The NFL schedule is released Thursday and so far there have not been any announcements about any Green Bay Packers games. However, with today’s announcement of the opening Monday Night Football game being Chiefs and Broncos, it means the Packers will assuredly play their week 1 game Sunday afternoon.

The Packers will play their opening game on Sunday, September 13 either at 12 PM central time or 3:25 pm central time.

Week 1 - Division Opponent?

Since 1994 when FOX took over the rights to the NFC games, the Packers have played exactly half (16 of 32) of their opening day games against current NFC North opponents.

The most common opponent for the Packers on Week 1 in that time span is the division rival Bears. The Packers and Bears have played seven times in Week 1 dating back to 1997 when the Packers defended their 1996 championship with a Monday Night Football opener.

There is a chance the Bears play the Wednesday night opener at the Seattle Seahawks, which would obviously mean they can’t play the Packers on Week 1. However, if the Seahawks play somebody else, it would not be a surprise for a marquee game on FOX or CBS being Packers vs. Bears.

The Packers have faced the Vikings five times in Week 1 since 1994, the next most within their division. The two recent Packers-Vikings Week 1 games were both played in Minnesota at US Bank Stadium. The three previous Week 1 games were at played Lambeau Field.

Rounding out the division is the Detroit Lions, who the Packers played in Week 1 last year. The Lions were announced as a Week 2 opponent of the Buffalo Bills for the first Thursday Night Football game of the season. With that being the case, it is likely the Lions open at home at Ford Field.

Packers vs. NFC North Opponents in Week 1 since 1994

Will Week 1 be a doubleheader game?

With the Packers being guaranteed a Sunday game Week 1, there is a chance it will be the highlighted late Sunday game on FOX or CBS. Dating back to 2000, the Packers have opened the season at 3:25 PM in the main doubleheader game nine times, including last year against the Lions.

Will there be a playoff rematch of Packers and Bears kicking off the season at 3:25 PM like back in 2023, when Jordan Love’s first start was the late kickoff at Soldier Field.

There are three 2025 playoff teams on the schedule who are still eligible to play the Packers in Week 1: Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Bears.

Packers Week 1 Nat'l TV Doubleheader Game since 2000

Which divisions do Packers play?

For the first time since 2022, the Packers will play the entire AFC East. The four matchups: at Jets, at Patriots, home to Dolphins and home to Bills are the same as the last season the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2010. The four NFC division opponents are the NFC South. The Packers last played at Saints, at Bucs, home to Panthers and home to Falcons back in 2020.

It is the first season since 2002, the first year of realignment when all of these eight games were identical.

From the NFC East, West and AFC South the last three remaining opponents are the Cowboys, Rams and Texans.

Will the Packers play on Thanksgiving?

In this century, the Packers and Lions have been the most common Thanksgiving matchup. Since 2001, the Packers have gone to Detroit eight times, leaving with a win in six of those games.

All eight of those previous games were played on FOX, but this year the FOX Thanksgiving game will be Eagles at Cowboys. The Lions will play their Thanksgiving game on CBS at 12 pm Central time.

Dating back to 2015, when CBS started scheduling all-NFC matchups on Thanksgiving again, the Packers have yet to play at Detroit in a CBS game.

Two years ago, the Packers played in NBC’s Thursday Night Thanksgiving game, a win over the Miami Dolphins. It is possible, but unlikely they would schedule the Packers again in that time slot.

However, scheduling the Packers on Thanksgiving night means there would be a chance they play the Cowboys or Lions the following Thursday night on Amazon Prime. In both 2015 and 2024, the previous two times the Packers played on Thanksgiving night, they played the Lions the following Thursday night.

Previous Year’s AFC Super Bowl team

The 2026 schedule includes the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots. The Patriots will be the 8th defending AFC champion for the Packers to play since realignment in 2002. In the previous seven games, the Packers were 4-3.

The last two times the Packers traveled to Foxboro (2010, 2018) both of these games were on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The 2018 game was against the eventual Super Bowl LIII champion Patriots, who also had went to the previous two Super Bowls at the end of 2016 and 2017 seasons.

The two most recent games against the defending AFC champs were both games against the Chiefs, in 2021 and 2023.

In this century, the only other time the Packers played the defending AFC champion was the Baltimore Ravens. The Packers won the game in a memorable showdown between Brett Favre and Ray Lewis.

Packers vs Defending AFC Champions since 2001

Site of Super Bowl LXI

At some point this season, the Packers will face the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood. The home of both the Rams and Chargers will be the host to Super Bowl LXI, like it was after the 2021 season.

Since 2000, when the first of three Super Bowls were played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the Packers have traveled to the Super Bowl stadium nine times that season. The Packers are just 2-7 in games played at the Super Bowl site during that season.

The Packers have only played once in Inglewood, with the game coming against the Rams in 2024. The Packers won the game 24-19. If the Packers are to end up in the Super Bowl, they likely will need to win the NFC North, which they haven’t done since that 2021 season.

Packers Games at that year's Super Bowl Stadium since 2000