Honestly, if you're trying to figure out when is the football season starting this year, you’ve picked the most chaotic time to ask. 2026 isn't a normal sports year. It’s a "World Cup on home soil" year for those of us in North America, and that one single event has basically thrown the entire global football calendar into a blender.
Whether you're waiting for the NFL kickoff, the Saturday morning rituals of college ball, or the roar of a Premier League stadium, the dates are moving. Some are starting later to give players a breather after the World Cup final in July. Others are plowing ahead.
Let's break down the actual dates you need to circle on your calendar so you aren't the one showing up to a tailgate a week early—or late.
When the NFL Finally Kicks Off
The National Football League is the one constant in an ever-changing world. While soccer leagues are dancing around international tournaments, the NFL sticks to its guns.
The 2026 NFL season is officially scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
Tradition dictates that the defending Super Bowl LX champions will host that opening night game. Since we’re currently sitting in January, we don't know who that is yet, but whoever lifts the trophy in February will be the one welcoming the world back to the gridiron in September.
Here is a quick look at how the rest of that opening stretch looks:
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- The First Sunday: September 13, 2026. This is the first full slate of games.
- The First Monday Night Football: September 14, 2026.
- Regular Season Finale: January 10, 2027.
- Super Bowl LXI: February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
It’s worth noting that the league year actually starts way before the pads go on. Free agency officially opens on March 11, 2026, and the Draft is hitting Pittsburgh from April 23–25. If you're a die-hard, the season "starts" then. For the rest of us, it's September 10.
College Football: The Week Zero Factor
College football is a bit of a different beast. It doesn't wait for September.
The 2026 college football season is set to start with Week Zero on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Week Zero is usually a smaller slate—maybe some international games or neutral-site matchups—but it counts. The "real" opening weekend, Week 1, follows on Thursday, September 3, through Labor Day on Monday, September 7.
If you follow a specific school, like Texas A&M, you'll see their schedule already has them hosting Missouri State on September 5. Most major programs are eyeing that first Saturday in September as their true return to the field.
The World Cup Global Shift
This is where things get weird. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is happening right here in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It starts on June 11 and the final isn't until July 19.
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Why does this matter for the club season? Because players aren't robots.
Usually, European leagues like the Premier League start in early to mid-August. But because the World Cup final is so late in July, the 2026/27 Premier League season is starting on August 22, 2026.
That’s a week later than usual. The league basically had to give players a mandatory 33-day break from the World Cup final before they could start the domestic grind again. If you’re used to that second week of August kickoff, you're going to be staring at an empty TV screen for an extra seven days this year.
MLS and the Summer Break
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the only one actually "starting" twice.
The 2026 MLS season officially begins on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
This is the earliest start in the sport's calendar for North American fans. San Diego FC is the new kid on the block this year, and they'll be making their debut that weekend against CF Montreal.
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However, because the World Cup is literally being played in MLS stadiums, the league is taking a massive hiatus. They will play until May 24, then stop everything until July 16. It’s a mid-season "restart" that we've never really seen on this scale. If you're asking when the season starts for your local MLS club, you've got the February opener, but you've also got that "second season" feeling in mid-July.
Summary of Major Start Dates
Since everyone is looking for something different, here is the "cheat sheet" for 2026:
- MLS: February 21, 2026
- World Cup 2026: June 11, 2026
- European Leagues (Premier League): August 22, 2026
- College Football (Week Zero): August 29, 2026
- NFL Kickoff: September 10, 2026
What You Should Do Now
Don't wait until August to get your ducks in a row. If you're planning on attending an NFL or College opener, ticket prices usually spike the moment the full schedules are released in the spring (usually May for the NFL).
For the soccer fans, keep an eye on the "summer break" schedules. With the World Cup occupying most of June and July, there won't be the usual European club tours in the U.S. this summer. Your best bet for live "football" in the traditional sense is going to be catching an early spring MLS match or waiting for the massive September 10 NFL debut.
Check your specific team's local schedule around mid-April. That’s when the television networks finish their "flex" negotiations and we get the actual kickoff times for those opening weekends.
Prepare for a long summer of soccer followed by the fastest transition into gridiron season we've ever seen. It’s going to be a lot, but honestly, is there such a thing as too much football?
Check the official NFL Operations site or your university's athletic portal by late April for the final, non-tentative game times.