NFL Kickoff 2026: Banner Night, the Melbourne Game, and the Jersey to Wear for Week 1
The season opens on a Wednesday for only the second time ever: Seattle raises the Super Bowl LX banner and then faces the New England team it beat 29-13. Twenty-four hours later the NFL plays its first regular-season game in Australia. Here is the Week 1 map and the shirts to wear for it.
NFL Kickoff 2026: Quick Answers
- First game: Wed Sept 9, 8:20 p.m. ET — Seahawks v Patriots at Lumen Field, NBC and Peacock.
- Why it matters: a Super Bowl LX rematch — Seattle won 29-13 in February.
- Melbourne game: Thu Sept 10, 8:35 p.m. ET — Rams v 49ers at the MCG, on Netflix.
- First full Sunday: Sept 13; the week closes with Broncos at Chiefs on Monday, Sept 14.
- Super Bowl LXI: February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood.
Wednesday, September 9 — banner night in Seattle
The 2026 regular season opens at Lumen Field at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and the league could not have scripted it better: the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won 29-13 in February for the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy. The banner goes up, then the team they beat walks out of the tunnel.
Sam Darnold starts the season under center for the champions; Drake Maye brings a New England side looking for revenge into the toughest opening assignment on the schedule. Seattle are early favourites at home, and for good reason — champions who open against the team they beat tend to win the rematch.
Thursday, September 10 — the NFL goes to Melbourne
One night later, the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 8:35 p.m. ET on Netflix — the first regular-season NFL game ever played in Australia. Kick-off lands Friday morning local time, with an NFL Kickoff Festival running at Melbourne Park alongside it.
It is also an NFC West game, which means both fanbases get a divisional grudge match on a global stage. First-of-its-kind games carry a collector angle: this is the edition people will still be talking about in five years.
The rest of Week 1
The full Sunday slate arrives on September 13. Washington travels to Philadelphia in the late window; Dallas visits the New York Giants in the Sunday-night game on NBC; Green Bay heads to Minnesota, where Kyler Murray makes his Vikings debut. Week 1 closes on Monday, September 14 with Denver at Kansas City — Patrick Mahomes returning from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season, against Bo Nix and the Broncos on ESPN and ABC.
The wider calendar is historic, too: nine international games across seven countries, from Melbourne to Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City. And the season ends where it always matters — Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium on February 14, 2027.
| Date | Matchup | Kick-off (ET) | Where to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 9 Sep | Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots | 8:20 p.m. | NBC / Peacock — Super Bowl LX rematch, banner night at Lumen Field |
| Thu 10 Sep | Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco 49ers | 8:35 p.m. | Netflix — first regular-season game in Australia, Friday morning local time |
| Sun 13 Sep | Washington at Philadelphia Eagles | Late window | Regional — the defending NFC finalist opens at home |
| Sun 13 Sep | Green Bay at Minnesota Vikings | Afternoon | Kyler Murray's Minnesota debut |
| Sun 13 Sep | Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants | 8:20 p.m. | NBC — Sunday Night Football |
| Mon 14 Sep | Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs | Monday night | ESPN / ABC — Mahomes returns from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season |
Opening-week jersey demand index
Week 1 demand is predictable in one sense: it follows the storylines television will keep replaying. Here is how we expect the first week's orders to split, based on the same order-flow data we use to size our restocks.
Seattle sells on the banner night and keeps selling while the champions are on prime time; Kansas City moves with every Mahomes mention, and a return from injury doubles it; Dallas on Sunday night is the most reliable single-team demand spike of the opening weekend.
The Melbourne game gives both NFC West shirts a collector's edge — first-of-its-kind games age well — while Murray's Vikings debut and a Washington trip to Philadelphia pull steady but smaller volume.
Opening-week losers fade fast in the shirt market and surprise winners do not. The smart buy in this tier is the team you already back, not the one chasing a narrative.
Five shirts for the opening week
Sam Darnold Seattle Seahawks Women's Team Game Jersey - College Navy
Jalen Ramsey Los Angeles Rams RFLCTV Limited Jersey - Black
George Kittle San Francisco 49ers Vapor Limited Jersey - White
Ezekiel Elliott Dallas Cowboys Vapor Limited Jersey - Navy
Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs Limited Jersey - Red
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Kickoff Is Two Days Away
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