams are ranked.
When teams finish with identical records, the NFL has official tiebreaking procedures. These can include head-to-head results, division record, common games, conference record and other criteria.
A bye week is simply a week when a team does not play.
Every NFL team receives one bye during the 18-week regular season.
Bye weeks can become important later in the season because teams may use the extra preparation time to recover from injuries or prepare for an important opponent.
When looking at an NFL schedule, don't assume that every team plays every week.
Some teams may be playing while another team is resting during its bye.
Sunday is traditionally the biggest day of the NFL week.
Many regular-season games are played on Sunday afternoon, while a featured game is normally played on Sunday night.
Sunday games can begin at different times depending on the matchup and broadcast schedule.
For fans following the NFL from outside the United States, time-zone conversion is particularly important. A game listed in Eastern Time will begin at a different local time in India, Europe, Australia and other regions.
Sunday Night Football is the NFL's featured Sunday-night game.
It normally provides one of the most prominent matchups of the week.
However, the NFL can use flexible scheduling during designated parts of the season. This allows certain games to be moved into prime-time slots when the league wants to feature a more meaningful or attractive matchup.
This means the exact schedule for some later-season games can change.
Monday Night Football is played on Monday and provides another prime-time NFL game.
It is especially useful for fans who follow the NFL throughout the entire weekend and want one more game to watch at the start of the week.
During designated flexible-scheduling windows in 2026, certain Monday night games can be subject to scheduling changes.
Thursday Night Football gives the NFL a game during the middle of the traditional football week.
Teams have less recovery time between games when playing on Thursday, so these games can present a different challenge compared with a normal Sunday-to-Sunday schedule.
The NFL's 2026 flexible-scheduling procedures also allow certain Thursday games to be changed during designated periods.
If you look at the official 2026 NFL schedule, you may notice some games listed as TBD.
TBD means To Be Determined.
This does not necessarily mean the matchup itself is unknown. The teams may already be known while the exact date, kickoff time or television assignment has not yet been finalized.
This is particularly important toward the end of the regular season.
For example, the NFL can leave some Week 17 and Week 18 games flexible because the importance of those games depends on how the standings develop during the season.
Flexible scheduling allows the NFL to change certain game times later in the season.
The purpose is to give important or highly competitive games better prime-time exposure.
For example, a game that was originally planned for a Sunday afternoon could potentially be moved into a prime-time slot if it becomes particularly important for the playoff race.
The 2026 NFL flexible-scheduling rules cover designated windows for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football.
For fans, this means it is a good idea to check the schedule again before a late-season game rather than relying on an old schedule.
The regular season determines which teams qualify for the playoffs.
The NFL postseason includes teams from both the AFC and NFC.
Division winners are especially important because they receive playoff berths and are seeded according to the postseason format.
Additional playoff spots are awarded to the best teams that did not win their divisions. These are commonly known as wild-card teams.
The regular season therefore has two major goals:
Win your division.
If you cannot win the division, finish strongly enough to earn a wild-card position.
Every regular-season game can matter because the final standings determine postseason qualification and seeding.
A wild-card team is a team that qualifies for the playoffs without winning its division.
This allows strong teams to reach the postseason even if another team finishes first in their division.
Wild-card teams are seeded below the division winners in their conference.
The exact seed determines who they play and where the game is played.
Playoff seeding determines the position of each qualified team in the postseason bracket.
A higher seed generally provides a more favorable position.
The No. 1 seed in each conference is particularly valuable because it receives a first-round bye in the current playoff format.
That means the No. 1 seed does not play during Wild Card Weekend and advances directly to the Divisional Round.
This makes the final weeks of the regular season extremely important for teams competing for the top seed.
The NFL playoffs progress through several stages.
The first playoff round is Wild Card Weekend.
Teams compete for the opportunity to advance.
The winners from Wild Card Weekend move into the Divisional Round.
At this stage, the competition becomes even more important because only a small number of teams remain.
The remaining teams compete in:
AFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game
The winner of the AFC Championship becomes the AFC champion.
The winner of the NFC Championship becomes the NFC champion.
Both teams then advance to the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the NFL.
It features:
AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion
The winner becomes the NFL champion for that season.
The Super Bowl is the final game of the NFL postseason and is one of the biggest sporting events in the United States.
For someone new to the NFL, the simplest way to understand the season is:
Regular Season → Playoffs → Conference Championships → Super Bowl
Every game matters, but not every game has the same impact.
A win against a divisional opponent can be particularly valuable because it can affect the division standings.
Late-season games can also become extremely important because teams may be competing for:
A division title
A playoff berth
A wild-card position
A higher playoff seed
The No. 1 seed
Home-field advantage
This is why NFL games can become increasingly meaningful as the season progresses.
Prime-time games are nationally prominent games played during evening or other featured broadcast windows.
The major prime-time categories include:
Thursday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Monday Night Football
These games generally receive significant attention because they are presented as featured matchups.
