So far, we have only one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17 regular-season contests confirmed ahead of the NFL’s schedule reveal on Thursday night. We know that Kansas City will host the Denver Broncos to open the season on “Monday Night Football.”
Further developments on Tuesday, however, confirmed by default that the Chiefs will not play in any of the league’s 2026 international games.
This season, the league has nine international matchups scheduled. The first game of the season will be between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. Because the Chiefs have the Rams scheduled as a road opponent, the Australia showcase was the first international possibility to be eliminated for the Chiefs.
The next game to be confirmed was the Dallas Cowboys against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Neither team is on the Chiefs’ 2026 schedule.
Other hosting teams not on the Chiefs’ schedule include the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders, with games in London; the Detroit Lions, as the home team, in Munich, Germany; and the New Orleans Saints, set to play in Paris, France.
The 49ers will also play at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, as the home team. The Chiefs seemingly cannot be the opponent because San Francisco is slated to visit Arrowhead Stadium sometime in the 2026 campaign.
The most likely international opportunity for the Chiefs was always the Atlanta Falcons, a scheduled road opponent, hosting a game in Madrid, Spain, during Week 9. However, the league on Tuesday announced that the Cincinnati Bengals would face Atlanta in the Spanish capital.
With the international slots seemingly off the table for the Chiefs, how do you feel? Do you enjoy an early morning Chiefs game from Europe? How do you feel about the non-traditional start times in the Southern Hemisphere? Let us know in the comments.
