If you’re staring at a blank TV screen wondering why there isn't a kickoff happening right now, you aren't alone. Every year, right around late summer or mid-winter, the search volume for has the nfl season start spikes because the league’s calendar is, frankly, a bit of a moving target.
It’s over.
Well, the 2025 regular season is officially in the rearview mirror. As of mid-January 2026, we are deep into the postseason heat. If you’re looking for the "start" of the weekly grind where all 32 teams are playing, you missed that boat back in September. But if you're asking because you want to know when the next phase begins—the Super Bowl push or the 2026 kickoff—the answer depends entirely on what kind of football fix you're after.
The NFL doesn't just "start" once. It has multiple births. There’s the Hall of Fame game in August, which is basically a glorified practice in pads. Then the actual regular season opener. Then the playoffs. Right now, we are in the "win or go home" stretch. It's the best time to be a fan, honestly, even if the "season" as a whole is technically winding down.
When Does the 2026 NFL Season Actually Begin?
The league usually follows a rigid internal logic. For the 2026 campaign, you can bet your mortgage that the regular season will start on the Thursday following Labor Day. That puts the official kickoff at September 10, 2026.
But wait.
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Training camps usually open in late July. That’s when the news cycle starts churning again. You’ll see clips of quarterbacks throwing into nets and beat reporters overanalyzing every single drop by a rookie wide receiver. Is that the "start"? For the die-hards, yeah. For the casual viewer who just wants to drink a beer and watch the Kansas City Chiefs defend their dynasty, the date you need to circle is that second Thursday in September.
Usually, the defending Super Bowl champion hosts that opening night game. It’s a massive spectacle. NBC gets the broadcast, the banners are raised, and the rest of the league watches from home with a chip on their shoulder.
Why People Get the Dates Wrong
Google gets hammered with the question has the nfl season start because the NFL's "League Year" starts in March. This is a weird quirk of sports business. On March 11, 2026 (tentatively), free agency opens. This is when the rosters actually get built. To a front office executive like Andrew Berry or Howie Roseman, the season starts the moment the clock hits 4:00 PM ET on that Wednesday in March.
Then you have the NFL Draft in late April. This year, thousands of fans will descend on the host city to see who takes the next franchise savior. If you’re a fan of a team that went 4-13 last year, the season starts at the Draft. That’s where hope is sold.
The Evolution of the 17-Game Schedule
We used to have a very predictable 16-game rhythm. Then the CBA changed. Now, with 17 games, the entire calendar has shifted. The Super Bowl is pushed further into February. This creates a "dead zone" in late February and most of March that drives fans crazy.
- Preseason: Three games (usually).
- Regular Season: 18 weeks (17 games + 1 bye).
- Postseason: Wild Card, Divisional, Conference Championships, and the Big Game.
It’s a marathon. By the time we get to January, players are held together by athletic tape and sheer willpower. If you’re asking has the nfl season start because you want to see the stars at 100% health, you really want the September window. By January, the "season" is a war of attrition.
The International Factor: Not All Starts Are Equal
The NFL is obsessed with London, Munich, and potentially Madrid or Brazil. This complicates the "start" for fans in different time zones. Sometimes the "start" of a Sunday in October is actually 9:30 AM ET because the league is playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
If you’re trying to track the has the nfl season start timeline, you have to look at the International Series. These games often act as the "early bird" special for the weekend. They’ve become a staple of the NFL's global expansion strategy under Roger Goodell.
What to Watch for in the Offseason
Since the current season is concluding, your focus should shift to the milestones that lead back to September 2026:
- The Scouting Combine (Late Feb): Where fast guys run in spandex and coaches pretend they aren't obsessed with hand size.
- The Franchise Tag Deadline (Early March): This is where the drama lives. Will the star receiver get paid or get mad?
- The Schedule Release (May): This is a "content event" now. The NFL literally releases a video of dates, and people lose their minds. This is when you can actually plan your trips.
Misconceptions About the Kickoff
One of the biggest mistakes fans make is assuming the season starts on a Sunday. It hasn't started on a Sunday in decades. The "Kickoff Game" is a standalone Thursday night event. If you show up to your buddy's house on Sunday afternoon looking for the first game of the year, you've already missed the biggest narrative of the week.
Also, the preseason. People see the NFL logo on the screen in August and think, "It’s back!"
It’s not.
The preseason is a different beast. Starters rarely play more than a series. You're watching guys who will be selling insurance or coaching high school ball in three weeks. It’s football, sure, but it’s not the season. Don't let the TV listings trick you. The intensity difference between an August 15th game and a September 10th game is night and day.
How to Prepare for the 2026 Kickoff
If you want to be ready when the next has the nfl season start moment arrives, you need to get your ducks in a row by late August.
Check your streaming services. The NFL is increasingly fragmented. You’ve got games on Amazon Prime, YouTube TV (for Sunday Ticket), Peacock, and even Netflix now. If you wait until kickoff to figure out your login, you’re going to miss the first quarter.
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Manage your expectations. The first few weeks of any season are usually "sloppy." Because teams don't play their starters in the preseason anymore, the first two weeks of the regular season have basically become a live-fire dress rehearsal. Expect dropped passes and a lot of flags.
Actionable Steps for the True Fan
Stop searching has the nfl season start and start tracking the "NFL Calendar" specifically.
Download the official NFL app and toggle notifications for "League News." This will alert you the second the 2026 schedule is finalized in May. That is the true starting gun for fans. Once those dates are set, you can book travel, set up your fantasy leagues, and request those Fridays off work.
If you are looking for football now, look toward the UFL or the upcoming draft prospects. The NFL never truly sleeps; it just changes clothes. The 2025 season is finishing its story, and the 2026 season is currently being written in the front offices of all 32 teams through contracts and scouting reports. Get your TV setup ready by August, but keep your eyes on the March free agency frenzy to see who will actually be wearing your team's jersey when September finally rolls around.