NFL Kickoff Game

About this event

The NFL Kickoff Game opens the American football season, a single nationally televised Thursday-night fixture played before the rest of the league's opening weekend. The league introduced it in 2002 to give the season a distinct start rather than letting it begin with a full Sunday slate, and since 2004 the defending Super Bowl champion has hosted the game at home, raising its championship banner before kickoff. That structure guarantees the fixture a marquee host, though the visiting opponent varies each year with the schedule release. The evening is staged as an entertainment event as well as a game, typically paired with a live concert and an extended pre-game broadcast, and it reliably draws one of the season's largest television audiences outside the play-offs. For anyone planning to attend, the host city is fixed by the previous season's champion and the exact matchup is confirmed when the league publishes its schedule. The 2026 opener is scheduled for 10 September.