A common question fans ask this time of year is when is the 2026 NFL schedule release? The NFL schedule release sets the dates for all regular season games. Fans use it to plan travel, buy tickets, and mark key matchups. For the 2026 season, we expect the league to follow their pattern from recent years. We’ll cover the expected date and review past releases.
When is the 2026 NFL Schedule Release?
So, when you ask when is the 2026 NFL Schedule release? We expect the release to be in mid-May 2026. Based on trends since 2020, it will fall on a Thursday between May 11 and May 15. The league announced the 2025 release during the NFL Draft in late April. A similar timeline applies for 2026.
The announcement comes about three weeks after the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This gap allows time to adjust for draft trades and team changes.The full schedule will drop at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network, ESPN2, and NFL+. Leaks often start days before, with prime-time games and international matchups revealed first by the NFL Operations department.
Past NFL Schedule Release Dates
The table below lists release dates from 2016 to 2025. Dates shifted from April to May starting in 2020. This change gives the league more time after the draft.
| Year | Release Date |
| 2016 | April 14 |
| 2017 | April 20 |
| 2018 | April 19 |
| 2019 | April 17 |
| 2020 | May 7 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | May 12 |
| 2023 | May 11 |
| 2024 | May 15 |
| 2025 | May 14 |
What Happens During the NFL Schedule Release
The NFL schedule release includes all 272 regular season games. Opponents are known months earlier, based on division play and rotation formulas. We have all of those included in our notional 2026 NFL Week 1 schedule for you here. Dates, times, and networks fill in the details.
Key highlights:
- Season Opener: A Thursday night game, often featuring the Super Bowl winner (but we could see this change up with the LA Rams playing in Melbourne, Australia in the 2026 season, possibly on Wednesday night).
- Prime-Time Games: Slots on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday nights.
- International Games: Up to eight in 2026, including Australia, London and Brazil.
- Flexible Scheduling: Weeks 12-17 can shift for better matchups.
Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles often get early slots. Fans check for rivalries, like Steelers vs. Ravens, on holidays.
How to Follow the 2026 Release on SportsBrackets.net
If you are inpatient, bookmark and check out our 2026-27 NFL schedule page. As we get information on the schedules and NFL plans, we update you there. We build printables with the known (14 of 17) opponents for each team as well. Once the release happens, we update every team for you to include the confirmed TV broadcasts. You can also check out the 2027 NFL Playoff and Super Bowl schedule here too.
