The wait is almost over.

 

The 2026 NFL season is set to begin with one of the biggest matchups imaginable as the Seattle Seahawks welcome the New England Patriots to Lumen Field for a nationally televised showdown that carries considerably more meaning than an ordinary Week 1 game.

This is a rematch of Super Bowl LX.

Seattle and New England will meet on Wednesday, September 9, in the NFL Kickoff Game, giving football fans an immediate blockbuster to begin the new season. The Seahawks will host the Patriots in front of what promises to be an electric crowd in Seattle as the defending champions begin another journey.

For fans planning to watch every snap, here is everything you need to know.

Seahawks vs. Patriots: Game Information

Matchup: New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. ET / 5:20 p.m. PT

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

TV Channel: NBC

Live Stream: Peacock

Week: NFL Kickoff / Week 1

NBC’s pregame coverage is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night in America, before the game kicks off later that evening.

For viewers in Vietnam, kickoff corresponds to approximately 7:20 a.m. on Thursday, September 10.

How to Watch Seahawks vs. Patriots on TV

The game will be nationally televised in the United States on NBC, making it one of the showcase games on the opening-week NFL schedule.

Fans with access to NBC through their television provider should be able to watch the full matchup live.

Given the magnitude of the game, viewers may want to tune in well before kickoff.

NBC’s coverage begins with Football Night in America, where the broadcast team will preview the matchup, discuss the biggest offseason storylines and examine what has changed for both franchises since their Super Bowl meeting.

Then the attention turns to Lumen Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.

How to Stream Patriots vs. Seahawks

Fans who prefer streaming can watch the game live on Peacock.

Peacock has officially listed the New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL Kickoff matchup as a live event for September 9.

NFL+ is another option for eligible viewers, particularly for live local and nationally televised games on supported mobile devices. Seattle’s official schedule also lists NFL+ as a viewing option for Seahawks games.

Availability can depend on location and device restrictions, so fans should check their local service before kickoff.

Why This Game Is So Special

Calling this simply a Week 1 matchup does not tell the entire story.

Seattle and New England are meeting in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, where the Seahawks defeated the Patriots to capture the championship earlier in 2026.

Now the two teams will immediately see each other again.

The NFL could hardly have created a more dramatic opening to the new season.

For Seattle, the night represents an opportunity to celebrate what happened last season while simultaneously beginning the difficult process of proving that last year’s success was not the end of the story.

For New England, the motivation is obvious.

The Patriots will walk into the home stadium of the team that ended their championship run only months earlier.

No regular-season victory can erase a Super Bowl loss.

But defeating Seattle on opening night would certainly provide New England with a powerful way to begin a new chapter.

Seattle Begins Its Title Defense at Home

Lumen Field has long been recognized as one of the NFL’s most difficult environments for visiting teams.

Opening night should take that atmosphere to another level.

Seattle fans will have an opportunity to welcome home the reigning champions, and NBC Sports has announced that the Seahawks’ Super Bowl championship banner will be unveiled during the pregame festivities before Patriots-Seahawks kicks off.

That should create an emotional scene.

The celebration, however, will have to end quickly once the football is kicked.

Seattle understands that nothing from the previous season guarantees success in 2026.

The Seahawks face a completely new schedule, new challenges and opponents determined to knock off the defending champions.

And the first opponent happens to have as much motivation as anyone.

New England Has Something to Prove

Few teams will enter opening night with a stronger emotional incentive than the Patriots.

New England reached the biggest stage in football last season before falling short against Seattle.

Now the Patriots receive an immediate opportunity to test themselves against the same opponent.

The challenge will not be easy.

Playing at Lumen Field under normal circumstances is difficult enough.

Doing it during a nationally televised championship celebration while facing the defending Super Bowl champions makes the assignment even more demanding.

But that also makes the opportunity significant.

A road victory in Seattle would send an immediate statement across the AFC and the rest of the NFL.

A Rare Wednesday Night NFL Opener

There is another unusual element surrounding this matchup: the game will take place on a Wednesday night.

The Patriots’ official announcement notes that this will be the franchise’s first game played on a Wednesday, adding another layer of history to an already unusual season opener.

Rather than waiting until the traditional Thursday or Sunday schedule, NFL fans will get meaningful football in the middle of the week.

And it will not be an ordinary matchup.

It will feature the two teams that competed for the championship just seven months earlier.

What Fans Should Watch For

Season openers are always difficult to predict.

Teams can look very different following an offseason of roster movement, coaching adjustments, draft additions and months of preparation.

That uncertainty is part of what makes Week 1 so fascinating.

Seattle will want to demonstrate that the identity that carried the Seahawks to a championship remains intact.

New England will want to show that last season’s run to the Super Bowl was only the beginning.

Early turnovers, explosive plays and third-down execution could become especially important as both teams work through their first meaningful football of the new campaign.

And with emotions running high inside Lumen Field, maintaining discipline could be just as important as making spectacular plays.

Final Viewing Details

Make sure your television, streaming subscription and schedule are ready well before kickoff.

Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots

📅 Wednesday, September 9, 2026

🏟️ Lumen Field — Seattle, Washington

⏰ 8:20 p.m. ET / 5:20 p.m. PT

📺 NBC

📱 Streaming: Peacock

🔥 NFL Kickoff Game — Super Bowl LX Rematch

The celebration of last season will provide the backdrop.

But once the ball is kicked, the scoreboard resets to zero.

Seattle begins its title defense.

New England begins its pursuit of redemption.

And the entire NFL season begins with Seahawks vs. Patriots under the lights in Seattle.

DON’T MISS IT — FOOTBALL IS BACK! 🏈🔥