The 2026 NFL regular-season calendar is official now, and much has already been made about the several nuances the San Francisco 49ers will have when they kick off the year way down under in Australia by facing the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener.
But the preseason will certainly gain attention, too, as the fans' appetite for professional football will need to be satiated after a months-long absence.
Even though the quality is, well... nowhere near as good as a meaningful bout, it's still football.
The Niners' three exhibition bouts for 2026 are provocative no matter what, but the three opponents actually bring along several storylines and connections that are simply too good to pass up.
49ers preseason schedule 2026
Preseason Week 1: Tennessee Titans @ 49ers on Thursday, Aug. 13
Preseason Week 2: 49ers @ Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, Aug. 20
Preseason Week 3: 49ers @ Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, Aug. 27
Times haven't been set yet, and it's interesting how each of San Francisco's preseason games are on a Thursday.
What's even more interesting, though, is the 49ers square off against both the Chargers and Raiders during the regular season, too, so don't expect those tilts to feature a lot of fancy stuff that coaches would rather save for when it counts.
49ers have plenty of preseason coaching connections
By this point, you probably looked at each preseason opponent the Niners have and can draw links back to the Bay Area.
Of course, San Francisco's two-time defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, took over Tennessee's head-coaching gig during the offseason, so that'll be good to watch as far as reunions go.
Yet it might not overshadow seeing former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, this time at the helm of the Bolts, particularly in light of his unceremonious exit from the Niners way back in early 2015—a departure that ultimately paved the way toward head coach Kyle Shanahan taking over in San Francisco.
Less provocative, but nevertheless still interesting, will be seeing Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak, who also once served on Shanahan's staff as an assistant and helped ensure the 49ers' chief NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, won a Super Bowl last February.
The Raiders head coach's brother, Klay Kubiak, is Shanahan's offensive coordinator.
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