For football fans, the most wonderful time of the year has finally arrived. The NFL is back.
The Hall of Fame Game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals took place Aug. 6, kicking off the 2026 NFL preseason schedule. The preseason slate of games continued Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 29.
So, when do the Cincinnati Bengals play preseason games? And when does the NFL regular season officially start? Here's what to know.
When does the NFL preseason start?
The NFL preseason kicked off with the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Panthers and Cardinals, held on Aug. 6. Several other NFL teams, including the Bengals, started playing preseason games on Aug. 13 and will continue through Aug. 29.
When is the Bengals' first preseason game?
The Bengals opened their 2026 preseason schedule with a home game
against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 13, which the Bengals won, 16-14. Cincinnati hosts the Chicago Bears for a preseason game on Aug. 22, then heads to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to play the Philadelphia Eagles in their final preseason game on Aug. 28.
When does the regular NFL season start?
The 2026 NFL regular season begins Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl 60 rematch at 8:20 p.m. ET.
When is the Cincinnati Bengals' first regular season game?
The Bengals kick off their regular season with a home matchup Sept. 13 against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kick off is set for 1 p.m. ET.
Cincinnati Bengals 2026 regular season schedule
Cincinnati will play three primetime games, including an appearance on New Year's Eve at Paycor Stadium. The Bengals will start and end the season at home and will play an international game in Madrid, Spain.
Here's a look at the Bengals 2026 regular schedule.
- Week 1: Sept. 13, Bengals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
- Week 2: Sept. 20, Bengals at Houston Texans at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 3: Sept. 27, Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET on CBS
- Week 4: Oct. 4, Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 5: Oct. 11, Bengals at Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
- BYE WEEK
- Week 7: Oct. 25, Bengals at Baltimore Ravens at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 8: Nov. 1, Bengals vs. Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 9: Nov. 8, Bengals at Atlanta Falcons (the game is in Madrid, Spain; Bengals are the visiting team ) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 10: Nov. 15, Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday Night Football on NBC.
- Week 11: Nov. 23, Bengals at Washington Commanders at 8:15 p.m. on Monday Night Football on ESPN.
- Week 12: Nov. 29, Bengals vs. New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 13: Dec. 6, Bengals at Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Week 14: Dec. 13, Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.
- Week 15: Dec. 20, Bengals at Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
- Week 16: Dec. 26/27, Bengals at Indianapolis Colts. Time and network are TBD.
- Week 17: Dec. 31, Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
- Week 18: Jan. 9/10, Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns. Time and network are TBD.
When is Super Bowl 2027?
Super Bowl 61 is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027.
Where is Super Bowl 2027?
Super Bowl 2027 will return to Los Angeles for the first time since 2022. The biggest game in football is set to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The last Super Bowl held at SoFi was on Feb. 13, 2022, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl 56.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When does the NFL regular season start? See Bengals full slate
