Seahawks to open Wednesday of Week 1 with Australia game Thursday

Key Points:

• The NFL announced the Super Bowl LX champion Seattle Seahawks will open the 2026 season on Wednesday of Week 1, deviating from the usual Thursday night opener, due to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers playing in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday night in the U.S. broadcast.
• The Seahawks' game will air on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET, with their Week 1 opponent yet to be announced, while the Rams-49ers game will kick off at 10:35 a.m. local time in Australia (8:35 p.m. ET), though its U.S. broadcast partner remains unconfirmed.
• This marks the first NFL regular-season game in Australia, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the Rams as hosts and the 49ers as visitors; the matchup was announced earlier in 2024.
• The NFL cannot schedule the international game on Friday due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which prohibits professional football broadcasts on Fridays or Saturdays from mid-September to mid-December, leading to the Wednesday opener for the Seahawks.
• The 2026 season will feature an NFL-record nine international games, including the 49ers hosting a game at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, highlighting the league's expanding global presence.