When Do NFL Tickets Go On Sale? | NFL 2026 Schedule
The NFL schedule release is one of the most exciting times of the year for football fans. In recent years, the league has made it a de facto holiday for fans planning their upcoming season, and team social media accounts have made it a competition to see who can come up with the most creative way to announce their team’s schedule.
Because the schedule announcement is always quickly followed by the teams putting 2026 NFL game tickets on sale, NFL fans typically scramble to buy single-game tickets to see their favorite teams play, whether at home or on the road. You’re probably scouring your NFL team’s schedule for dates that work for road trips to support the team in another city.
Many passionate NFL fans anxiously await the full season slate to become public so they can begin searching for football tickets. Keep reading if you’re a National Football League fan excitedly waiting for the 2026 NFL tickets to go on sale.
The beauty of the NFL’s balanced schedule is that fans know exactly which teams will be their opponents the following year as soon as the regular season ends and NFL playoff tickets go on sale. It’s just a matter of when their team plays and what opponent.
That is the information we’ll detail below so you can get tickets to every NFL game in 2026.
Contents
- 1 When Does the NFL Schedule Come Out?
- 2 When Do NFL Tickets Go On Sale?
- 3 When Is the 2026 NFL Draft?
- 4 NFL Schedule Release History
- 5 What NFL Divisions Play Each Other in 2026?
- 6 How is the NFL’s 17th Game Matchup Determined?
- 7 2026 NFL International Game Schedule
- 8 NFL Team Schedules and Interactive Team Seating Chart
- 9 How to Get Cheap NFL Tickets
When Does the NFL Schedule Come Out?
The 2026 NFL schedule should come out on the week of Monday, May 11th.
When Do NFL Tickets Go On Sale?
2026 NFL tickets are on sale now, but fans can buy them with specific game dates in mind once the NFL’s schedule is released.
If you want to lock up your tickets to see your favorite team early, many other ticket marketplaces charge hidden fees at checkout on top of the listed price, but not TickPick, where you’ll get the best prices on NFL tickets.
Check out your team’s schedule with tickets below. If you don’t find the tickets you want to see your favorite NFL team play, check back, as more NFL single-game tickets are added daily.
When Is the 2026 NFL Draft?
This year’s 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, on the city’s north shore, which includes Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Day 1 features the first round of the draft (Thursday, April 23rd)
- Day 2 includes the second and third rounds of the draft (Friday, April 24th)
- Day 3 has rounds four through seven (Saturday, April 25th)
NFL Schedule Release History
The NFL schedule release date changes each year, but it always follows the NFL Draft. The NFL has released its schedule in May the last few years since an additional 17th game was announced, and we expect the NFL schedule 2026 to be revealed sometime during the second week of May, as it has been since 2021.
Check out the list below to see when the NFL schedule has come out each year in the last decade.
2025 NFL Schedule – Wednesday, May 14th
2024 NFL Schedule – Wednesday, May 15th
2023 NFL Schedule – Thursday, May 11th
2022 NFL Schedule – Thursday, May 12th
2021 NFL Schedule – Wednesday, May 12th
2020 NFL Schedule – Thursday, May 7th
2019 NFL Schedule – Wednesday, April 17th
2018 NFL Schedule – Thursday, April 19th
2017 NFL Schedule – Thursday, April 20th
2016 NFL Schedule – Thursday, April 14th
2015 NFL Schedule – Tuesday, April 21st
2014 NFL Schedule – Wednesday, April 23rd
2013 NFL Schedule – Thursday, April 18th
What NFL Divisions Play Each Other in 2026?
The NFL’s future schedule is made possible by its eight (8) divisions of four (4) teams, with four divisions in each of the AFC and NFC conferences. Every NFL team plays six (6) games within its division, two against each of its three in-division opponents. It also faces two entire divisions outside its own, one in the AFC and one in the NFC.
NFL teams are also scheduled to play two intra-conference teams whose divisions they don’t match up with and who have the same standing within their own divisions (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th).
For example, the New England Patriots finished first in their division in the 2025 season and are scheduled to play the entire AFC West Division. Therefore, they will now play the two AFC teams that also finished first in the AFC South and AFC North, namely the Jacksonville Jaguars (who won the AFC South) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (who won the AFC North).
The list below should help illustrate which two NFL divisions and teams your team will face during the 2026 NFL season.
AFC East Schedule: AFC West, NFC North, NFC West for 17th game
AFC North Schedule: AFC South, NFC South, NFC East for 17th game
AFC South Schedule: AFC North, NFC East, NFC North for 17th game
AFC West Schedule: AFC East, NFC West, NFC South for 17th game
NFC East Schedule: NFC West, AFC South, AFC North for 17th game
NFC North Schedule: NFC South, AFC East, AFC South for 17th game
NFC South Schedule: NFC North, AFC North, AFC West for 17th game
NFC West Schedule: NFC East, AFC West, AFC East for 17th game
How is the NFL’s 17th Game Matchup Determined?
