2026 NFL schedule release: Predicting the matchup for every international game being played this season

CBS Sports | American Football | 05/08/2026

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With the NFL schedule coming out soon, it’s time to make some predictions

By John Breech

When the 2026 NFL schedule is released later this month, it will include a record-setting nine international games.

The slate will include three new NFL cities, with Rio de Janeiro, Paris and Melbourne (Australia) all hosting an NFL regular-season game for the first time. The NFL will also return to Mexico City and Munich this year, two cities that didn’t host a game last year but have hosted in the past.

Of the nine games, we know two matchups so far:

Melbourne in Week 1 (Sept. 10): 49ers vs. Rams, 8:35 p.m. ET (Netflix)
Rio de Janeiro in Week 3 (Sept. 27 ): Ravens vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

In the other seven games, we know who the home team will be, but we don’t know who they’ll be playing. With that in mind, we’re going to try to predict the visiting team for the seven international games where the matchup is still up in the air.

Falcons in Madrid

Possible opponents: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs

Prediction: Bears or Chiefs

Three teams — the Dolphins, Chiefs and Bears — currently have marketing rights in Spain. The Dolphins went to Madrid last year for the NFL’s first-ever game in Spain, and this year, it would be logical for the NFL to send one of the other teams with marketing rights. Fortunately for the league, Atlanta plays both the Chiefs and Bears at home this year, so it seems highly likely that one of those two teams will be sent to Madrid with the Falcons.

The favorite in the clubhouse is probably Kansas City. The Chiefs have made it clear to the NFL that they want to be the visiting team. “We’ve been very open and aggressive with the league — as we have been since the beginning — that we want to play in Spain this year,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting in March. “We think it would be a great market, game [and] matchup.”

If the NFL sticks to the same plan as last year, this game will likely be played in early November.

Lions in Munich

Possible opponents: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Titans

Prediction: Giants or Buccaneers

There’s a report that the Giants will play an international game this year, and this one would certainly make the most sense. The Giants hold marketing rights in Germany, so they would likely be on board if the NFL decides to send them to Munich. This one isn’t a lock, but it would be a mild surprise if the Giants aren’t the opponent.

The argument against the Giants is that they played in Germany in 2024, so the NFL might be interested in sending another team. If that’s the case, then the Buccaneers could make sense. Tampa Bay played in the NFL’s inaugural Germany game in 2022, but hasn’t been back since.

Two teams you can eliminate are the Packers and Vikings. The Lions protected both of those games, according to the Detroit Free Press, which means they can’t be moved overseas.

Jaguars in London for two games

Possible opponents: Texans, Colts, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Commanders, Eagles

Prediction 1 (AFC): Browns or Titans | Prediction 2 (NFC): Eagles or Commanders

The Jaguars will head to London for two games. The twist is that they’ll be the home team for both, marking the first time in NFL history a team has served as the home team in back-to-back international games.

This will mark the third time the Jaguars have played back-to-back games in London. On the two previous occasions, the NFL had Jacksonville face one AFC team and one NFC team, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the league once again goes that route.

On the NFC side, there are only two options: the Eagles or Commanders. Although Washington is already set to host a game in London this year, the NFL could have the Commanders play back-to-back games there, with one as the home team and one as the visiting team. As for Philadelphia, the Eagles have only played two international games in franchise history, which is tied for the second-fewest in the league, so the NFL could send them abroad.

On the AFC side, let’s start with the Titans. The NFL usually tries to avoid sending divisional games overseas, but it has happened before. As for the Browns, they’ve never played an international game as the visiting team, so this would break new ground.

One team that likely won’t be sent to London is the Steelers because the Jaguars have protected that game, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.