New releases, favorites, international games, and how to watch on your mobile phone.
Official NFL+ AppThe wait is almost over. After weeks of training camp and preseason, the The 2026 NFL regular season officially begins on Wednesday, September 9th., opening a new race to the Super Bowl with storylines that already make this one of the most interesting seasons in recent years.
And the NFL could hardly have chosen a more symbolic matchup to start with.
The opening game will be between New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, at Lumen Field, in Seattle, at 8:20 PM Eastern Time in the United States, equivalent to 9:20 PM BrasÃlia time. The game will be broadcast in the United States on NBC, Peacock, and NFL+.
But there's one detail that completely transforms this encounter.
It will be a Super Bowl LX rematch.
Seattle begins the season as the reigning champion after defeating New England in the previous game. According to the NFL, it will be the first season opener with a Super Bowl rematch since 2016.
This is just the first chapter.
The 2026 season will feature new stars changing teams, rookies arriving with huge expectations, nine international games, a historic game at the Maracanã, and different official options for watching the NFL on mobile phones in Brazil.
When does the 2026 NFL season begin?
The official opening takes place at:
Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Game: New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time in the US: 8:20 PM ET
Brasilia time: 9:20 PM
Broadcast in the US: NBC, Peacock and NFL+
The NFL ranks the days. September 9, 10, 13 and 14 as your 2026 Kickoff Weekend.
Patriots vs. Seahawks opens the season with Super Bowl-like atmosphere.
The first game already delivers one of the main storylines of the season.
Seattle finished 2025 with a campaign of 14 wins and three losses and won Super Bowl LX against the Patriots, who had also finished the regular season 14-3.
Now they meet again immediately.
The Seahawks begin their title defense with Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again among the top names in the attack.
But there is an important absence.
Kenneth Walker III left Seattle in free agency, opening a significant gap in the backfield of the current champion.
And Walker's fate is another of the great stories of 2026.
We'll talk about him later.
AJ Brown is now a Patriots player.
New England also arrives differently.
One of the moves that attracted the most attention during the offseason was the arrival of AJ Brown to the Patriots.
The NFL rightly considers the wide receiver's debut one of the most anticipated of all of Week 1. Brown arrives to offer the quarterback... Drake Maye is a true WR1 option. after New England's defeat in the Super Bowl.
This makes the opening game even more interesting.
We won't simply have a rematch.
We'll see Seattle trying to prove they remain the NFC's top team, and New England showcasing a new offensive weapon against the very team that prevented them from winning the title.
Week 1 will feature NFL games in Australia.
Less than 24 hours after the opening game, the league will make history again.
On Thursday, September 10th, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams They face each other at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
This will be the first NFL regular season game held in the country.
The confrontation begins at 8:35 PM ET, But due to the time difference, it will happen at 10:35 AM the following day in Melbourne.
In the United States, it will be streamed on Netflix.
This is not a friendly match.
It's a divisional matchup between two clubs that reached the playoffs in 2025.
And there's another huge new addition to the Rams' roster.
Myles Garrett on the Rams
One of the biggest moves of the offseason put Myles Garrett at the Los Angeles Rams.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year arrives after setting a single-season sack record and immediately transforms the Los Angeles defense into one of the most exciting units to watch in 2026.
Garrett will make his debut against the 49ers in Australia.
The NFL also highlights the arrivals of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to strengthen the Rams' defensive sector.
On paper, Los Angeles has the potential to be considered one of the most dangerous teams in the NFC.
Patrick Mahomes is one of the biggest question marks at the start of the season.
Kansas City will also be under enormous scrutiny.
The Chiefs' season opener is on Monday, September 14th, against the Denver Broncos.
But there is a much bigger issue than simply figuring out who will win the match.
Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a knee injury., And the NFL itself acknowledges the possibility of his recovery progressing to Week 1 or beyond.
This places even more responsibility on another major signing.
Kenneth Walker III leaves Seattle for Kansas City
Shortly after winning the Super Bowl and being named MVP of the game with the Seahawks, Kenneth Walker III has signed with the Chiefs..
According to the NFL, the contract is for three years and $43 million.
It's a huge change.
Seattle loses a crucial player.
Kansas City gains a running back capable of reducing their reliance on Mahomes' arm, especially while there is uncertainty about the quarterback's physical condition.
The NFL notes that Kansas City hasn't had a 1,000-yard running back since Kareem Hunt's rookie season in 2017.
Walker can change that.
Chiefs attempt a comeback after a disappointing season.
Kansas City also enters 2026 in an unusual situation.
The Chiefs finished 2025 with a campaign of 6-11.
Denver, their opening opponent, finished 14-3.
