March 25 (Reuters) - The ⁠2026 NFL regular season will kick ⁠off on Wednesday, September 9 in ‌Seattle, a departure from the customary Thursday night opener, the league said on Wednesday.

Following that, the ​San Francisco 49ers will face ⁠the Los Angeles ⁠Rams in the first-ever regular-season game in Melbourne, ⁠Australia, ‌with kickoff set at 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday, September ⁠10 (Friday, 10:35 a.m. local time).