The Steelers 2026 schedule was released on Thursday, and it comes as no surprise the team is once again featured in multiple primetime games.
In Coach Mike McCarthy's first season, the Steelers will appear in four primetime games, one at Acrisure Stadium and three on the road.
In addition, the Steelers will play in the NFL Paris Game against the New Orleans Saints, the first-ever regular season game in France, and at home on Black Friday against the Denver Broncos.
With 17 games on the schedule, the Steelers will have an additional away game this year, with the NFL rotating the 17th game on a home/away basis each year.
The 2026 schedule features six games against teams that appeared in the postseason in 2025 - the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Steelers will open the season at home for only the second time since 2014, and only the 11th time since Acrisure Stadium opened in 2001, when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 13. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. on FOX and feature new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski, the former coach of the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers hold a 16-2-1 all-time advantage over the Falcons, including a 7-0-1 record at home. The two teams last met in 2024, an 18-10 Steelers win, and the black and gold have won the last five meetings.
The Steelers will hit the road to face the AFC Champion New England Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Gillette Stadium. The 1 p.m. game can be seen on CBS.
AFC North action will start early in 2026 when the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 27 in a Week 3 matchup. The game will air on CBS at 1 p.m. The two teams split the series last season, with both teams winning at home. The Steelers hold a 72-41 all-time record over the Bengals, and a 37-19 record at home.
The Steelers will remain in the AFC North in Week 4 when they travel to the Cleveland Browns for a Thursday Night Football game on Oct. 1 at Huntington Bank Stadium, the first of four primetime games. The game will stream on Prime Video at 8:15 p.m. It will be the first time the Steelers will face new Browns coach Todd Monken, who took over this offseason. The Steelers and Browns split their series in 2025, both teams winning at home. The Steelers hold a 83-65-1 advantage over the Browns.
In Week 5, the Steelers will host the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. on CBS. The Steelers have a 27-8 all-time record against the Colts, dating back to the 1950 season. The Steelers have won eight of the last 10 meetings.
It will be back on the road in Week 6 when the Steelers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium. The Steelers lead the series 10-2 and are 6-1 on the road. The black and gold won the last two meetings and six of the last seven.
For the second straight year the Steelers will play an international game, appearing this season in the 2026 NFL Paris Game in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 25.
"We're honored to represent the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL in the League's first-ever game in Paris this upcoming season," said Steelers President Art Rooney II. "Playing the New Orleans Saints in such a historic setting is a great opportunity to showcase the NFL's global growth and to connect with fans around the world. It's an exciting moment for our organization and for Steelers Nation everywhere."
The game, which will be played at the Stade de France, Paris, will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. French time, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. The contest is part of a nine-game slate of international games for the NFL this year and will air on NFL Network, with a simulcast on local television in the Pittsburgh market.
"I'm really excited for it," said linebacker Alex Highsmith. "I think it's awesome that we're playing in these different countries. Fans in a lot of different countries around the world are starting to love the game of football. The more eyes we get on it, the more exposure, the more people are going to love it, so it's only going to continue to grow."
The Steelers will head right back into AFC North action when they host the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 1. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on CBS. It will be the second game in five weeks against the Browns, and the third AFC North game in six weeks for the Steelers.
The Steelers will have some time to rest as the Bye Week hits in Week 9 of the season, falling right in the middle of the year.
Coming off the Bye Week, it will be more AFC North football with the Steelers facing the Bengals at Paycor Stadium on NBC's Sunday Night Football on Nov. 15. Kickoff for the Week 10 game is set for 8:20 p.m., the second primetime game of the season for the Steelers.
It will be a battle of Pennsylvania in Week 11 when the Steelers take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 22 at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. and the game will air on CBS. The series between the teams dates back to 1933, the year the Steelers were founded. The two teams even combined efforts in 1943 to become the Steagles because of the player shortage due to World War II.
The Steelers will be featured in a Black Friday matchup against the Denver Broncos on Friday, Nov. 27 at Acrisure Stadium. The Week 12 game, which will stream on Prime Video, is slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff. It will mark the first time the Steelers will play a Friday game since Sept. 20, 1946, when they defeated the Chicago Cardinals, 14-7.The Steelers have won the last three meetings against the Broncos, the most recent one a 13-6 win in 2024.
The Steelers will remain at home for a primetime matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Dec. 6 at Acrisure Stadium. The Sunday Night Football Week 13 game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. on NBC. The Steelers are 5-3 against the Texans, a series that dates back only to the 2002 season.
The primetime spotlight also shines in Week 14, when the Steelers travel to Jacksonville for Monday Night Football. The game, which will be played at EverBank Stadium, will air on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. Since Monday Night Football debuted in 1970, the Steelers have a 55-25 record in 80 regular-season appearances. The 55 victories and .688 winning percentage on MNF are both NFL highs.
It will be back to Acrisure Stadium for a Week 15 AFC North matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. on CBS. It will be the first game against new Ravens coach Jesse Minter. The Steelers swept the Ravens in 2025, including an exciting 26-24 win in Week 18 that clinched the AFC North. The Steelers are 36-27 against the Ravens all-time.
