NFL cuts the Buccaneers two huge breaks in their 2026 schedule that plenty of other teams wish they had
The Buccaneers, along with the rest of the NFL, are awaiting the official 2026 schedule release, but plenty of information has already come out. Two notable updates should have the Bucs smiling big.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have its official 2026 schedule in hand, soon, but they’ve already scored two big wins before it’s been released.
Buccaneers’ 2026 schedule features zero international games and one of the NFL’s lowest mileage rates
The best news that the Buccaneers have received so far during the 2026 schedule release is they won’t have to travel overseas this year. That’s a big for fans, too.
The NFL released it’s official, and full, slate of international matchups on Wednesday morning and as you can see, the Buccaneers are not on the list:
There was a logical thought the Buccaneers could play the Lions in Germany, but that did not come to fruition. That does open the door to a potential Thanksgiving matchup in Detriot, though, since the Lions are a road opponent on the Bucs’ list of competitors.
The fact two NFC South teams in the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints have to play overseas makes the situation that much sweeter. If only the Carolina Panthers had an international game.
As mentioned earlier, Wednesday’s victorious updates are twofold for the Buccaneers. Per Bill Speros, a well-known senior betting/prediction market analyst, Tampa Bay will travel 12,185 miles in 2026. That’s the fourth-lowest mileage among all 32 teams and only the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers play closer to home:
The only potential catch, here, would be if the bulk of the Buccaneers’ travel occurs throughout the back end of the 2026 schedule. That would not be ideal, but it’s probably unlikely, anyway. Either way, traveling less than 13,000 miles over the course of 17 games is a great spot to be in.
Especially when considering the top-7 teams on the above list travel twice as much in 2026.
The Bucs’ furthest road opponent is the Bears, which is 1,011.7 air miles away, per Air Miles Calculator.
Outside of having to travel the least amount of miles, the Buccaneers couldn’t ask for a better start to the upcoming 2026 schedule release.