The NFL is taking its global expansion to new heights in 2026, unveiling a record-breaking nine-game international schedule that spans seven countries. Announced Wednesday ahead of the full league schedule reveal on Thursday, this slate marks the most overseas games in league history, hitting the contractual maximum allowed under a 2023 resolution that permits up to eight international games plus the Jacksonville Jaguars' annual London fixture.
The headline act? The first-ever regular-season NFL game in Australia, set for September 10 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The San Francisco 49ers will host the Los Angeles Rams in a prime-time showdown at 8:35 p.m. ET, airing exclusively on Netflix with NBC handling production. This game is part of a five-game Netflix package that also includes a new Thanksgiving Eve contest and the Christmas Day doubleheader. The league took a bold approach by auctioning the Australia game as a standalone property—similar to how it handled the Brazil game in recent years—rather than bundling it with existing broadcast partners.
Week 3 brings the NFL back to Brazil for the third consecutive year, with the Dallas Cowboys facing the Baltimore Ravens on September 27 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The game will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. For context, the first Brazil game in 2024 saw the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers clash in São Paulo on Peacock, while the 2025 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers—streamed on YouTube—drew an impressive 17.3 million global viewers.
London takes center stage for three straight weeks, starting October 4 when the Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The following week, the Eagles face the Jaguars at the same venue on October 11, before the Houston Texans battle the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 18. All three London games will air on NFL Network, with Jacksonville continuing its tradition of playing two international games per season.
Week 7 marks a historic moment as the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints head to Stade de France in Paris on October 25, also on NFL Network. Then, in Week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will make NFL history by playing the league's first-ever game in Spain at Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on November 8. Fox gets the nod for the Week 10 matchup between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions at FC Bayern Munich Stadium on November 15, capping off an unprecedented international journey that brings the gridiron to fans around the globe.