Wait. Stop. Before you refresh your betting app or scream at your TV, let’s get the timeline straight. If you are asking has the nfl season started yet, the answer depends entirely on which side of the January-to-August wasteland you’re currently standing on.
As of January 18, 2026, the 2025 regular season is technically over, but the "season" in the broader sense is at its absolute fever pitch. We are currently in the thick of the NFL Playoffs. The Wild Card round just wrapped up, and we are staring down the barrel of the Divisional matchups.
The 2026 "New Year" season? That doesn't kick off until September.
Football fans live in this weird, bifurcated reality. There's the "league year," which starts in March. There's "preseason," which everyone claims to hate but everyone watches. Then there’s the actual grind of the regular season. If you're looking for the start of the next 17-game gauntlet, you’ve got a long wait. But if you’re asking if there is meaningful football on right now? Oh, absolutely.
The 2026 Calendar: When the real kickoff happens
Let's talk dates. The NFL is a clockwork machine. Roger Goodell and the schedule-makers at 345 Park Avenue don't just throw darts at a map.
Usually, the NFL regular season begins the first Thursday after Labor Day. For the upcoming cycle, that puts the official start of the 2026 NFL season on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
Tradition dictates that the defending Super Bowl champion hosts that opening "Kickoff Game." We don't know who that is yet—the Lombardi Trophy is still up for grabs. Whether it ends up being the perennial powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs or a surging underdog like the Detroit Lions, they’ll be the ones raising the banner in September.
It's a long way off. Seven months of speculation, trades, and over-analyzing 40-yard dash times at the Combine.
Why do people keep asking if it started?
Social media is partly to blame. Between the UFL (United Football League) spring season and the constant stream of "mic'd up" clips from three years ago that pop up on TikTok, it's easy to get disoriented.
Honestly, the NFL has become a 365-day-a-year content engine. Even when games aren't being played, the league finds a way to dominate the news cycle. You've got the Scouting Combine in late February, free agency frenzy in March, and the Draft in April. By the time June hits, you're seeing "OTA" (Organized Team Activity) highlights of quarterbacks throwing in shorts, which makes it feel like the season is right around the corner. It isn't.
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Navigating the "Dead Zones" of the NFL Schedule
If you're asking has the nfl season started yet because you're bored on a Sunday afternoon in May, I have bad news.
The NFL schedule has specific "dead zones" where nothing—and I mean nothing—happens. The biggest gap is between the end of June and the start of training camp in late July. This is the period where NFL reporters go on vacation and players try to stay out of the headlines.
But once July 15th hits? The engine starts humming again.
- Training Camp (Late July): The pads come on. This is where the depth charts are settled.
- Preseason (August): Three weeks of games that don't count but matter immensely for the 53rd man on the roster.
- The Cutdown (Late August): Teams trim rosters from 90 to 53. It’s the most brutal day in professional sports.
The 17-Game Era Complexity
We have to remember that the NFL expanded to 17 games recently, which pushed everything back. The Super Bowl used to be the first week of February. Now, it’s often the second or even third Sunday. This shift has shortened the "offseason" but made the wait for September feel even longer for some reason. Maybe it’s the heat.
The NFL is also obsessed with international expansion. When the season does start, don't be surprised if you're waking up at 9:30 AM ET to watch a game in London, Munich, or potentially Madrid. The 2025 season saw games in Brazil; the league is hungry for global real estate.
What to Watch While You Wait
So the 2026 season hasn't started. What now?
You can't just hibernate. Well, you could, but you'd miss the most chaotic parts of roster building.
The "Legal Tampering Period" in March is basically Christmas for NFL nerds. This is when the big-name free agents—guys whose contracts expired at the end of this current playoff run—find new homes. Remember when Kirk Cousins moved to Atlanta? Or when Saquon Barkley stunned everyone by staying in the NFC East but swapping blue for green? Those moves happen in the spring, not the fall.
Then there's the Draft.
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If your team was terrible this year (looking at you, Carolina fans), the Draft is your Super Bowl. It’s the only time of year where every single fan base has hope. You’re convinced that the kid from Ohio State or the tackle from Notre Dame is the "missing piece."
