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The 2026 NFL season is opening 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 play host to a team to be announced later to kick off 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 occurrence 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 Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will be playing in Melbourne, Australia, with the game kicking off at 10:35 a.m. local time on Friday. Back home, it will be 8:35 p.m. ET on Sept. 10, which is a Thursday night compared to Friday morning in Australia.
“We are thrilled to kick off our season in Melbourne, enhancing an already historic moment for both the NFL and the Rams,” Rams Head of International, Stephanie Cheng, said in a statement.
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“Every time members of our organization visit, including earlier this month, we see first hand the growing excitement from folks across Melbourne in anticipation of this game. Not only will it be special playing the 49ers on a Friday morning in Australia, it also will be great for our fans back at home to be able to watch this matchup in primetime on Thursday night.”
For the Seahawks home opener, this will mark the first time since 2012 the NFL opened its season on a Wednesday night. It was the New York Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, where they received their Super Bowl rings from the season before.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) makes a catch against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green (0) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Unlike this year’s scheduling, where another NFL game conflicted with the league’s plans, Barack Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech was later that week in 2012. The league understandably didn’t want its start to the season overshadowed.
As the league continues to expand, especially international, with a record nine games set for the 2026 season, there could be football played on more Wednesdays in the future.
The NFL is reportedly considering adding a Thanksgiving Eve game, which would be the Wednesday before their usual three-game stretch on Thanksgiving night, as it continues to explore new broadcast windows. ESPN reported 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 Eve not a wild thought.
Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl LX football game against the New England Patriots, at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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“Every offseason we look for new opportunities to best serve our fans in the schedule-making 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, looking for additional opportunities tied to this special holiday is exciting for us to explore.”
The full NFL schedule will be released on May 13 for every team in the league.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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