Therefore, Week 1 will already serve as an important test to find out if Kansas City has truly managed to fix its problems.
A competitive Chiefs team completely changes the AFC.
A bad start will immediately increase the pressure.
Caleb Williams continues to be one of the main attractions.
Chicago also enters the new season surrounded by expectation.
The Bears finished 2025 with a campaign of 11-6, And Caleb Williams enters 2026 as one of the league's rising young stars.
The quarterback's importance increased even further with his presence on the cover of Madden NFL 27, something highlighted by the NFL itself when analyzing the top names of the first week.
Chicago opens its season away against Carolina.
The Panthers, in turn, reinforced their pass rush with Jaelan Phillips, which recorded 63 pressures in 2025 according to Next Gen Stats data cited by the NFL.
This will be an excellent first test for Williams.
Philadelphia begins a new phase without AJ Brown.
The transfer of AJ Brown also significantly changes the situation for the Eagles.
Philadelphia selected Makai Lemon, from USC, with the 20th pick in the Draft and now hopes that the rookie will quickly assume an important role alongside DeVonta Smith.
The NFL lists Lemon as one of the most anticipated debuts of the first round.
The Eagles start against Washington.
After losing an established star, Philadelphia will try to show that it has managed to find his replacement in the Draft.
Dallas is betting on Caleb Downs.
The Cowboys also invested heavily in their defense.
Dallas selected Caleb Downs, from Ohio State, with the 11th overall pick.
The expectation is that he will be a starter immediately.
And your first test will be divisional.
The Cowboys and Giants face off in Sunday Night Football in the first round.
After a 7-9-1 season in 2025, Dallas needs to show quick signs of improvement.
Who are the NFL favorites in 2026?
Before kickoff, predictions need to be treated as expectations, not certainties.
But some groups naturally come under greater scrutiny.
Seattle Seahawks: They are the current champions and must be respected until proven otherwise.
New England Patriots: They made it to the Super Bowl and added AJ Brown to help Drake Maye.
Los Angeles Rams: They already had a competitive roster and added Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson to the defense.
Denver Broncos: They finished 2025 with a 14-3 record and are starting their campaign against Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs: They're coming off a bad season, but they remain a team impossible to ignore, especially if Patrick Mahomes recovers well and Kenneth Walker III transforms the running game.
And these are just some of the teams that make the season unpredictable.
NFL 2026 will have a record number of international games.
Perhaps no season will illustrate the NFL's international transformation as clearly as 2026.
The league confirmed nine regular season international matches, distributed across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.
The schedule includes:
Australia
Brazil
United Kingdom
France
Spain
Germany
Mexico
Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, and Paris will host regular season games for the first time.
It's the biggest international calendar in the league's history.
The NFL returns to Brazil, now at the Maracanã.
For Brazilian fans, 2026 will be even more special.
After games held in Brazil in 2024 and 2025, the NFL returns to the country for the third consecutive year.
But this time the stage changes.
On Sunday, September 27, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys will play in Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro.
The kickoff will be at 5:25 PM BrasÃlia time.
This will be the first NFL regular season game held in Rio de Janeiro.
The Brazilian broadcast of the event will also feature... ge TV and SporTV, according to an official announcement from the league.
The nine international games of the 2026 NFL season.
| Date | Confrontation | City |
|---|---|---|
| 10/09 | 49ers vs. Rams | Melbourne |
| 27/09 | Ravens vs. Cowboys | Rio de Janeiro |
| 04/10 | Colts vs. Commanders | London |
| 11/10 | Eagles vs. Jaguars | London |
| 18/10 | Texans vs. Jaguars | London |
| 25/10 | Steelers vs. Saints | Paris |
| 08/11 | Bengals vs. Falcons | Madrid |
| 15/11 | Patriots vs. Lions | Munich |
| 22/11 | Vikings vs. 49ers | Mexico City |
This schedule has been confirmed by NFL Football Operations.
Where can I watch the NFL in Brazil in 2026?
This is one of the areas that has changed the most in recent years.
Currently, the NFL itself lists different partners for the Brazilian market.
ESPN and Disney+
ESPN remains one of the main homes of the NFL in Brazil.
According to the Brazilian NFL website, ESPN will have Two games on Sunday afternoons and all Monday games., In addition to six postseason games and the Super Bowl.
The content is also available on Disney+ according to the corresponding plan.
Another highlight is the NFL RedZone in Portuguese.
RedZone simultaneously covers Sunday afternoon games, switching between matches as teams approach the end zone.
For those who enjoy following multiple teams, Fantasy Football, or simply watching lots of touchdowns, it's one of the most intense ways to experience an NFL Sunday.
SporTV expands its presence in the NFL.
The NFL also confirms a significant role for SporTV in 2026.