The Carolina Panthers will visit Pittsburgh in Week 16 with the date and time of the game still to be determined. The Steelers are 7-1 all-time against the Panthers, including 4-0 at home. The last time the two teams met was in 2022, when the Steelers won, 24-16.
The Steelers last two regular season games will be on the road, facing the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Jan. 3 in Week 17 at Nissan Stadium. The game is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on CBS. The Steelers are 49-32 overall against the Titans, in a series that began in 1970 when they were the Houston Oilers. The Steelers won the last five meetings against the Titans, and eight of the last nine.
The Steelers close out the regular season with a bang, traveling to Baltimore to take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. The date, time and network for the game have yet to be announced, as Week 18 games are announced following the conclusion of Week 17. This will be the second straight year the two teams have met in the final week of the regular season, and the fourth time in seven years.
The team also announced their preseason schedule, with Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. In Week 2 of the preseason, the Steelers will host the New York Jets on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers will travel to Buffalo to finish out the preseason against the Bills on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. All preseason games will air on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.
Fans can listen to every Steelers game throughout the preseason and the regular season on the Steelers Radio Network on WDVE-FM (102.5) and WBGG-AM (970).
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRE 1 | Aug. 13 | vs. Green Bay Packers | 7:00 PM | CBS/KDKA-TV |
| PRE 2 | Aug. 21 | vs. New York Jets | 7:00 PM | CBS/KDKA-TV |
| PRE 3 | Aug. 27 | at Buffalo Bills | 7:00 PM | CBS/KDKA-TV |
| 1 | Sept. 13 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Sept. 20 | at New England Patriots | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 4 | Oct. 1 | at Cleveland Browns (Thu) | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 5 | Oct. 11 | vs. Indianapolis Colts | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 6 | Oct. 18 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 7 | Oct. 25 | vs. New Orleans Saints (Paris) | 9:30 AM | NFLN |
| 8 | Nov. 1 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 9 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 10 | Nov. 15 | at Cincinnati Bengals | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 11 | Nov. 22 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 4:25 PM | CBS |
| 12 | Nov. 27 | vs. Denver Broncos (Fri) | 3:00 PM | Prime Video |
| 13 | Dec. 6 | vs. Houston Texans | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 14 | Dec. 14 | at Jacksonville Jaguars (Mon) | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 15 | Dec. 20 | vs. Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 16 | TBD | vs. Carolina Panthers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Jan. 3 | at Tennessee Titans | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 18 | TBD | at Baltimore Ravens | TBD | TBD |
In 2006, the NFL implemented "flexible scheduling," a procedure designed to promote quality matchups on Sunday nights and give surprise teams a chance to play their way onto primetime. For the 2026 season, flexible scheduling will include Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football.
Please note that the NFL is continuously reviewing its scheduling procedures to ensure exciting and meaningful games are available for viewing by the largest number of fans and so further changes to flexible scheduling could be implemented in the future.
Current Flexible Scheduling Procedures:
Flexible scheduling is in effect during the following windows (the "Flex Scheduling Windows"):
For Sunday Night Football, it may be used up to twice between Weeks 5-10, and any week during Weeks 11-17.
For Monday Night Football it may be used any week in Weeks 12-17.
For Thursday Night Football it may be used up to twice between Weeks 13-17.
During the Flex Scheduling Windows, the games initially scheduled for Sunday Night Football (on NBC), Monday Night Football (ESPN or ABC), and Thursday Night Football (on Prime Video) are tentatively scheduled and subject to change.
Only Sunday afternoon games (or those listed as TBD) are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, Monday night, or Thursday night, in which case the initially scheduled Sunday, Monday, or Thursday night game would be moved to Sunday afternoon.
Sunday afternoon games may also be moved between 1:00 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET
Scheduling for Week 18.
As in prior seasons, for Week 18, the final weekend of the season, the scheduling of the Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and the Sunday night games is not assigned. The schedule for Week 18 will be announced at the conclusion of Week 17.
Additional Flexible Scheduling Information
The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, or Thursday Night Football during the Flex Scheduling Windows will generally be listed at 8:20 p.m. ET, 8:15 p.m. ET, and 8 p.m. ET, respectively.
The majority of games on Sundays will typically be listed at 1 p.m. ET during the Flex Scheduling Windows except for games played in Pacific or Mountain time zones, which will be listed at 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET.
For Sunday Night Football in Weeks 5-13 and for Monday Night Football in Weeks 12-17, the NFL will decide and announce no later than 12 days in advance of the game, which game will be played on Sunday night and which game will be played on Monday night.
For Sunday Night Football in Weeks 14-17, the flexible scheduling decision will generally be made no later than six days prior to the game.
For Thursday Night Football in Weeks 13-17, the flexible scheduling decision will generally be made no later than 21 days prior to the game.
Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in the Flex Scheduling Windows are subject to change generally at least 12 days in advance (and at least 6 days in advance for Sundays in Weeks 14-17) and should plan accordingly.
