The first NFL regular season game is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, 2026, with the defending Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the NFL Kickoff Game.

Quick Scoop

  • The 2026 NFL regular season is set to start on Thursday night, September 10, 2026.
  • As is tradition, the defending Super Bowl champion (Seattle in this case) will host the opening Kickoff Game.
  • That Thursday night matchup is the very first regular season game of the year before the rest of Week 1 plays out over the weekend.

Fans can expect that opener to be a high-profile prime-time game that effectively “relaunches” football season heading into fall 2026.

TL;DR: The first NFL regular season game in 2026 is the Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10, hosted by the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.