The World Cup may be over, but the other football is just around the corner: When does the NFL preseason start?
From fútbol to football. The World Cup is over, but it won’t be long before football is back in action with the NFL preseason set to start in August.
The whole world has been wrapped up in a soccer frenzy, but especially in North America, where the World Cup was hosted. With Spain’s thrilling victory over defending champions Argentina in New Jersey, the tournament has now reached its end. The confetti has settled and the country is feeling those same, familiar post-sports blues that come with the end of each season.
Thankfully, it won’t last long this time, as the NFL season is just around the corner. Now that the United States has brought (some may say forced) its influence to the beautiful game, it’s time for us to get back to our own territory with the sport we do best.
I’m happy to report that the wait is just over two weeks away. Here’s a look at the NFL preseason.
2026-27 NFL preseason schedule
The NFL season is practically here already, with teams starting training camp as early as tomorrow (July 22). After that, it’s just a few weeks until the first game of the preseason kicks off.
Hall of Fame Game
The preseason will kick off on August 6 with the annual Hall of Fame game. This year, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will play at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will both be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame, Class of 2026 during the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival. The Cardinals will be considered the designated home team.
Thursday, August 6 - Hall of Fame Game
- Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals
- 8 p.m. ET
- Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, OH
Preseason Week 1
After the Hall of Fame game concludes, we look forward to the first full week of the NFL preseason, when all 32 teams will showcase their best rookies and the position battles will begin.
Thursday, August 13
- Detroit Lions @ Cincinnati Bengals
- 7 p.m. ET
- Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
- Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- 7 p.m. ET
- Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
- Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
- 7:30 p.m. ET
- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
- Arizona Cardinals @ Las Vegas Raiders
- 8 p.m. ET
- Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles Chargers @ Houston Texans
- 8 p.m. ET
- NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
- Tennessee Titans @ San Francisco 49ers
- 9 p.m. ET
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Friday, August 14
- Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons
- 7 p.m. ET
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Jets
- 7 p.m. ET
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- Miami Dolphins @ Washington Commanders
- 7 p.m. ET
- Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD
Saturday, August 15
- Carolina Panthers @ Buffalo Bills
- 1 p.m. ET
- Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
- Cleveland Browns @ Chiacago Bears
- 1 p.m. ET
- Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants
- 1 p.m. ET
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- Los Angeles Rams @ Kansas City Chiefs
- 1 p.m. ET
- GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Jacksonville Jaguars @ New Orleans Saints
- 4 p.m. ET
- Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens
- 7 p.m. ET
- M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Dallas Cowboys @ Seattle Seahawks
- 8 p.m. ET
- Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Preseason Week 2
The second week of the NFL preseason will see some teams holding joint practices before facing each other in a preseason game.
Thursday, August 20
- Las Vegas Raiders @ Houston Texans
- 8 p.m. ET
- NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
- San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Chargers
- 10 p.m. ET
- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Friday, August 21
- New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- 7 p.m. ET
- Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
- Carolina Panthers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- 7:30 p.m. ET
- EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
- Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos
- 9 p.m. ET
- Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Saturday, August 22
- Washington Commanders @ Detroit Lions
- 12 p.m. ET
- Ford Field, Detroit, MI
- Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns
- 1 p.m. ET
- Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, OH
- Atlanta Falcons @ Indianapolis Colts
- 1 p.m. ET
- Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- Baltimore Ravens @ Minnesota Vikings
- 1 p.m. ET
- U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
- New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams
- 4 p.m. ET
- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
- New York Giants @ Miami Dolphins
- 4 p.m. ET
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
- Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals
- 7 p.m. ET
- Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
- Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots
- 7 p.m. ET
- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 7:30 p.m. ET
- Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
- Dallas Cowboys @ Arizona Cardinals
- 10 p.m. ET
- State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Sunday, August 23
- Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans
- 8 p.m. ET
- Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Preseason Week 3
The final week of the NFL preseason kicks off on Thursday, August 27 with more joint practices, rookie showcases, and position battles heating up.
Thursday, August 27
- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills
- 7 p.m. ET
- Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
- New England Patriots @ Cleveland Browns
- 8 p.m. ET
- Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, OH
- San Francisco 49ers @ Las Vegas Raiders
- 8 p.m. ET
- Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles Rams @ Los Angeles Chargers
- 10 p.m. ET
- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Friday, August 28
- Washington Commanders @ Baltimore Ravens
- 6 p.m. ET
- M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Atlanta Falcons @ Miami Dolphins
- 7 p.m. ET
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
- Houston Texans @ Carolina Panthers
- 7 p.m. ET
- Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
- New York Giants @ New York Jets
- 7:30 p.m. ET
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- 7:30 p.m. ET
- EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
- New Orleans Saints @ Dallas Cowboys
- 8 p.m. ET
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers
- 8 p.m. ET
- Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
- Seattle Seahawks @ Kansas City Chiefs
- 8 p.m. ET
- GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Cincinnati Bengals @Philadelphia Eagles
- 8 p.m. ET
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
- Minnesota Vikings @ Denver Broncos
- 9 p.m. ET
- Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
Saturday, August 29
- Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts
- 1 p.m. ET
- Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- Chicago Bears @ Tennessee Titans
- 6 p.m. ET
- Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
The NFL regular season
After the preseason concludes, it’s just a one-week wait until the official 2026-27 regular season begins. This year, the season begins with a rare Wednesday game, as the New England Patriots take on the defending Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on September 9. The wait is almost over. NFL is back.
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