NFL 2026 international schedule: Record nine games to be played abroad with London hosting three and first-ever in Melbourne, Rio De Janeiro, Paris

The 2026 NFL season will see a record-breaking nine international fixtures, with London hosting three and first-ever games in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Paris.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will again host two NFL games, in successive October weekends with the Philadelphia Eagles - 2025 champions - playing the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday October 11.

Wembley will also host a fixture as the Houston Texans face the Jacksonville Jaguars a week later on Sunday October 18.

Further marquee fixtures will take place at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, Maracana in Rio and Stade de France in Paris.

The NFL will also return for fixtures in Madrid, Munich and Mexico City.

• From South London to the NFL Draft - Meet Seydou Traore
• Raiders select Mendoza with No 1 pick at NFL Draft
• Inspired by Aden Durde - Meet the British coach chasing NFL dream
• Seahawks to kick off 2026 NFL season ahead of Melbourne game

NFL 2026 international schedule:

• Week 1: Melbourne, Australia: San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams on Thursday September 10 (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
• Week 3: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys on Sunday September 27 (Maracanã Stadium)
• Week 4: London, UK: Indianapolis Colts vs Washington Commanders on Sunday October 4 (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
• Week 5: London, UK: Philadelphia Eagles vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday October 11 (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
• Week 6: London, UK: Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday October 18 (Wembley Stadium)
• Week 7: Paris, France: Pittsburgh Steelers vs New Orleans Saints on Sunday October 25 (Stade de France)
• Week 9: Madrid, Spain: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons (Bernabéu Stadium) on Sunday November 8 (Bernabéu Stadium)
• Week 10: Munich, Germany: New England Patriots vs Detroit Lions on Sunday November 15 (FC Bayern Munich Arena)
• Week 11: Mexico City, Mexico: Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers on Sunday November 22 (Estadio Banorte)

"The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet, with regular season games spanning Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City," said Peter O'Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, major events and international.

"This year's record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the league's global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before."

Hodgson: London at centre of international growth - we will continue playing games there at current rate

Henry Hodgson, General Manager for the NFL's UK office, spoke to Sky Sports on Wednesday following the fixture announcement, and allayed any UK fan fears over potentially losing future games as the league continues to break into new territories.

"We're playing three games in London this year, which says a lot," he said. "The NFL has made a commitment to London over a long period of time. This will be the 19th season that we've played games in London, so we're heading to a 20-year anniversary that we're all so excited about celebrating in 2027.

"But I think for this year, you can see the quality of the games, the excitement and the growth of the NFL more broadly, not just around the games themselves. There's a lot of growth, and the UK is at the centre of that international growth as well.

"If you listen to what the Commissioner [Roger Goodell] said about the future of international games, it's really about growing the footprint, growing the number of international games around the world.

"It's even been mentioned in the event of an 18-game season that we would go to 16 international games. So I think you're going to see a huge expansion geographically where the NFL goes. I would think in that scenario the NFL will continue to be playing in London at the same rate that it does currently.

"I think if you speak to the clubs, they're much more used to it and that probably is down to the fact they've had the opportunity to play in London for 19 years.

"We've had all 32 teams now come through the UK, so I think there's a familiarity with the process of playing internationally. I think a lot of the players and a lot of the coaches have experienced this before and they understand how to regulate and how to get ready for games that are played overseas.

"So, a world in which that would be happening more often, I think teams and players would be excited about it."

Watch the 2026 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every London and European game as well as every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.