NFL Forced To Make Significant Change To Week 1 Schedule That Fans Will Love

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The 2026 NFL schedule will reportedly include some drastic changes to the Week 1 slate, and fans are sure to love it.

Last month, the NFL announced that the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers would play a Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia. The NFL will run nine international games in 2026, the most in a single season in league history.

Per league tradition, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will host the annual NFL Kickoff Game. However, the NFL schedule will reportedly have a different Week 1 format for this season.

According to Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal, the Seahawks’ Kickoff Game will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The Rams-49ers game in Melbourne will be the Thursday game on Sept. 10.

As Flint noted, the NFL can’t play a game on Friday this year. That’s because the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 prevents the NFL from scheduling games on Fridays and Saturdays, from the second Friday of September to the second Saturday in December.

Who Could The Seahawks Face In The 2026 NFL Schedule Opener?

The Seahawks are slated to play nine home games this season. As per tradition, they’ll play home and away games against the NFC West rivals in the 49ers, Rams and Arizona Cardinals.

Seattle’s other six home opponents are the New England Patriots (a rematch of Super Bowl 60), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

We know the ‘Hawks won’t cost the Rams or 49ers in Week 1. The rebuilding Cardinals and Giants shouldn’t be considered, either. That means it’s likely down to Dallas, Chicago, LA, Kansas City and New England.

The NFL may not want to schedule Kansas City’s trip to Seattle that early. We still don’t know when Patrick Mahomes will return from his torn ACL.