NFL 2027: the year in American football and when to buy tickets

NFL 2027 in a nutshell, for football fans

If you grew up on the Premier League or LaLiga, the National Football League works very differently. There is no promotion or relegation: 32 franchises are split into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC, each with four divisions. The regular season is short and intense, with 17 games per team spread over 18 weeks, so every Sunday matters. The best teams in each conference then enter a knockout playoff that ends with the Super Bowl, a single game on neutral ground chosen years in advance.

Matches last around three hours with stoppages, most are played on Sundays, and a few flagship games land on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights. For a European audience, the classic early Sunday slot of 1pm Eastern means a 6pm kick-off in London.

Where the 2026 NFL season stands ahead of 2027

The 2026 campaign kicked off on Wednesday 9 September 2026, a day earlier than usual, with the New England Patriots at the Seattle Seahawks: a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won 29-13 in Santa Clara in February 2026 for the franchise's second title. The season moved a day forward because of the historic game in Melbourne, where the 49ers beat the Rams 27-7 in front of more than 100,000 people.

Highlights still to come include Thanksgiving on 26 November 2026, with Bears at Lions, Eagles at Cowboys and Chiefs at Bills, plus Broncos at Steelers on Black Friday. The regular season is expected to end around 10 January 2027, a date still to be confirmed.

January and February 2027: NFL playoffs and Super Bowl LXI

The playoff rounds follow their usual rhythm, although the dates below are still to be confirmed by the league: Wild Card weekend on 16-18 January, the divisional round on 23-24 January and the two conference championships on 31 January 2027. The Pro Bowl Games are pencilled in for 10 February, venue to be confirmed.

Then comes Super Bowl LXI on 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Kick-off time and the halftime show are still to be confirmed. Playoff tickets are the trickiest of the year to plan, because home teams only know they are hosting a few days in advance and sales open very quickly. Season-ticket holders get first refusal, then any remaining seats go to the public.

The 2027 NFL season and the schedule release

The full 2027 schedule is traditionally published in mid-May; in 2026 it came out on 14-15 May, so expect May 2027, though the exact date is to be confirmed. The opening game is commonly expected on Thursday 9 September 2027, the Thursday after Labor Day, but that is not official either.

One change is already decided: from 2027 the league can stage up to ten international games a season, and teams can no longer shield their home dates from being moved abroad. Berlin and Mexico City are confirmed hosts for 2027; everything else is still open. Our NFL international games guide keeps track of every city. The season will end with Super Bowl LXII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in February 2028.

When to buy NFL tickets for 2027: a simple calendar

• Now (autumn 2026): remaining international games in London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City; regular-season home games via each team's box office.
• Early January 2027: playoff tickets, sold by the host clubs once seedings are known.
• Late January: Super Bowl allocations for the two finalists' season-ticket holders; official hospitality packages are already taking deposits.
• May 2027 (to be confirmed): schedule release, followed by single-game sales across the league and the first details on 2027 international games.

Rather than refreshing several websites, you can turn on the alert and get one email when an official sale opens.

NFL 2027 tickets: official channels and the resale market

Each team sells its own home tickets, mainly to season-ticket holders and then to the public. NFL On Location is the league's official hospitality partner, and NFL Ticket Exchange by Ticketmaster is its official resale platform. Other resale platforms exist and often show high prices early, sometimes for seats the seller does not yet own. Check that the listing names a section and row, that all fees appear before payment and that you get a transferable mobile ticket. We are an independent guide with no link to the NFL or its clubs.

Football and the NFL on one 2027 calendar

Plenty of fans follow both games. The NFL's quiet months, from March to August, are exactly when European football hits its finals season, from the domestic cups to the Champions League final in Madrid on 5 June 2027. Our football 2027 calendar puts every major date side by side, so you can see where a trip to Los Angeles, London or Madrid fits.