Wednesday Night Football is Coming to Lumen Field for the Seahawks' Season Opener
Here's something to circle on your calendar: the Seahawks' opening night is moving up a day. Instead of kicking off on Thursday like usual, Seattle's reigning Super Bowl champions will likely take the field on Wednesday, Sept. 9, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Joe Flint. The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will get bumped to Thursday for the NFL's first game in Australia, which means the Hawks get the prime Wednesday slot.
Why Wednesday? Blame the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act
You might be wondering what's going on here. The NFL has spent the last two seasons opening Week 1 with international games in Brazil on Friday nights. Not this year. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 effectively blocks the NFL from scheduling games on Friday and Saturday during high school and college football season, so Australia on Thursday became the workaround. That bumps the traditional Thursday night opener to Wednesday.
This is a big deal because the last time the NFL opened on a Wednesday was way back in 2012, when the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys kicked things off. NBC had to move that game early because they were covering the Democratic National Convention the next night.
Will the Mariners Move Their Game?
Here's the wrinkle: the Seattle Mariners play next door to Lumen Field, and they've currently got a 6:40 pm PT home game against the Texas Rangers on that date. The teams found a workaround before. During the American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers on Oct. 5, the Mariners played a night game while the Seahawks took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 pm PT. Plenty of time to shuffle things around if needed.
The Wait for the Real Opponent
One thing we don't know yet: who the Seahawks actually play on opening night. The NFL won't release the full 2026 schedule until May, so we'll have to wait a couple months to find out if this Wednesday night matchup is something special or just another Week 1 game. Either way, you're getting your football fix 24 hours earlier than expected. We'll take it.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.