The NFL will stage a record nine international games in 2026, sending half of its 32 teams overseas across four continents and seven countries. The London series opens on 4 October, when the Washington Commanders host the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The league's biggest overseas push comes with a map that stretches far beyond Britain. The first international game arrives in the opening week of the season, with the Los Angeles Rams meeting the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 10 September, before the Baltimore Ravens face the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro on 27 September.
London gets three games, beginning with Washington and Indianapolis, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Philadelphia Eagles on 11 October and the Jaguars against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on 18 October. Jacksonville and San Francisco are the only clubs with two overseas games apiece, a sign of how aggressively the league is leaning on familiar brands to anchor a larger international slate.
The rest of the schedule is just as wide-ranging. The San Francisco 49ers will face the Minnesota Vikings as the NFL returns to Mexico, the New Orleans Saints will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France in Paris on 25 October, and the Cincinnati Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid on 8 November. The New England Patriots also will face the Detroit Lions in Munich.
For London, one matchup stands out for reasons beyond the venue. The Eagles have not played there since 2018, and they arrive overseas after winning the Super Bowl in 2025. Their return gives the city one of the league's most recognizable teams, and it gives the NFL another shot at turning a global showcase into a habit rather than a novelty.
The expansion also shows how fast the league is moving beyond the old formula of a few one-off games in familiar markets. In 2026, the NFL will play in Australia and France for the first time, while continuing to spread regular-season dates across countries that now have become part of its annual calendar. The rest of the 2026 schedule will be released on Thursday, when the full shape of the season finally comes into view.
What the league is making plain is that its international project is no longer experimental. Nine games, seven countries and four continents make 2026 the most ambitious overseas schedule in NFL history, and London remains the center of that effort even as the map keeps growing.