Reality Check on Spring Leagues
A lot of people asking has the nfl season started yet are actually seeing clips from the UFL. The UFL typically kicks off in the spring—think late March or early April. It’s decent football. It’s not the NFL.
The quality is roughly equivalent to high-level pre-season or elite college ball. It’s great for a fix, but it doesn't have the same stakes. If you see a game on FOX or ESPN in April and the stadiums look a little empty, that’s the UFL. Enjoy it for what it is: a bridge to September.
Don't Get Fooled by "Leaked" Schedules
Around April, "leaked" schedules start circulating on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.
99% of them are fake.
The NFL usually releases the official 2026 schedule in mid-May. It’s become a televised event in its own right, which is sort of ridiculous when you think about it. It’s just a list of dates. Yet, millions tune in to see if their team has three primetime games or if they’re stuck in the 1 PM cellar all year.
Wait for the official release from the league. The "leaks" often ignore basic logistics, like stadium availability for concerts or the fact that the Rams and Chargers can't both play at home on the same day.
Why the "Start Date" is Moving
There is a lot of talk—serious talk—about the NFL moving to an 18-game season.
If that happens, the answer to has the nfl season started yet might move even earlier. We could see the season starting Labor Day weekend, or the Super Bowl being pushed into Presidents' Day weekend.
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Players generally hate the idea because of the physical toll. Owners love it because of the revenue. As of right now, we are stuck at 17 games, but the "start" of the season is becoming a moving target.
A Quick Recap of the 2025/2026 Cycle
To keep it simple, here is the flow of the next few months so you don't get lost:
- Now (Jan-Feb 2026): Playoffs and Super Bowl LX.
- March 2026: Free agency begins. The "League Year" starts.
- April 2026: The NFL Draft.
- May 2026: The Schedule Release.
- August 2026: Hall of Fame Game and Preseason.
- Sept 10, 2026: The Regular Season finally starts.
Making the Most of the Wait
Look, the "offseason" is really just a "research season."
If you're a fantasy football player, the season never actually ends. You're tracking coaching changes—and there will be plenty this year. When a defensive-minded coach takes over a team with a young QB, that affects everything.
You’ve also got to watch the "Cap Casualties." Teams like the Saints or the Browns often have to cut talented players just to get under the salary cap. These players end up on contenders for cheap, which can shift the entire balance of power in a division before a single snap is played in September.
Common Misconceptions About the Start Date
- "The season starts with the Hall of Fame Game." Sort of, but not really. That game is usually played in Canton, Ohio, in early August. It features mostly rookies and guys who won't make the team. It’s a celebration of history, not the start of the standings.
- "All teams start on the same Sunday." Nope. One game on Thursday night, a handful on Sunday afternoon, one on Sunday night, and usually one or two on Monday night.
- "The season starts after Labor Day." Usually, yes, but the Thursday night opener often falls right on the tail end of the holiday week.
Actionable Steps for the "Off-Season" Fan
Since the 2026 NFL season hasn't started yet, you have some work to do. Don't just sit there.
First, audit your streaming services. The NFL is increasingly fragmented. You’ve got games on Amazon Prime, Peacock, Netflix (yes, they’re in the Christmas game business now), and YouTube TV for Sunday Ticket. Check your subscriptions now so you aren't scrambling 10 minutes before kickoff in September.
Second, follow local beat writers. National pundits are great for the big picture, but if you want to know which third-round rookie is lighting up camp in July, you need the people who are at the facility every day.
Third, place your futures early. If you have a gut feeling about a team before the draft—maybe you think a certain roster is just a quarterback away—the odds are usually better in February than they are in August once everyone else catches on.
The 2025 season provided some massive shocks. The 2026 season will likely do the same. But for now, take a breath. The wait is part of what makes that first Thursday in September feel like a national holiday. We’ve got a long way to go, but the road to the next kickoff starts the second the confetti falls at Super Bowl LX.
Keep your eyes on the transaction wire. That’s where the 2026 season is being won right now.