As of the 2021 season, the NFL added a 17th game to its regular season. The 17th game is determined by the NFL divisions that are matched against one another. It follows the same pattern mentioned above for the other intraconference opponents, except that the matchup is against a team from the opposite conference’s division that finished in the same place.
Again, using the New England Patriots as an example, the 2026 NFL 17th game schedule pits the AFC East Division winner against the NFC West Division winner. Hence, the AFC East champion Patriots play the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks, since both finished 1st.
2026 NFL International Game Schedule
The NFL International Series refers to any NFL game played outside the United States. The league has confirmed that nine (9) games will be held internationally during the upcoming season, an increase from seven last season.
The 2026 NFL international schedule will include the following games:
- Mexico City (San Francisco 49ers)
- Melbourne (San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams)
- London (2x Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders)
- Paris (New Orleans Saints)
- Munich (Detroit Lions)
- Madrid (Atlanta Falcons)
- Rio De Janeiro (Dallas Cowboys)
NFL Team Schedules and Interactive Team Seating Chart
Looking to see your favorite NFL team’s schedule and the best place to sit for an NFL game? Check out the list below for detailed and interactive NFL seating charts and game tickets.
- Arizona Cardinals Schedule with Tickets | Arizona Cardinals Interactive Seating Chart
- Atlanta Falcons Schedule with Tickets | Atlanta Falcons Interactive Seating Chart
- Baltimore Ravens Schedule with Tickets | Baltimore Ravens Interactive Seating Chart
- Buffalo Bills Schedule with Tickets | Buffalo Bills Interactive Seating Chart
- Carolina Panthers Schedule with Tickets | Carolina Panthers Interactive Seating Chart
- Chicago Bears Schedule with Tickets | Chicago Bears Interactive Seating Chart
- Cincinnati Bengals Schedule with Tickets | Cincinnati Bengals Interactive Seating Chart
- Cleveland Browns Schedule with Tickets | Cleveland Browns Interactive Seating Chart
- Dallas Cowboys Schedule with Tickets | Dallas Cowboys Interactive Seating Chart
- Denver Broncos Schedule with Tickets | Denver Broncos Interactive Seating Chart
- Detroit Lions Schedule with Tickets | Detroit Lions Interactive Seating Chart
- Green Bay Packers Schedule with Tickets | Green Bay Packers Interactive Seating Chart
- Houston Texans Schedule with Tickets | Houston Texans Interactive Seating Chart
- Indianapolis Colts Schedule with Tickets | Indianapolis Colts Interactive Seating Chart
- Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule with Tickets | Jacksonville Jaguars Interactive Seating Chart
- Kansas City Chiefs Schedule with Tickets | Kansas City Chiefs Interactive Seating Chart
- Las Vegas Raiders Schedule with Tickets | Las Vegas Raiders Interactive Seating Chart
- Los Angeles Rams Schedule with Tickets | Los Angeles Rams Interactive Seating Chart
- Los Angeles Chargers Schedule with Tickets | Los Angeles Chargers Interactive Seating Chart
- Miami Dolphins Schedule with Tickets | Miami Dolphins Interactive Seating Chart
- Minnesota Vikings Schedule with Tickets | Minnesota Vikings Interactive Seating Chart
- New England Patriots Schedule with Tickets | New England Patriots Interactive Seating Chart
- New Orleans Saints Schedule with Tickets | New Orleans Saints Interactive Seating Chart
- New York Giants Schedule with Tickets | New York Giants Interactive Seating Chart
- New York Jets Schedule with Tickets | New York Jets Interactive Seating Chart
- Philadelphia Eagles Schedule with Tickets | Philadelphia Eagles Interactive Seating Chart
- Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule with Tickets | Pittsburgh Steelers Interactive Seating Chart
- San Francisco 49ers Schedule with Tickets | San Francisco 49ers Interactive Seating Chart
- Seattle Seahawks Schedule with Tickets | Seattle Seahawks Interactive Seating Chart
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule with Tickets | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Interactive Seating Chart
- Tennessee Titans Schedule with Tickets | Tennessee Titans Interactive Seating Chart
- Washington Commanders Schedule with Tickets | Washington Commanders Interactive Seating Chart
How to Get Cheap NFL Tickets
Once the NFL schedule comes out and tickets go on sale, you can get football tickets for big games like the NFL Pro Bowl, NFL Preseason, NFL Playoffs, and even Super Bowl tickets without hidden fees on TickPick.
You’ll be happy that TickPick has NFL tickets at the guaranteed best prices on the secondary market. Plus, new users get $10 off their first purchase.