NFL 2026: UK times and weekly match schedule — SkimNews
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- NFL published its full 2026 season schedule with UK broadcast times on Sky Sports, beginning Thursday September 17 and running through the postseason chase for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LXI.
- NFL confirmed a record nine regular-season games will be played internationally in 2026, spread across seven venues on three continents — including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley in London, Stade de France in Paris, Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Allianz Arena in Munich, Estadio Banorte in Mexico City, and Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
- Sky Sports will carry games live across its NFL, Main Event, and Football channels, with no-contract streaming available via NOW; download of the Sky Sports app unlocks the complete fixture list.
- Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick at the NFL Draft, as referenced in Sky's schedule coverage.
- Week 2 opens with Detroit Lions @ Buffalo Bills at 1:15am UK time Friday September 18, LIVE on Sky Sports NFL & Main Event, followed by a 14-game Sunday slate and Monday Night Football's Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs.
- Week 4 delivers the first UK fixture when Indianapolis Colts face Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday October 4 at 2:30pm UK, with a second London game (Eagles vs Jaguars) following in Week 5.
- Thanksgiving Thursday November 26 features three games headlined by Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys at 9:30pm UK, with Christmas Day falling on Friday November 27 and offering Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills plus Denver Broncos @ Pittsburgh Steelers.
Why it matters: For UK viewers, the schedule delivers afternoon kickoffs for the London, Paris, Madrid, and Munich games — a viewing window that previously didn't exist for most international matchups. For the league, jumping to nine international regular-season games from the traditional one or two London fixtures represents its deepest global expansion yet, with the geographic spread to South America (Rio) and mainland Europe signaling the NFL's bet that demand exists well beyond its UK stronghold.
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