2026 NFL Kickoff Countdown
Football returns with the NFL Kickoff Game on Wednesday night, September 9, 2026, a Super Bowl LX rematch as the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots. Since 2004 the season has opened at the home of the defending Super Bowl champion; this is only the second time the opener has fallen on a Wednesday. This countdown ticks to kickoff.
NFL Season Kickoff is on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, which is 40 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.
How many days until NFL Season Kickoff?
NFL Season Kickoff is on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, which is 40 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.
NFL Kickoff Game Records
Why a Wednesday this year?
The NFL created the standalone Thursday opener in 2002 (a concert-and-football spectacle in Times Square) and made it the champion's showcase in 2004. The 2026 opener shifts to Wednesday, September 9 — only the second time in league history the Kickoff Game hasn't fallen on a Thursday, after a similar 2012 shift around the Democratic National Convention.
How the 2025 opener went
The Kickoff Game has gone to the reigning champion for two straight seasons. In 2025 the Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off Super Bowl LIX, beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 at Lincoln Financial Field on September 4 — a game delayed 65 minutes by lightning, and decided by Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley in a back-and-forth second half.
The longest offseason in sports
The NFL plays the fewest games of any major league, so its fans wait the longest — about seven months from the Super Bowl to kickoff. That scarcity is exactly why this one night out-rates almost everything else on TV all year.
Quick facts
- The 2026 season opens Wednesday, September 9 — a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots
- The 2025 opener: Philadelphia 24, Dallas 20 — the champion Eagles held on at home
- Since 2004 the opener is hosted by the defending champion
- The Thursday-night kickoff tradition began in 2002
- NFL games are the most-watched broadcasts on U.S. television
How to watch NFL Kickoff
The NFL Kickoff Game airs nationally on NBC and streams on Peacock as part of NBC's Sunday Night Football franchise, which has held the rights since 2006. The game usually opens the season on the Thursday before Week 1, though the date isn't fixed year to year — it shifted to a Wednesday in 2012, and again for the 2026 opener.
Fans also count down to
NFL Season Kickoff — frequently asked questions
When is NFL Season Kickoff?
NFL Season Kickoff is on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
How many days until NFL Season Kickoff?
NFL Season Kickoff is on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, which is 40 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.
Fact-checked July 31, 2026 · Updated July 2026 · alarm-clock.org