The channel will have the games on Thursday and Sunday night, In addition to a game on Sunday afternoons during the regular season.
Six playoff games and the Super Bowl are also scheduled.
This distribution significantly increases the amount of NFL available within the Globo ecosystem.
ge TV is the great free alternative.
For those who arrived at this article looking for How to watch NFL for free on your mobile phone., This is probably the most important information.
The NFL officially confirms the presence of ge TV, a channel available on YouTube.
During the regular season, ge TV will have a live game on Sunday afternoons.
Also planned three playoff games and the Super Bowl free.
So, yes:
It will be possible to watch official NFL games for free and legally on mobile phones in Brazil in 2026.
But there is one important condition.
This doesn't mean that all games will be free.
You will need to check weekly which match has been selected.
How to watch NFL for free on your mobile phone via ge TV
The process is simple.
Open the official YouTube app on your mobile phone.
Search for the official ge TV channel.
Check out the schedule for that Sunday.
Check which NFL game was selected.
Start the broadcast a few minutes before kickoff.
There's no need to search for unknown APKs, streaming pages, or websites that promise all games for free.
When there is an official free broadcast, it will be clearly identified by the rights holder.
Globoplay will also have NFL RedZone.
There is yet another interesting option within the Globo ecosystem.
The NFL confirms that NFL RedZone will be available on Sundays on Globoplay..
Availability may depend on the plan you choose.
Therefore, anyone who already subscribes to a Globo package should first check what is included before subscribing to another service.
NFL Game Pass remains the most comprehensive option.
For those who want to keep up with virtually everything, the NFL Game Pass distributed by DAZN It remains the most comprehensive international alternative.
DAZN states that the service offers all team games, including regular season, playoffs, and the Super Bowl, subject to applicable restrictions.dazn.com)
Also included are:
NFL RedZone
NFL Network
Full reruns
Game in 40
Best moments
Hard Knocks
Mic'd Up
Coaches Films
Good Morning Football
An interesting detail is that Game Pass can be subscribed to as independent package, without needing to have a regular DAZN subscription beforehand.dazn.com)
What is Game in 40?
Not everyone has three hours available for each game.
Therefore, Game Pass offers a particularly interesting option called Game in 40.
After the match, a condensed version of the game, approximately 40 minutes long, is made available.
DAZN also offers full replays and highlight reels lasting approximately five to ten minutes.
For those who follow multiple teams, this can make a huge difference during the season.
NFL Game Pass can also be subscribed to through Prime Video.
Another alternative that deserves attention is Prime Video Channels.
In Brazil, NFL Game Pass can also be subscribed to within this ecosystem, granting access to the service's corresponding content.
However, there is an important difference.
When you subscribe through Prime Video Channels, the content is consumed within the Prime Video environment, and this subscription does not automatically grant access to the DAZN app.
Therefore, choose the platform you prefer to watch on before subscribing.
NFL App, NFL+, and NFL Game Pass are not the same thing.
This confusion still comes up frequently.
NFL App: The league's official app with news, scores, statistics, schedule, videos, and access to products available for each region.
NFL+: A service primarily aimed at the United States.
NFL Game Pass: This international product is distributed by DAZN in much of the world, including Brazil.
In the United States, NFL+ offers local and primetime games on mobile phones and tablets, in addition to other content. NFL+ Premium adds features such as RedZone and replays. In Brazil, it should not be considered a replacement for Game Pass.
Is there free NFL games besides those on ge TV?
Yes, but it's necessary to differentiate. watch full matches to consume NFL content for free.
The NFL App lets you follow scores, schedules, stats, news, and videos.
There are also apps like ESPN, Sofascore, and other results services.
In addition, the NFL's international website offers free access to content from... NFL Network, with programming including news, analysis, and league shows, although this doesn't mean all games are streamed for free.
Which option should I choose to watch the NFL?
The answer depends on how much American football you actually intend to follow.
| Profile | Most interesting option |
|---|---|
| I want to spend as little as possible. | ge TV + NFL App |
| I want a few games a week. | ESPN/Disney+ + SporTV |
| I want to watch several games on Sunday. | NFL RedZone |
| I want to follow a specific team. | NFL Game Pass |
| I want practically all the games. | NFL Game Pass |
| I want quick reruns. | Game in 40 |
| I want free news and analysis. | NFL App + NFL Network |
For those who already have Disney+, Globoplay, or other sports packages, it's worth checking the content available within their current subscription first.
Perhaps you already have access to a good portion of the NFL that you intend to watch.
Is it possible to watch the season without paying?
Yes.
The simplest strategy is to combine official free services.
Use ge TV when a free match is selected.
Use the NFL App for scores, schedule, news, and highlights.
