NFL Sets Record 2026 International Slate Ahead of Full Schedule Release

The NFL will play a record nine international regular-season games in 2026, expanding across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums as the league continues to position overseas contests as a central pillar of its event and ticketing strategy.

The league unveiled the full international slate Wednesday, one day ahead of the complete 2026 schedule release set for Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET. The full release will air on NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App and NFL+, with additional coverage on the NFL Channel across FAST platforms.

This year’s lineup includes first-ever regular-season games in Melbourne, Australia; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Paris, France, along with return trips to London, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. The NFL called it its “most expansive and ambitious international” schedule to date.

The slate opens in Week 1 with a marquee NFC West matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, Sept. 10. The game marks the league’s regular-season debut in Australia and is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. ET, which will be Friday morning local time in Melbourne.

Brazil will host the second international game when the Baltimore Ravens face the Dallas Cowboys at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, Sept. 27. It will be the NFL’s third regular-season game in Brazil, but its first in Rio following two games in São Paulo.

London remains the NFL’s most established international market, with three consecutive games in October. The Indianapolis Colts will face the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 4, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the same venue on Oct. 11. Jacksonville will then stay in London to play the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18, marking the franchise’s 16th game in the city and its third stint playing back-to-back London games in a single season.

The schedule then moves to Paris, where the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France on Oct. 25 in the NFL’s first regular-season game in France. The Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will play at Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on Nov. 8, followed by the New England Patriots against the Detroit Lions at FC Bayern Munich Arena on Nov. 15. The international slate closes Nov. 22 with the Minnesota Vikings facing the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.

The announcement underscores how aggressively the NFL is using international games as both a media product and a live-event growth driver. The league said 62 regular-season games have now been played outside the United States, with markets including London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto hosting games to date.

The 2026 slate also highlights the range of venues being utilized, from soccer stadiums such as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley, Bernabéu Stadium, Stade de France and FC Bayern Munich Arena to globally recognized sites like the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Maracanã Stadium.

General on-sale details have not yet been announced. The NFL said fans can visit NFL.com/internationalgames for ticketing information and sign up for market-specific updates in London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio. American Express card members will have access to presale opportunities for select games, subject to availability and terms.

For the broader schedule release, tickets are already available on resale platforms for most games – as season ticket members have been able to list tickets with the matchups already known, while dates and times await Thursday’s announcement. They will be on sale officially Thursday through team box offices as of later today.

The expansion reflects a broader shift across major sports properties, where international games function as more than neutral-site novelties. These events are increasingly integrated into year-round commercial strategies spanning broadcast, travel, hospitality, sponsorship, presales, official ticketing platforms and local fan development.

That approach is especially evident in 2026, as the NFL moves beyond its established European base to test and reinforce demand across South America, Australia and continental Europe. Melbourne, Rio and Paris join the rotation for the first time, Mexico City returns after a four-year absence, and London continues to serve as the league’s most mature and reliable overseas market.

The full 2026 NFL schedule will be released Thursday night.

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2026 NFL International Games

Date	Matchup	Location	Kickoff
Sept. 10, Week 1	San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia	8:35 p.m. ET / Sept. 11, 10:35 a.m. local
Sept. 27, Week 3	Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys	Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	4:25 p.m. ET / 5:25 p.m. local
Oct. 4, Week 4	Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, U.K.	9:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. local
Oct. 11, Week 5	Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, U.K.	9:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. local
Oct. 18, Week 6	Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	Wembley Stadium, London, U.K.	9:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. local
Oct. 25, Week 7	Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints	Stade de France, Paris, France	9:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. local
Nov. 8, Week 9	Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons	Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain	9:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local
Nov. 15, Week 10	New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions	FC Bayern Munich Arena, Munich, Germany	9:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. local
Nov. 22, Week 11	Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers	Estadio Banorte, Mexico City, Mexico	8:20 p.m. ET / 7:20 p.m. local