New Headline: Game On: Super Bowl LVI Hits Michigan's Ford Field!
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 comes into play for the 2026 NFL schedule.
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 21: A detail view of the NFL crest logo is seen on a Wilson football during a preseason game between the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills on August 21, 2021 at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images It’s begun to feel as though the NFL endeavors to spider out endlessly in an effort to consume every day possible during the fall and early winter. Great, more football!
Right? Well, yes… but also maybe no. There are plenty of discussions to be had about player rest and what adding days of the week to an NFL game calendar does to the quality of its product.
This is a violent sport that can’t endure the gauntlet of games found in NHL hockey. But I digress, as the reason for this article is to address the fact that the 2026 NFL season actually begins on a Wednesday night this fall: Wednesday, September 9 — and with NBC, to be specific here. In the modern era, or at least in recent seasons, the NFL has opened the regular season with a Thursday evening game.
Instead of waiting all day for Thursday night, you’ll have to be on your toes and a day earlier (although, yes, you won’t be able to escape its promotion). For the 2026 season, there’s still a Thursday primetime game scheduled (September 10), which is being used to broadcast the NFL’s first game in Australia. The 2026 NFL Melbourne Game has the Los Angeles Rams playing “host” to the San Francisco 49ers, which Joe Flint reminds us is still “platform TBD.