The 2026 Atlanta Falcons schedule opens on the road at Pittsburgh on Sunday, September 13 and closes with a Week 18 trip to Carolina in January 2027.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski takes over a roster that went 8 and 9 last season, and the league handed him a demanding start: three straight primetime games in Weeks 3 through 5, then a Week 9 international game against Cincinnati in Madrid.
Below is every preseason and regular season game with the date, kickoff time in Eastern Time and the TV channel, plus a free printable PDF, the bye week, the key matchups and every streaming option.
Free Printable Atlanta Falcons Schedule PDF
The printable Atlanta Falcons schedule fits the full season on one letter size page. It lists preseason and regular season games with opponents, dates, kickoff times in ET and TV channels, and leaves a blank column so you can write in the final score each week.
Print it for the fridge or the office wall, or keep the PDF on your phone.
Download the Printable Falcons Schedule PDF
2026 Atlanta Falcons Preseason Schedule
Training camp opened at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch on July 29. Atlanta then plays three preseason games in August, one at home and two on the road, with joint practices in Indianapolis on August 19 and 20 ahead of the second game.
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) | TV CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, Aug 14 | vs Broncos | 7:00 PM | FOX 5 / ESPN app |
| 2 | Sat, Aug 22 | @ Colts | 1:00 PM | FOX 5 |
| 3 | Fri, Aug 28 | @ Dolphins | 7:00 PM | FOX 5 |
All three exhibitions air locally on FOX 5 Atlanta (WAGA), the team television partner, with radio on 92.9 The Game. None of the three is on NFL Network.
The home opener against Denver on August 14 also streams nationally out of market through the ESPN app.
See the full 2026 NFL preseason schedule for every team.
2026 Atlanta Falcons Schedule: Full Regular Season
All 17 regular season games with dates, kickoff times in Eastern Time and TV channels. Atlanta has nine home games, but only eight are at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: the Falcons are the designated home team for the Madrid game in Week 9.
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) | TV CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | @ Steelers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | vs Panthers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 3 | Thu, Sep 24 | @ Packers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 4 | Mon, Oct 5 | @ Saints | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | vs Ravens | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | vs Bears | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | vs 49ers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ Buccaneers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | vs Bengals * | 9:30 AM | NFL Network |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | vs Chiefs | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 11 | Weekend of Nov 22 | BYE WEEK | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | @ Vikings | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | vs Lions | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Browns | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | @ Commanders | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 16 | Sat Dec 26 or Sun Dec 27 * | vs Buccaneers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | vs Saints | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 18 | Sat Jan 9 or Sun Jan 10 * | @ Panthers | TBD | TBD |
Week 9 is a neutral site game at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, with Atlanta as the designated home team.
Week 16 is one of four games in the running for the two Saturday, December 26 windows on NFL Network, so it lands either that Saturday or Sunday, December 27.
Week 18 is unassigned by design across the whole league and is set only after Week 17 finishes, on either Saturday, January 9 or Sunday, January 10. Sunday afternoon games from Week 5 onward can also move under NFL flexible scheduling.
Key Matchups on the 2026 Atlanta Falcons Schedule
Weeks 3 to 5, three straight primetime games. Atlanta goes to Green Bay on Thursday night, to New Orleans on Monday night for the Saints Domecoming game marking 20 years since the Superdome reopened after Katrina, then hosts Baltimore on Sunday night. No other stretch on the calendar is tougher.
Week 7 vs 49ers, October 25. Raheem Morris returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium as San Francisco defensive coordinator, nine months after Atlanta fired him.
Week 9 vs Bengals in Madrid, November 8. The NFL second game in Spain kicks off at 9:30 AM ET on NFL Network from the Santiago Bernabeu. It is Atlanta fifth trip to Europe, and because the Falcons are the designated home team it costs them a date at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Week 10 vs Chiefs, November 15. Kansas City visits Atlanta the week before the bye, the biggest home draw of the season on CBS.
Week 14 at Browns, December 13. Kevin Stefanski goes back to Cleveland for the first time since the Browns fired him, a matchup national broadcasters flagged the moment the schedule came out.
Weeks 16 to 18, three NFC South games in a row. Atlanta hosts Tampa Bay and New Orleans, then finishes at Carolina. The division ended in a three way tie at 8 and 9 last season, so this closing run could decide it again. The Falcons face each NFC South rival twice: Carolina in Weeks 2 and 18, Tampa Bay in Weeks 8 and 16, and the Saints in Weeks 4 and 17.
The bye lands in Week 11, on the weekend of November 22, late enough to work as a reset before the December run. By opponent win percentage from last season, Atlanta has one of the four easiest schedules in the league.
