when will they announce nfl playoff schedule
The NFL will announce the full 2025–2026 playoff schedule (for the 2026 Super Bowl) in the days immediately after the regular season ends, which is expected around Monday, January 6, 2026.
When the schedule is set
The NFL playoffs are based on the final standings and seeding from the 18‑week regular season, which wraps up in Week 18 on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Once all Week 18 games are final and the 14 playoff teams (7 per conference) are locked in, the league can finalize the matchups and exact dates/times for Wild Card Weekend.
Expected announcement date
Historically, the NFL releases the full playoff schedule (Wild Card matchups, dates, and TV times) on the Monday after the final regular‑season games.
For the 2025–2026 season, that means the schedule should be announced on Monday, January 6, 2026.
What will be announced
When the schedule drops, it will include:
- Wild Card Weekend (Jan. 10–12, 2026)
- Exact matchups (e.g., No. 3 vs. No. 6, No. 4 vs. No. 5)
- Game dates, start times (all in Eastern Time), and TV networks (NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN/ABC)
- Divisional Round (Jan. 17–18, 2026)
- Matchups, times, and TV info for the four winners
- Conference Championships (Jan. 25, 2026)
- AFC and NFC title games, with times and networks (CBS for AFC, FOX for NFC)
- Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8, 2026)
- The date, 6:30 PM ET kickoff, and that it will be on NBC at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
Where to find it
The official schedule will be posted on:
- NFL.com’s schedule and playoffs pages
- The NFL’s social media accounts (X/Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
- Major sports sites like ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and NFL Network.
So, mark your calendar for early Monday, January 6, 2026 — that’s when the full NFL playoff schedule for the 2025–2026 season will be revealed.
Bottom line:
The NFL playoff schedule for the 2025–2026 season is expected to be announced
on Monday, January 6, 2026 , right after the regular season ends on
January 4. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the
internet and portrayed here.