Follow NFL Network for programming and analysis when it's available for free.
And use results apps for matches that are not being streamed for free.
This combination doesn't replace Game Pass for those who want to watch all the games, but it allows you to access a lot of content without resorting to illegal streaming.
Beware of websites that promise "all games for free".“
If a website promises to stream all NFL games, RedZone matches, playoffs, and the Super Bowl for free without explaining who owns the broadcast rights, be suspicious.
In addition to the issue of rights, these pages frequently use pop-ups, redirects, fake notifications, and download buttons.
By 2026, there will be sufficient official alternatives to avoid this type of risk.
The rule is simple:
Legitimate free streaming must be associated with an authorized broadcaster, platform, or partner.
How to avoid buffering while watching on your mobile phone.
Before kickoff, update the app you plan to use.
Please log in early.
Test your connection.
Start the broadcast approximately ten minutes beforehand.
Whenever possible, use a stable Wi-Fi network.
If you are using 4G or 5G, monitor your data usage. A game lasting approximately three hours at high resolution can consume several gigabytes.
If the connection becomes unstable, temporarily reducing the image quality usually improves stability.
And there's a simple tip that avoids a lot of frustration:
Don't wait until kickoff to discover you've forgotten your password.
NFL 2026 will be the most global season in history.
The 2026 season represents something bigger than just another championship.
The NFL will have nine international matches across four continents and seven countries, setting a new record.
We'll have an opening with a Super Bowl rematch.
The NFL will arrive in Australia for the first time.
Rio de Janeiro will host its first regular season game at the Maracanã.
Paris is also on the map.
Madrid will host the league again.
Munich returns to the calendar.
Mexico City returns.
And London remains one of the NFL's main international bases.
American football is making it increasingly clear that its strategy doesn't end at the borders of the United States.
What to expect from the NFL in 2026?
The short answer is: a lot can change.
Seattle needs to prove that it can defend its title even after the departure of Kenneth Walker III.
New England added AJ Brown after reaching the Super Bowl.
The Rams bolstered an already dangerous defense with the addition of Myles Garrett.
Kansas City attempts to bounce back after a 6-11 season while monitoring Patrick Mahomes' recovery.
Kenneth Walker III arrives precisely to help the Chiefs.
Young players like Caleb Williams are entering a season that could represent another leap in their careers.
Rookies like Makai Lemon and Caleb Downs begin their professional careers surrounded by expectations.
All this even before the ball officially flies.
SEO Keywords
NFL 2026, NFL 2026 season, when does NFL 2026 start, NFL September 9, 2026, Patriots vs. Seahawks, where to watch NFL, watch NFL for free, free NFL on mobile, NFL live, NFL Brazil 2026, NFL Game Pass 2026, DAZN NFL, Disney+ NFL, ge TV NFL, SporTV NFL, NFL RedZone, NFL on YouTube, NFL Maracanã 2026, Cowboys vs. Ravens Brazil, Super Bowl 2027, NFL 2026 games, NFL 2026 schedule.
Meta title
NFL 2026 starts on September 9th: where to watch and what's new.
Meta description
The 2026 NFL season kicks off on September 9th with Patriots vs. Seahawks. Check out the latest news, favorites, international games, and how to legally watch them on your phone.
Recommended slug
NFL 2026 Where to Watch New Season Updates
Conclusion
A The 2026 NFL regular season officially begins on September 9th., And the league chose a perfect match to open the championship: New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks, an immediate rematch of Super Bowl LX.
After that, a season begins that promises stories in virtually every direction.
AJ Brown makes his debut for the Patriots.
Seattle begins its title defense.
Myles Garrett joins the Rams.
Kenneth Walker III swaps the champion for the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes is racing against time in his recovery.
And the NFL will have its largest international schedule in history, with nine games in seven countries.
For the Brazilian public, the alternatives are also better than they were a few years ago.
ESPN and Disney+ remain important, SporTV expands its coverage, Globoplay receives RedZone, NFL Game Pass via DAZN offers the most complete alternative, and... ge TV will offer select games for free on YouTube, including one Sunday afternoon game, three playoff games, and the Super Bowl.. (nfl.com)
Therefore, watching the NFL for free and legitimately on your mobile phone is possible in 2026. What doesn't exist is an official promise of all games being free.
And perhaps the greatest demonstration of the league's growth for Brazilian fans will happen in September 27, When the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys take to the field at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro at 5:25 PM.
Pre-season ends now. Starting September 9th, every win will truly count.
The main improvement compared to the old article was to put the preseason content in the background and transform the page into a... 2026 Regular Season Guide, with even greater potential to continue receiving searches during September, October, and the following months.