However, the NFL schedule can change later in the year through flexible scheduling.
When looking at an NFL schedule, focus on these details:
Date: When the game is being played.
Opponent: The team your team is playing.
Home/Away: Whether your team is playing at home or on the road.
Kickoff time: When the game begins.
Week: Which week of the NFL season the game belongs to.
Network: Where the game is scheduled to be broadcast.
TBD: Some details may still be determined.
For example:
Team A vs. Team B — Week 5 — Sunday — 4:25 PM ET
This tells you the teams, week, day and scheduled kickoff time.
If a team is listed first with "at" between the teams, it normally means the first team is playing on the road.
For example:
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
means Dallas is the visiting team and Philadelphia is the home team.
If the schedule shows:
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
the exact presentation may depend on the schedule format, so it is always best to check the home/away designation.
Home games are played at the team's stadium, while away games require the team to travel to its opponent.
NFL games can have very different levels of importance depending on the standings.
Early in the season, teams are establishing their records.
In the middle of the season, teams begin separating themselves from the rest of the division.
Late in the season, games can determine playoff qualification and seeding.
A Week 18 game between two teams fighting for a playoff spot can therefore be much more significant than a Week 3 game between teams with very different records.
You don't need to understand every rule immediately.
Start by watching a few basic things:
The offense normally has four downs to gain 10 yards.
If it gains the required distance, it receives a new set of downs.
A first down means the offense successfully gained the required yardage and receives another set of downs.
A touchdown is worth six points.
After a touchdown, the team has an opportunity for an additional scoring play.
A successful field goal is worth three points.
Teams may attempt a field goal when they believe they are within kicking range.
A turnover occurs when the offense loses possession, commonly through an interception or fumble.
Turnovers can dramatically change the outcome of a game.
One major difference is that NFL games are relatively few compared with leagues that play dozens or hundreds of games per season.
Each team plays only 17 regular-season games.
Because there are fewer games, individual results can have a major effect on the standings.
A single win or loss can sometimes change a team's playoff chances significantly.
This is one reason NFL fans pay so much attention to the schedule.
The easiest way to follow the season is to keep track of:
Your team's schedule
Weekly NFL games
Division standings
Conference standings
Playoff scenarios
Injuries and team news
Game times and schedule changes
The official NFL schedule provides the most current schedule information, and later-season games may be adjusted because of flexible scheduling.
The 2026 NFL regular season can be explored week by week.
Week 1 begins the 2026 regular season and features the New England Patriots visiting the Seattle Seahawks on September 9.
The following day, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams meet in Melbourne, Australia, in a historic international matchup.
Week 1 continues with a full Sunday schedule and concludes with the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.
NFL Week 2 continues the regular season with another full collection of AFC and NFC matchups.
The week includes Thursday Night Football followed by Sunday games and Monday Night Football.
NFL Week 3 continues the race for division position and early playoff positioning.
As teams establish their records, divisional and conference games become increasingly important.
Week 4 adds another complete slate of regular-season games and includes international football.
Fans can follow game times, matchups and results throughout the week.
Week 5 continues the regular season and provides another opportunity for teams to improve their standings.
Week 6 includes additional regular-season matchups and another international NFL game.
Week 7 continues the schedule with games across both conferences and an international matchup in Paris.
Week 8 marks the middle portion of the regular season and becomes increasingly important for teams competing for playoff positions.
Week 9 features another international matchup, with Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons meeting in Madrid.
Week 10 includes an international game in Munich between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions.
Week 11 includes an international game in Mexico City between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
Week 12 continues the late-season schedule, when division races and playoff qualification become increasingly important.
Week 13 moves the league deeper into the postseason race.
Week 14 continues the final stretch of the regular season.
Week 15 features games with increasing playoff implications.
Week 16 includes holiday-period football and designated matchups.
Some future Week 16 scheduling details may be finalized later under NFL scheduling procedures.
Week 17 is another important late-season week as teams compete for playoff qualification and postseason seeding.
Week 18 is the final week of the regular season.
Games in Week 18 can have major implications for division championships, playoff qualification and postseason seeding. Specific Week 18 dates and kickoff times are determined later according to NFL scheduling procedures.
The NFL consists of 32 teams divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference contains four divisions: North, South, East and West.
Explore team schedules, upcoming games, results, standings and season information for your favorite NFL team.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
The 2026 NFL season features nine regular-season international games across four continents and seven countries. International NFL games will bring regular-season football to fans in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, England, Germany, Spain and France.
The 2026 international schedule includes the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, making the global expansion of the league one of the major stories of the 2026 season.
The 2026 NFL regular season leads into the 2026–27 NFL playoffs. The postseason features the top teams from the AFC and NFC competing for a place in the Super Bowl.
Follow NFL playoff dates, matchups, results, standings and postseason information throughout the 2026–27 season.
Super Bowl LXI will be the championship game concluding the 2026 NFL season. Follow Super Bowl LXI news, participating teams, playoff results, game information and championship updates as the season progresses.
