The 2026 NFL season kicks off tonight with a Super Bowl 60 rematch.
The NFL regular season begins Wednesday, Sept. 9, when reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots at 8:20 p.m. ET.
How many times has the first game of the season been a Super Bowl rematch? Here's what to know.
How many times has the first game of the season been a Super Bowl rematch?
According to Sporting News, this season marks just the third time in NFL history that a Super Bowl rematch has opened the regular season. The first came in 1970, when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the defending Super Bowl IV champion Kansas City Chiefs 23-7.
It took 46 years for it to happen again. In 2016, the Denver Broncos, fresh off a Super Bowl 50 victory, edged the Carolina Panthers 21-20 in the season opener.
Do Super Bowl winners always kick off the next season?
Since the NFL introduced its annual Kickoff Game in 2002, nearly every season has begun on the Thursday after Labor Day.
Sports Illustrated reported that the game has featured the defending Super Bowl champion every year since 2004, when the New England Patriots hosted the Indianapolis Colts. The only exception was in 2019, when the league opened with a Bears-Packers matchup to commemorate its 100th season.
How many Super Bowl rematches have there been in NFL history?
Not only are NFL Super Bowl rematches uncommon in Week 1, but they're rare in general.
Only 11 times have the teams from the previous season's Super Bowl met again the following year, per Sporting News.
Super Bowl rematch record
Super Bowl winners hold a 9-3 record in rematches and a 1-1 record when the matchup opens the NFL season.
Has an NFL season ever started on a Wednesday before?
For the first time since 2012, and the second time since 1948, the NFL season will start on a Wednesday, according to USA TODAY.
Since the NFL introduced its annual Kickoff Game in 2002, almost every season has begun on the Thursday after Labor Day in September.
The last Wednesday opener came in 2012, when the NFL moved the season's first game up a day to avoid a conflict with President Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Why does the 2026 NFL season start on a Wednesday?
USA TODAY reported that this year's scheduling change stems from the NFL's expansion of its International Series. Instead of the traditional Thursday night Kickoff Game, there will be an international matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 10.
According to Sports Illustrated, the NFL's first international game of the season has traditionally been played on the Friday after the season opener. That arrangement was not possible this year because the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 prohibits NFL broadcasts on Fridays and Saturdays beginning with the second Friday in September.
In previous seasons, the NFL opened during the first week of September, allowing the international game to be played on Friday. But because the 2026 season begins during the second week of September, the international game was moved to Thursday and the season opener was pushed to Wednesday.
NFL Week 1 schedule
Wednesday, Sept. 9
- New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
Thursday, Sept. 10
- San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams (Melbourne, Australia), 8:35 p.m. ET, Netflix
Sunday, Sept. 13
1 p.m. ET
- Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers, Fox
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals, Fox
- New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions, Fox
- Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox
- Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, CBS
- Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts, CBS
- Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars, CBS
- New York Jets at Tennessee Titans, CBS
4:25 p.m. ET
- Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders, Fox
- Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles, Fox
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers, CBS
- Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, CBS
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
Monday, Sept. 14
- Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Two reasons Seahawks-Patriots is a historic NFL season opener
