The 2026 NFL season will not kick off meaningful games until September.
But when it does, it sounds like the games will begin on a new day.
Wall Street Journal media reporter Joe Flint shares news (via Twitter/X) that the first regular-season game of the year will not be in its traditional Thursday night slot. Instead, Week 1 of the NFL’s 2026 campaign will begin on Wednesday. Why is the league making this schedule tweak? Well, it is squeezing its Australia game in Melbourne into the Thursday night window. There will be no Friday night game this year because of a federal law. No, really.
2026 NFL Season Begins on a Wednesday … With Bears-Seahawks?
Nothing is officially official just yet. But based on recent NFL schedules, I would guess that the 2026 regular season will kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Traditionally, the league opens its regular season schedule with the defending Super Bowl champion hosting a game on its home turf. So, I suppose, that a safe bet here is that the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks will welcome one of the nine opponents on their 2026 schedule. And with the Chicago Bears being on Seattle’s list of opponents, this is a situation I will monitor with great interest.
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesThe Bears playing in Seattle is something that has been on my radar for a while. I shared my thoughts on the possibility back in February:
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are on that list of future Bears opponents. And given the ratings draw Chicago was for the NFL’s broadcast and streaming partners, it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider the Bears as a team that makes a ton of sense as the Seahawks opponent in Week 1 when the regular season kicks off with the Thursday night premier. It might not be ideal, mind you. Going on the road to start the season against a team fresh off of a Super Bowl victory would be quite the early-season task. But I don’t think it is one Chicago would shy away from if that is how the schedule shakes out.
Other Week 1 opener options the NFL could send to face the Seahawks include the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers. In other words, it’s not as if the league is short of intriguing matchups it can piece together for a season-opening showdown. But few are as intriguing as the Bears, who are coming off an 11-win season that saw the team win its first playoff game since the Lovie Smith era.
Here is Matt Rooney’s pitch to have the Bears travel to take on the Seahawks in Week 1:
I think the case for the Bears is quite easy. Not many teams had more hype surrounding them throughout the postseason. Chicago figures to be scheduled for several primetime matchups next season, as well. The Bears will have a lot of preseason buzz, and the NFL capitalizing on that with a Week 1 matchup on banner night in Seattle wouldn’t be at all shocking. Throwing Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, and the Bears into the fire against the defending champs in Week 1 sure would be intriguing.
Sure, other teams could drum up some quality ratings numbers, but none of them are like Chicago’s football team. In any case, we will keep our eyes peeled to see how the schedule unfolds for the Bears (and the rest of the NFL).
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