The new season of American football (NFL) kicks off with a rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, who faced each other seven months ago in the Super Bowl final. This game, taking place on Wednesday, marks the start of a broad campaign in ۲۰۲۶ that will unfold across seven countries and four continents. The Seahawks now have to battle against their powerful rivals, including NFC West competitors, the Los Angeles Rams, to defend their title.
Tight Competitions and Ambitions
The Rams, looking to repeat their Super Bowl ۲۰۲۲ victory in front of their home fans in Los Angeles, have become a formidable team by acquiring stars like Myles Garrett and the return of Aaron Donald to the field. However, they are just one of several teams vying for the championship this season. The Denver Broncos also hope to build on their successes from the ۲۰۲۵ season, which ended with a record of ۱۴-۳, but they were unable to reach the playoffs due to the injury of their quarterback, Bo Nix.
According to the schedule, the Broncos will start their season with a major divisional clash against the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that is happily celebrating the return of Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, who led his team to Super Bowl victories in ۲۰۲۰, ۲۰۲۳, and ۲۰۲۴, will once again collaborate with veteran tight end, Travis Kelce. This season seems to be Kelce's farewell season, as he married pop star Taylor Swift last summer.
NFL's Global Expansion
One of the most exciting aspects of this season is the NFL's global expansion. While the sport has been held outside the United States for decades, this season will set a new record by hosting nine games abroad. The first game in this series will be the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco ۴۹ers in Melbourne, marking the first NFL game in Australia. Following that, the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys will take place at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The NFL will continue to expand its foreign markets and plans to increase the number of games outside the United States to ۱۰ by ۲۰۲۷. The NFL commissioner has also recently mentioned discussions about establishing a team outside the United States, stating, "At some point, NFL teams will be outside the United States." These remarks indicate the league's strong determination to globalize the sport.
