Sharks Dominating in Pro Football's Bright Future!
The league traditionally kicks off its season on a Thursday.
Strap in for "Wednesday Night Football" because it's reportedly coming to NBC in September. The first game of the 2026 NFL season will take place Wednesday, Sept. 9, The Wall Street Journal's Joe Flint reported Tuesday .
The league traditionally kicks off its season on a Thursday, but the NFL's first-ever game in Australia and the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 are at the root of the change, per Forbes . Some small NFL TV news. The first game of the regular season will be on Wednesday night on NBC (vs usual Thursday).
The Melbourne game will be on Thursday -- platform TBD. NFL can't do a Friday game this year on opening week, hence the tweaks. — Joe Flint (@JBFlint) March 17, 2026 Melbourne will be the site of an NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams .
That game is set for Thursday, Sept. 10, per Flint. Another team from that division, the Seattle Seahawks, is expected to headline the Wednesday night matchup on NBC, as the reigning Super Bowl champion typically hosts the first game of the NFL season.