NFL Season Opener: Seattle Seahawks to Kick Off on Wednesday in Week 1
The NFL has announced that the Seattle Seahawks, the Super Bowl LX champions, will kick off the season on a Wednesday in Week 1 instead of the usual Thursday night opener. This change is due to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers opening their season in Melbourne, Australia, with the game broadcast on Thursday night in the United States. The Seahawks will face an opponent on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET, while the Rams and 49ers will play in Australia on Friday morning at 10:35 am local time, which is 8:35 p.m. ET.
In 2012, the NFL also opened a season on a Wednesday night to avoid a conflict with then-President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. The league has scheduled international games after the season opener in recent years, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers playing in São Paulo, Brazil in 2024, and the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs opening their season in São Paulo in 2025. However, this year, broadcasting regulations prevent games from being played on Fridays or Saturdays from the second Friday in September through the second Saturday in December.
The NFL's decision to move the Seahawks' season opener to a Wednesday reflects the league's efforts to accommodate international games and broadcasting regulations. This scheduling change allows for a unique start to the season and sets the stage for an exciting kickoff to the NFL season.