NFL schedule release 2026: Where to watch reveal show and what we know heading into Thursday

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It’s finally here. This week, the NFL will release its full schedule for the 2026 season. All 321 games will finally be revealed, from the preseason in August to Week 18 in January.

We already know several details about Week 1. For example, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will open up the season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, but we do not know who they will host. It would be quite something if we got a Super Bowl rematch right off the bat. Hosting the New England Patriots is technically on the table. We also know that the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will play the NFL’s first game in Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10, while the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will play the first “Sunday Night Football” matchup of the year, followed by the Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.”

All of our questions about the season will be answered on Thursday night. Before we jump into some fun facts about the 2026 NFL schedule from CBS Sports Research, here’s how you can watch the schedule release show:

Where to watch NFL schedule release show

Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network/ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Who will have the easiest schedules this year?

While we don’t know the order of opponents just yet, we do know which teams are likely to have the easiest schedules. Yes, teams improve and decline through the course of an offseason, but if we examine every team’s strength of schedule based off of their opponents’ combined winning percentage from 2025, it’s Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns who will have the easiest schedule! Plus, the AFC North may not be as grueling this year with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens working in new head coaches.

Top 5 easiest schedules

1. Cleveland Browns: 125-165 (.429)
2. New Orleans Saints: 125-163-1 (.434)
3. Cincinnati Bengals: 130-159 (.450)
T-4. Indianapolis Colts: 134-154-1 (.465)
T-4. Atlanta Falcons: 134-154-1 (.465)

History does not favor the Bears

If you’re wondering who has the toughest strength of schedule this year, it’s the Chicago Bears with their .550 opponent win percentage from last season. Each of the last NINE teams to enter a season with the toughest strength of schedule failed to win a playoff game.

The Bears are coming off a magical season in which they went 11-6, won the NFC North and defeated the rival Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Chicago recorded an NFL-record seven wins when trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter (including playoffs), and led the NFL in takeaways. Is that replicable?

49ers likely to become most-traveled team in NFL history

The 49ers will take part in the first NFL game to be played in Australia in Week 1, and that will set the tempo for a historic travel season. Brock Purdy and Co. are expected to break an NFL record with 38,100 miles traveled this year. Not only are the 49ers going to “The Land Down Under,” but they will also play in Mexico City. That makes the 49ers the first team to play multiple international games in non-consecutive weeks.

The 49ers could avoid making travel history if they bundle their two East Coast trips together, which are the Giants and Falcons. However, we don’t know when San Francisco will play those two opponents.

Revenge games to look forward to

One of my favorite things to look at during the schedule release is when the best revenge games take place:

New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones welcomes his former team to Indy.
Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks: Former Seahawks running back and reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III returns to Seattle after cashing in with the Chiefs in free agency.
Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns: Head coach Kevin Stefanski will return to Cleveland after being fired this offseason.
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins: New Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel returns to Miami after being fired this offseason. His offense is going to put up monster numbers in this one.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons (twice): This is Baker Mayfield vs. Kevin Stefanski. The QB-HC duo spent two seasons together in Cleveland before the Browns went all in on troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson, and signed him to a historic deal which included $230 million fully guaranteed. The Browns then traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional Day 3 draft pick.

In January, Mayfield became angered by an article that claimed Stefanski had a “dumpster fire” at quarterback in Cleveland. The former No. 1 overall pick replied to it on social media, and took a swipe at Stefanski in the process:

“Failed is quite the reach pal. Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”

I can’t wait to see what that postgame interaction is like!

International games

It really does feel like the NFL is trying to take over the world. The league will hold a record nine international games this season, which includes matchups in new locations like Melbourne, France and Rio de Janeiro.

Here’s the entire international schedule for 2026: