The NFL will play a league record nine international games in seven countries next season. League officials released the full international schedule on Wednesday morning, confirming that the Washington Commanders would host the Indianapolis Colts in London on Oct. 4.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s quest for global dominance led to an ambitious schedule that features games in four continents. Melbourne, Australia, Rio de Janeiro and Paris will host their first-ever NFL games alongside returning cities Madrid, Spain; Munich, Germany; Mexico City and London.
“The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet. …” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL executive in charge of the international games, said in a statement. “This year’s record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the league’s global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before.”
The overseas slate begins in Week 1, when theq San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Two weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens will face the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro. The Week 3 matchup is the third Brazil game in as many years but the first scheduled outside of Sao Paulo.
The Commanders open the league’s European schedule when they play the Colts at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 4. It will be Washington’s third-ever international game and its second in as many years. The Commanders lost an overtime game in Madrid against the Dolphins last season and played the Cincinnati Bengals to a tie in London in 2016.
“I’m really fired up. Going to my first overseas game last year in Madrid, it felt like a bowl game,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn told NBC-4 at February’s league meetings. “The energy that you felt at the hotel, at the stadium. … To be the home team for that is a big deal for us.”
Washington’s matchup with Indianapolis is the first of three consecutive London games for the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars will then face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 11.
The Jaguars, who have played more international games than any other franchise, will remain in London. They play the division rival Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 18.
The league’s focus then shifts to the rest of the European continent with a matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris on Oct. 25. The game, the first in France, will be hosted at the 80,000-seat Stade de France.
The Atlanta Falcons will then serve as the host team against the Cincinnati Bengals for the league’s second Madrid game on Nov. 8. Bernabéu Stadium, home of the famed Real Madrid soccer team, will host an NFL game for the second straight year.
The NFL’s annual trips to Europe end on Nov. 15 when the Detroit Lions play the New England Patriots at FC Bayern Munich Arena in Germany. The NFL has hosted five games in Germany since 2022 and has already outlined plans to host an annual game in the nation through 2029.
The league’s international slate ends with a return to Mexico City on Nov. 22. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s first game in Mexico since 2022.
International expansion, while a focus for the NFL, has drawn the ire of fans stateside. The European games will begin airing at 9:30 a.m. ET. That time slot forces many die-hard NFL viewers to adjust their Sunday morning schedules.
“Pretty sick of the international games. Don’t like them,” one fan with the username “Hawk Johnson” posted on X. “The NFL just needs to play games in the U.S.”
The added travel has also created concerns for players. The 49ers, with their two international games this year, will fly more than 38,000 miles over the course of the season. They’ll endure more travel than the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns combined.
“International game slate is nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed occasional showcase,” former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt posted on social media.
League officials have not confirmed when tickets for this year’s overseas games will go on sale. However, season-ticket holders typically receive early access to the highly sought-after games. American Express cardholders will also receive access to a presale in the near future, league officials said.
The full NFL schedule will be released on Thursday night.
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