The 2026 NFL schedule will be released in full on Thursday, but the drip feed of dates for marquee games has already begun, with the full list of International Series matchups confirmed on Wednesday.
There will be a total of nine international games in the forthcoming campaign, with Australia and France hosting regular-season matchups for the first time.
While the NFL is determined to continue to grow internationally, games outside of the United States present huge challenges for the teams that contest them.
And one team in particular is likely to have a grievance with the record-breaking number of air miles they will clock up in 2026.
NFL 2026 International Series schedule
Melbourne
The NFL will make history by heading Down Under for the first time in Week 1 of the new season, with the 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground set to play host to two NFC West rivals. The 17-hour time difference between the west coast of the United States and Melbourne adds another layer of difficulty to what is always a hard-fought encounter.
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams – Melbourne Cricket Ground, September 12, 10:35am local time (1:35am GMT)/September 11, (8:35pm ET, 5:35pm PT)
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil hosts a NFL game for the third straight year, but this will be the first to take place at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana, which has hosted two World Cup finals. The country’s most famous stadium gets an intriguing Week 3 matchup as arguably the NFL’s most prestigious franchise faces a traditional AFC heavyweight hoping for a bounce-back year under a new head coach in Jesse Minter.
Baltimore Ravens @ Dallas Cowboys – Maracana Stadium, September 27, 5:25pm local time (4:25pm ET, 1:25pm PT, 9:25pm GMT)
London
London remains a significant part of the NFL’s approach to international growth, and hosts three games this year across Weeks 4-6, with two taking place at Tottenham and one at Wembley. The Jacksonville Jaguars will once again play two games in London, both against playoff teams from 2025.
Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Commanders – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, October 4, 2:30pm GMT (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT)
Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, October 11, 2:30pm GMT (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT)
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars – Wembley Stadium, October 18, 2:30pm GMT (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT)
Paris
The first regular-season game to be held in France immediately follows the final London game of the year, with the Stade de France, in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, the venue for the historic occasion. France’s national stadium has played host to the 1998 World Cup final, the Euro 2016 final, three Champions League finals, the 2023 Rugby World Cup final and was most recently the primary venue for the 2024 Olympic Games. It remains to be seen if Aaron Rodgers will decide to grace it with his presence for the Week 7 clash.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New Orleans Saints – Stade de France, October 25 3:30pm local time (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT, 2:30pm GMT)
Madrid
The Santiago Bernabéu hosts a NFL game for the second successive year after having the dubious honour of staging a clash between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders last year. If Joe Burrow can stay healthy, then he should be able to help deliver a better show for the Spanish fans in Week 9 this year.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Atlanta Falcons – Santiago Bernabeu, November 8, 3:30pm local time (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT, 2:30pm GMT)
Munich
Munich is back on the agenda for the third time, and one of the most dedicated fanbases outside of the United States can look forward to an intriguing Week 10 matchup at the Allianz Arena between last season’s AFC champions and a NFC team aiming to get back to contention after a down year in 2025.
New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions – Allianz Arena, November 15, 3:30pm local time (9:30am ET, 6:30am PT, 2:30pm GMT)
Mexico City
The NFL returns to Mexico after a four-year absence. The 49ers routed the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca back in 2022, and it is San Francisco who will be the designated hosts this time around at the same venue this time around as the International Series comes to a close in Week 11. The Azteca will host five games at this year’s World Cup and, while the Niners will not enjoy the same level of support as Mexico will expect in the World Cup opener against South Africa, they should have plenty of backing among the 87,000 fans.
Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers – Estadio Azteca, November 22, 6:15pm local time (8:15pm ET, 5:15pm PT, 1:15am November 23 GMT)
49ers set for unwanted record
With two International Series games this year, including a 16-hour flight from the Bay Area to Melbourne, the 49ers are set to break the NFL record for miles travelled by a franchise.
The Niners will travel a total of 38,105 miles in 2026, over 3,000 miles more than their opponents in Australia, with the Rams avoiding a second international game.
That level of travel is a major headache for the 49ers as they aim to build on last season’s run to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Speaking back in March, head coach Kyle Shanahan made no effort to hide his feelings on the Melbourne game.
“I don’t see any pro [for San Francisco],” Shanahan said at the NFL’s annual meetings.
“It’s cool for the league to play globally. I think that’s awesome. But as far as the team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it. Sometimes it’s nice to get a bye week after but doesn’t happen in Week 1.”
He sarcastically added: “I was so fired up. That was our goal to go 19 hours away to play a game. … We’ll deal with it. And I think there’s [nine] international games. We’ve got two of them, so we’re fired up about that.”
