The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed the benefit of a last-place schedule a year ago, which certainly wasn't a bad thing to go through in light of their massive injury rash.
Finishing third in the division last season means things change slightly in 2026, although running through what's long been an NFC West gauntlet could ultimately mean whoever wins the division winds up winning the Super Bowl, as was the case last February with the Niners' archrivals, the Seattle Seahawks.
San Francisco will kick off the regular season with one of those NFC West tilts, albeit a unprecedented one—the NFL's first-ever game in Australia, serving as the "road" team in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
This has been public knowledge for a while, as has the list of 49ers opponents.
As for the actual schedule, including how many primetime games facing head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co.? That'll go live on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET with various leaks and reports in the days leading up to the schedule-release announcement.
Let's comb through everything schedule-related that we know and/or have heard about.
Last updated: May 14 at 6:25 p.m. ET
49ers schedule release 2026: Table of contents
- 49ers 2026 opponents
- 49ers 2026 schedule rumors and leaks
- 49ers 2026 regular-season schedule (confirmed games)
49ers 2026 opponents
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- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Minnesota Vikings
- Miami Dolphins
Away
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Atlanta Falcons
The entirety of the NFC West will square off against both the AFC West and NFC East this season, while the Niners' at-large games will come against other third-place teams.
49ers 2026 schedule rumors and leaks
San Francisco has long been confirmed as the road team in Week 1 against Los Angeles, which will take place on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET, which is 10:35 a.m., local time. Netflix will stream this particular showdown.
Additionally, the 49ers are slated to be the home team in another international game, this one in Mexico City, Mexico, and the NFL has since confirmed it'll be a Week 11 game on Nov. 22 against the Minnesota Vikings.
FanSided's Mike Phillips and CBS Sports' John Breech both predicted San Francisco playing on Thanksgiving, the former suggesting it'd be on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. But with Adam Schefter of ESPN saying it'll be Dallas versus the Philadelphia Eagles, the second game of the triple-header won't go to the 49ers.
Meanwhile, the X users @NerdingOnNFL and @RCDiscussion shared rumors of several San Francisco bouts.
49ers 2026 regular-season schedule (confirmed games)
Week | Date | Opponent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Week 1 | Thursday, Sept. 10 | @ Rams | 8:35 p.m. ET*+ |
Week 2 | Sunday, Sept. 20 | vs. Dolphins | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 3 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | vs. Cardinals | 4:05 p.m. ET |
Week 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | vs. Broncos | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 5 | Sunday, Oct. 11 | @ Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 6 | Monday, Oct. 19 | vs. Commanders | 8:15 p.m. ET* |
Week 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 | @ Falcons | 1 p.m. ET |
Week 8 | BYE | ||
Week 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 | vs. Raiders | 4:05 p.m. ET |
Week 10 | Sunday Nov. 15 | @ Cowboys | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 11 | Sunday, Nov. 11 | vs. Vikings | 8:20 p.m. ET*+ |
Week 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 | vs. Seahawks | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 | @ Giants | 1 p.m. ET |
Week 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 | vs. Rams | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 15 | Thursday, Dec. 17 | @ Chargers | 8:15 p.m. ET* |
Week 16 | Sunday, Dec. 27 | @ Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. ET |
Week 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 | vs. Eagles | 8:20 p.m. ET* |
Week 18 | Sat/Sun, Jan. 9/10 | @ Cardinals | TBD |
* denotes primetime game
+ denotes international game
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