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The 2026 NFL season opens on a Wednesday night, and the reigning Super Bowl champions will be involved.
The Seattle Seahawks, who took down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX to climb back atop the football world, will host a team that will be announced later to start the 2026 season on Sept. 9, a rare Wednesday game.
While the NFL has had to play on a Wednesday due to scheduling conflicts in the past or on holidays, this incident has to do with the league’s latest international debut of its product.
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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers play in Melbourne, Australia, with the game starting at 10:35 local time on a Friday. Back home it will be 8:35 PM ET on September 10, which is a Thursday night compared to Friday morning in Australia.
“We are thrilled to kick off our season in Melbourne and enhance an already historic moment for both the NFL and the Rams,” Rams country manager Stephanie Cheng said in a statement.
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“Every time members of our organization visit, including earlier this month, we see firsthand the growing excitement from people all over Melbourne in anticipation of this game. Not only will it be special to play the 49ers on a Friday morning in Australia, it will also be great for our fans at home to be able to watch this game in prime time on Thursday night.”
For the Seahawks home opener, this will mark the first time since 2012 that the NFL opened its season on a Wednesday night. It was the New York Giants who hosted the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, and the Giants received their Super Bowl rings from the previous season.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a tackle on San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green (0) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention was later that week in 2012. The league understandably didn’t want its start to the season to be overshadowed.
As the league continues to expand, especially internationally, with a record nine games for the 2026 season, football could be played on more Wednesdays in the future.
The NFL is reportedly considering adding a Thanksgiving Eve game, which would be the Wednesday before its usual three-game stretch on Thanksgiving night, in its continued exploration of new broadcast windows. ESPN reported that the move could come as early as the 2026 season.
A “Black Friday” game has already been played the last three seasons, making a Wednesday contest on Thanksgiving night not a wild thought.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. The Seahawks defeated the Patriots, 29-13. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
“Each offseason, we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the planning process,” the league said Wednesday in a statement.
“As Commissioner Goodell has said, Thanksgiving and NFL football have become synonymous, and given the continued growth of fan interest around our games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, it’s exciting for us to explore additional opportunities tied to this special holiday.”
The full NFL schedule will be released on May 13 for each team in the league.
