With the 2025 NFL regular season coming to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs’ home and away opponents for the 2026 NFL season have now officially been finalized.

The 2026 NFL schedule won’t be officially revealed until mid-May, so we don’t have all the details on the dates and times for these matchups. However, now that the winners of various AFC and NFC divisions have been determined, the Chiefs’ opponents for the upcoming season are officially set in stone. Kansas City will play one fewer home game than away game in 2026 as part of the annual rotation for the NFL’s 17th game.

Here’s a look at the Chiefs’ home and away opponents for 2026, plus some thoughts below.

Chiefs’ 2026 Away Opponents:

• Denver Broncos
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Buffalo Bills
• Los Angeles Rams
• Miami Dolphins
• Seattle Seahawks
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Atlanta Falcons

Chiefs’ 2026 Home Opponents:

• Denver Broncos
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets
• Arizona Cardinals
• San Francisco 49ers
• Indianapolis Colts

Observations:

This season, the Chiefs play against division opponents on opposite sides of the United States: the AFC East and the NFC West. Their 17th game is against the third-place finishers in the AFC South division, the Indianapolis Colts, who finished the 2025 NFL season on a seven-game losing streak that Kansas City started in Week 12.

You have to go back to the 2014 NFL season to find the last time the Chiefs had a schedule against AFC teams that weren’t first-place finishers, which should add an element of ease to their schedule. However, the AFC West is as good as it has ever been during the Andy Reid era. They’ll get an always tough NFC West division. They’ll also get the AFC East with an ascending Patriots team and an always-tough rival in the Bills.

Assuming that Patrick Mahomes makes it back for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, the quarterback matchups in 2026 really look to be fun for both the home and away slates. Drake Maye and Brock Purdy will be among those coming to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Josh Allen, Matt Stafford, and Sam Darnold will be among those they face on the road. There are some question marks there with the Colts, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, and Dolphins, who should all have new quarterbacks next season.

Will the Chiefs play an international game in 2025?

While the NFL has yet to announce any international games, we know that Commissioner Roger Goodell is eyeing nine to 10 games for the 2026 NFL season. We do know that the L.A. Rams, a team the Chiefs play on the road this season, are set for a game in Melbourne, Australia, as the designated home team. There are also confirmed games set to be played by undisclosed teams in Munich, Germany, and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The league ultimately envisions a future in which each team will play an international game each season.

The Chiefs opened the 2025 NFL season in São Paulo, Brazil, at the Arena Corinthians against the Chargers. Before that, they traveled abroad to Frankfurt, Germany, to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season. That cadence might suggest that Kansas City avoids an international game this season. Keep in mind that the Chiefs have been awarded international marketing rights in Mexico, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They aren’t guaranteed to play in any of those locations, but they’re very likely to be atop the wish list for Kansas City.

Kansas City Chiefs News

Kansas City Chiefs lose their first coach of the 2026 NFL offseason — and they haven’t even played their final game yet

A defensive assistant who has been with the Kansas City Chiefs for nearly a decade is heading to the college ranks as a position coach.

Charles Goldman