NFL reportedly eyeing Wednesday start to next season

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; The NFL kickoff logo at SoFi Stadium during the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The next NFL season could begin on a Wednesday — and in Australia, rather than Seattle.

The NFL is planning to open its season on Wednesday, September 9, based on reporting Thursday by John Ourand of Puck, marking just the second time that the league has opened its season on a Wednesday. (The 2012 season opened on a Wednesday to avoid conflicting with the final night of a political convention.)

According to Ourand, the NFL plans to schedule its 49ers-Rams International Series game from Melbourne, Australia, for Week 1 of the season, as it did with its Brazil games the past two years. But while the Brazil games were both scheduled for the Friday of Week 1, that date this year falls during the period that the NFL is prohibited from scheduling Friday night games under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.

NFL executive Hans Schroeder confirmed earlier this year that the league would not schedule a Friday night game in Week 1 this season.

With Friday unavailable, Ourand reported Thursday that the Melbourne game will take place either on the Wednesday or Thursday of Opening Week. Whichever date the Melbourne game is scheduled will determine when the Kickoff Game, hosted by the defending champion Seahawks, takes place. Regardless of the order, it would seem based on Ourand’s sources that the next NFL season will begin with back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday.

In the event that the season begins with the Melbourne game, it would mark just the third time since 2004 that the NFL season does not open at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. After the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2013, they were unable to host the Kickoff Game the following season due to a conflict with the Orioles. And in 2019, the league abandoned the Super Bowl champion tradition altogether, instead scheduling a Packers-Bears game in commemoration of its 100th season.

As with the two Brazil games, the NFL has put rights to the Melbourne game on the market, and Ourand reported that the league is “negotiating with streaming companies” for the rights. Peacock won rights to the first Brazil game and YouTube acquired the second. One imagines that the rights will be even more coveted in the event that the game is the first of the NFL season.

Tags: NFL Schedule Changes

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Comments 13

Ken says:

6 months ago

Personally , this would be a huge blow to the defending champion Seahawks if their rivals end up opening the 2026 NFL Season – hopefully the NFL does make the right call on which game to schedule on Wednesday and Thursday
ESL says:

6 months ago

I do wonder if the NFL is looking to carve out another weekday package on a Tuesday or Wednesday night for a streamer. I know it sounds radical, but the NFL has no boundaries when it comes to getting as many rights packages as possible. An 8 game Tuesday or Wednesday night package is not out of the question.
- Richard says:
  
  6 months ago
  
  Yeah, plus an international games package (mostly played at 9AM Eastern Sundays but sometimes on Friday/weekday nights when the NFL is allowed to). Like I mentioned, the American appetite for NFL games is crazy insane.
- ds says:
  
  6 months ago
  
  That is likely one driver for the NFL’s desired 18th game. If every team plays an international game and still has 17 “other” games, your proposed mid-week package becomes easier to assemble without overly diluting existing windows
Hello Larry says:

6 months ago

Honestly, they need to get rid of that international game week 1, it’s not really needed and takes away from the opening Thursday game. This would be taking place on a Thursday afternoon in Australia, but Wednesday night here. I am glad they’re moving this game away from Friday, where it doesn’t belong. Let the high school and college kids have that night.
- Richard says:
  
  6 months ago
  
  Most things aren’t really “needed” (for instance, Thursday football games), but the NFL will try to maximize revenues for the NFL.
Richard says:

6 months ago

If the NFL moves the season start up to Labor Day weekend (and weekdays before, which would essentially force CFB to start their season Week Zero), they could have 2 bye weeks a season, meaning the NFL could schedule more games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Heck, why not? The American appetite for NFL games seems insatiable.
- ds says:
  
  6 months ago
  
  Dilution would be a concern and counterargument. The early Sunday window is already skinny and low-quality during a growing number of weekends. Beyond some point, new packages would just cannibalize existing packages
  
  The NFL will likely get the 18th game after negotiations with NFLPA, providing the needed extra inventory. But, early Sunday is mostly process of elimination; more bye weeks generally weaken early Sunday slates. The NFL golden goose is very hard to kill, but not immortal
Justin says:

6 months ago

What time would this be then? As there like about 18 hours difference
- Rick James Bible Owner says:
  
  6 months ago
  
  Melbourne is (I think) 16 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. If Rams-49ers starts around 8:20PM Wednesday Night Eastern Time, it’d be a 12:20 late winter Thursday afternoon kickoff at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Big Noon Thursdays? I better whisper that before Fox steals that)
  - ds says:
    
    6 months ago
    
    Australia to US is tricky since both have daylight savings time but at reversed times of year. Currently, Melbourne is AEDT (UTC+11) and New York is EST (UTC-5) for a 16 hour difference. In August/September (assuming no change in law) Melbourne would be AEST (UTC+10) and New York would be EDT (UTC-4) for a 14 hour difference
    
    As in 2023 Women’s World Cup, it is hard to line up mutually convenient AEST and EDT. Your proposed 8:20 PM Wednesday EDT kickoff would be 10:20 AM Thursday AEST, which is likely in the narrow window of plausible options
    - Rick James Bible Owner says:
      
      6 months ago
      
      Thanks for the clarification. With that being the case, the game should probably start at 9:05 EDT Wednesday night (11:05 AM Thursday AEST) or maybe 10:05 EDT Wednesday (12:05 Thursday AEST). I’m not saying starting the season in Melbourne is a bad idea, I’m just saying I have no way to end this sentence. Midday, mid-week, body clock football. Maximize those possible revenue streams, however you can….
    - Richard says:
      
      6 months ago
      
      College football games have kicked off at 10AM local time (noon Eastern played in the Mountain time zone) so a 10:20AM start isn’t out of the question.