Football

When does Monday Night Football start? 2026 schedule, games, dates

by
Scoops
August 18, 2026

Enjoy your free Monday nights now.

In exactly four weeks, the first “Monday Night Football” game of the 2026 NFL season will take place.

With training camp and preseason in full swing and roster cuts coming up at the end of the month, another season is just around the corner.

That means it won’t be long before NFL football will be on your TV screens every Monday through the end of the year and start of 2027. The Green Bay Packers play just once on MNF and it’s not until Week 17, the final week of “Monday Night Football.”

Here’s what to know about the start of the NFL season and the “Monday Night Football” schedule:

When does the NFL season start?

The NFL season begins on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

The “Sunday Night Football” NBC crew will broadcast the game.

The game kicks off at 7:20 p.m. at Lumen Field in Seattle as the Seahawks will unveil their Super Bowl banner.

The Seahawks defeated the Patriots, 29-13 in last season’s Super Bowl. The Wednesday night matchup starts Week 1 as games will be played across four days, ending with the first Monday night game.

When does Monday Night Football start?

The first “Monday Night Football” game on the schedule is Monday, Sept. 14.

It features a matchup between AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos at the Kansas City Chiefs.

The game could include the return of three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL and LCL during a Week 15 game in the 2025 season on Dec. 14.

The Chiefs quarterback’s injury happened the same week that Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL as well. Mahomes has said that his goal is to return for the Week 1 game.

The Broncos ended the Chiefs’ nine-year reign atop the AFC West last season as they earned the top seed in the conference with a 14-3 record. The Chiefs, at 6-11, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Denver beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional round playoff game before falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.

Is there an NFL game on tonight?

No, there is not an NFL game on tonight, Monday, Aug. 17. The “Monday Night Football” schedule doesn’t start until the regular season.

The NFL is in the preseason and training camp stage ahead of the 2026 season. Week 2 of the preseason gets underway with two games on Thursday, Aug. 20.

The Packers’ Week 2 preseason game is set for Friday, Aug. 21, at the Denver Broncos.

Preseason games primarily take place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with one Sunday game set this week between the Seahawks at the Tennessee Titans at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 on Fox.