International NFL games attract fans from the host country as well as visitors from around the world.
Ticket availability differs by city and event.
The official NFL international ticket information currently includes ticket information for Melbourne, Paris, Madrid, London, Rio and other 2026 international events.
For your website, ticket sections should link visitors to official ticketing sources rather than reproducing ticketing content.
The NFL has played regular-season games outside the United States as part of its international growth strategy.
Before the 2026 season, 62 regular-season NFL games had been played outside the United States.
International host locations have included London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto.
The 2026 schedule adds new markets including Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris.
The NFL Draft is one of the most important annual events in professional football.
Draft coverage can include:
Draft order
First-round selections
Team selections
Player profiles
Position
College
Draft round
Draft pick
Team needs
Draft analysis
For long-term SEO value, the draft section can be updated each offseason.
NFL free agency is another major part of the football calendar.
A free-agency section can cover:
Player signings
Contract updates
Team needs
Releases
Trades
Franchise tags
Position changes
Only confirmed transactions should be presented as factual news.
Training camp marks the preparation period before the regular season.
Fans often search for:
Training camp dates
Team locations
Position battles
Roster competition
Preseason information
Injury updates
Depth charts
Training-camp pages can be updated during the preseason period.
The preseason provides teams with an opportunity to evaluate players before the regular season.
Preseason information can include:
Preseason schedule
Game results
Roster battles
Rookie performances
Veteran appearances
Team statistics
Preseason results should remain separate from regular-season standings.
A useful NFL website should also explain how the sport works.
Important guide topics include:
How NFL scoring works
Touchdowns
Field goals
Extra points
Two-point conversions
Safeties
First downs
Downs and distance
Overtime
Penalties
Challenges
Timeouts
Clock management
Defensive formations
Offensive formations
Football positions
Playoff rules
These evergreen guides can attract visitors throughout the entire year.
NFL football includes several major positions.
Quarterback
Running back
Fullback
Wide receiver
Tight end
Offensive tackle
Offensive guard
Center
Defensive tackle
Defensive end
Nose tackle
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
Kicker
Punter
Long snapper
Kick returner
Punt returner
Each position has different responsibilities and contributes to the team's overall strategy.
NFL scoring includes several methods.
A touchdown is worth six points.
A successful extra-point kick adds one point.
A successful two-point conversion adds two points.
A field goal is worth three points.
A safety awards two points to the defensive team.
Understanding these scoring methods makes it easier for new fans to follow NFL games and scoreboards.
Each NFL team plays 17 regular-season games over an 18-week schedule.
The schedule includes division games, conference games and interconference matchups.
Teams compete for division championships, playoff qualification and favorable postseason seeding.
At the end of the regular season, qualifying teams advance to the playoffs.
NFL schedules can change during the season.
Flexible scheduling allows selected games to be moved to different television windows in order to highlight important matchups.
For 2026, the NFL's flexible scheduling procedures cover selected Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football games.
Therefore, future game times should be treated as subject to change until confirmed.
NFL viewing options depend on the country and the broadcast rights available in that market.
Game pages should identify the available television network or streaming service when confirmed.
Fans should use official broadcaster information for the most accurate viewing details.
The NFL also operates NFL+, its official streaming service within the NFL digital ecosystem.
An NFL news section can cover:
Schedule updates
Game results
Team news
Player news
Injuries
Transactions
Trades
Coaching changes
Draft news
Free agency
International games
Playoff news
News content should be independently written and should not reproduce articles from NFL.com or other publishers.
Before each major matchup, a game preview can explain why the game matters.
A useful preview can include:
Teams
Date
Time
Stadium
Current records
Recent results
Key players
Important matchups
Playoff implications
Questions to watch during the game
This gives visitors information beyond a simple schedule table.
After a game ends, a recap can summarize the result.
A recap can include:
Final score
Winning team
Key scoring plays
Important moments
Leading players
Team statistics
Impact on standings
Next game for each team
Game recaps should be original summaries rather than copied reports.
The 2026 NFL regular season begins on September 9, 2026, when the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks.
The NFL has 32 teams divided between the AFC and NFC conferences.
The NFL regular season consists of 18 weeks for each team, with each team playing 17 regular-season games.
You can find the NFL Schedule 2026 on this website, including weekly matchups, dates, kickoff times and available broadcast information.
Not always. The NFL uses flexible scheduling for selected games, so some dates, kickoff times and networks can change during the season.
Yes. The 2026 NFL season includes nine international regular-season games across multiple countries and continents.
NFL games are professional American football games played by the 32 teams belonging to the National Football League.
NFL Games 2026 is an independent website created to organize NFL game schedules, matchups, scores, team information, standings and season resources in a simple format for football fans.
The website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Football League.
NFL game schedules, kickoff times, broadcast information and other details can change during the season. Important information should be verified through official NFL and broadcaster sources.
Our goal is to provide an organized, useful and easy-to-navigate NFL information resource for fans throughout the 2026 season.