How to Watch the 2026 Atlanta Falcons Schedule on TV and Streaming
FOX carries eight Falcons games and CBS has three. The primetime slate splits between NBC, ESPN and Prime Video, NFL Network has the Madrid game, and two games are still unassigned.
| NETWORK | GAMES | WHERE TO STREAM |
|---|---|---|
| FOX (WAGA FOX 5) | 8 | Fox One, or a pay TV login |
| CBS (WUPA) | 3 | Paramount+ |
| NBC (WXIA 11Alive) | 1 | Peacock |
| ESPN | 1 | ESPN Unlimited in the ESPN app |
| Prime Video | 1 | Prime Video and Twitch |
| NFL Network | 1 | NFL+ |
| TBD | 2 | Weeks 16 and 18, assigned in season |
One local change worth knowing: CBS in Atlanta is now WUPA channel 69, not WANF. CBS moved to the network owned station in August 2025. WANF, Atlanta News First, is independent now and has its own deal to simulcast Falcons games that would otherwise be cable or streaming only. That covers the Week 4 Monday nighter at New Orleans and the Madrid game, and the Week 16 game against Tampa Bay too if it lands on NFL Network.
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV all carry FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network in one package, which covers the whole season. NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube adds out of market Sunday afternoon games for fans outside Georgia. NFL+ streams in market and primetime games, though on phones and tablets only. Outside the United States, NFL Game Pass on DAZN carries every game live and on replay.
Watching free: an antenna picks up FOX, CBS and NBC over the air in metro Atlanta, which covers 12 of the 17 games at no cost. In the Atlanta market the real number is higher, because WANF simulcasts the Monday night and Madrid games and league rules put Thursday night streaming games on a local station in both teams markets.
Peacock, Paramount+, Fubo and YouTube TV all run free trials. On the radio, every game airs on 92.9 The Game (WZGC) with Wes Durham on play by play.
Planning around more than one team? The 2026 NFL schedule hub has printable PDFs by week and by team, including the Bears, Bengals and Steelers pages for Atlanta opponents.
Atlanta Falcons 2026 Schedule FAQ
When is the Falcons first game of the 2026 season?
Atlanta opens on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, kicking off at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. The home opener is Week 2 against Carolina on Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM ET.
When is the Falcons bye week in 2026?
The Falcons bye is Week 11, on the weekend of November 22, 2026. It falls between the Week 10 home game against Kansas City and the Week 12 trip to Minnesota.
Who is the Falcons head coach in 2026?
Kevin Stefanski is the head coach, the 20th in franchise history. Atlanta fired Raheem Morris in January 2026 and hired Stefanski later that month, so 2026 is his first season with the team. He faces his former club, the Cleveland Browns, in Week 14.
Who is the Falcons starting quarterback in 2026?
The job is an open competition. Michael Penix Jr. is entering his third season and is working back to full clearance after surgery on a partially torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in November. Veteran Tua Tagovailoa signed a one year deal and will compete for the role. Kirk Cousins left in the offseason and signed with the Raiders.
Are the Falcons playing an international game in 2026?
Yes. Atlanta hosts the Cincinnati Bengals at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM ET on NFL Network, with streaming on NFL+ and a local simulcast on WANF in Atlanta. The Falcons are the designated home team, so it counts as one of their home dates.
How many primetime games do the Falcons have in 2026?
Three, and they come back to back to back. Thursday Night Football at Green Bay in Week 3, Monday Night Football at New Orleans in Week 4, and Sunday Night Football against Baltimore in Week 5. The Madrid game in Week 9 is a fourth standalone national window.
What TV channel are the Falcons on in 2026?
FOX carries eight games, CBS three, NBC one, ESPN one, Prime Video one and NFL Network one. Two games in Weeks 16 and 18 are still to be assigned. In Atlanta the local channels are WAGA FOX 5, WUPA for CBS, WXIA 11Alive for NBC and WSB for ABC. Note that CBS in Atlanta moved from WANF to WUPA in August 2025.
How can I stream Falcons games live?
Fox One carries the FOX games, Paramount+ carries CBS, Peacock carries NBC, ESPN Unlimited in the ESPN app carries the Monday night game, Prime Video carries Thursday night and NFL+ carries the NFL Network game. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV carry all of those networks in one subscription.
How did the Falcons finish the 2025 season?
Atlanta went 8 and 9 and missed the playoffs. The NFC South ended in a three way tie at 8 and 9 between Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta, broken on head to head record, which left the Falcons third. Carolina took the division. It was the eighth straight season without a winning record for Atlanta, whose last playoff appearance came in the 2017 season.
Where do the Falcons play home games?
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, with an NFL capacity of about 71,000. Eight of the nine 2026 home games are there. The ninth, against Cincinnati in Week 9, is played in Madrid.
How many Super Bowls have the Falcons won?
None. Atlanta has reached the Super Bowl twice, losing Super Bowl XXXIII to Denver after the 1998 season and Super Bowl LI to New England after the 2016 season. The franchise has six division titles, in 1980, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2016.
Can I watch Falcons games for free?
Yes, in several ways. An antenna picks up FOX, CBS and NBC over the air in metro Atlanta, covering 12 of the 17 games. WANF also simulcasts the Week 4 Monday night game and the Madrid game locally at no cost. Peacock, Paramount+, Fubo and YouTube TV offer free trials, and every game is called live on 92.9 The Game (WZGC) radio.
The 2026 Atlanta Falcons schedule asks a lot early and gives something back late: three primetime games and a trip to Madrid inside the first nine weeks, then a Week 11 bye and a closing run of three NFC South games that could swing a division decided by a tiebreaker last season.
Download the free printable Atlanta Falcons schedule PDF, keep it somewhere you will see it, and fill in the results as the season goes.