Mark your calendars, football fans—the official 2026 NFL schedule is finally on its way. After weeks of anticipation, the league has confirmed that the full slate of games will be released next Thursday, May 14, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
This year's schedule drop comes with a bit more drama than usual. Last month, NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North hinted that the release could be pushed back to the week of May 18, largely due to ongoing negotiations over a new five-game streaming package. That package now appears to have found its home, with Netflix reportedly closing in on a deal that would include the two Christmas games already under contract, the Week 1 Australia matchup between the Rams and 49ers, a new Thanksgiving Eve game, and a Week 18 Saturday game leading into an ESPN doubleheader.
Meanwhile, YouTube—once seen as the frontrunner for a separate five-game package—could end up empty-handed after declining the league's preferred approach of splitting a seven-game block between Netflix and YouTube, according to Puck's John Ourand.
The 2026 schedule will also feature a slight increase in broadcast exposure compared to last season, a notable detail given the NFL is currently facing a Justice Department investigation into its media rights practices and a separate FCC inquiry. Both investigations are examining whether the league's antitrust exemption under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 applies to games sold to streaming services. The NFL has leaned on the fact that roughly 87% of its games aired on free over-the-air broadcasts last season, and that number appears set to improve this year—with Fox reportedly in line to air a third Christmas Day game.
But for now, none of that legal wrangling will delay the schedule release. As Mike North told the It's Always Game Day in Buffalo podcast, the final call belongs to Commissioner Roger Goodell—and the green light has been given for May 14.
Get your calendars ready, start planning your game-day gear, and mark the date: the 2026 NFL schedule drops next Thursday. The countdown to kickoff officially begins now.