EAGAN, Minn. — The 2026 Minnesota Vikings schedule is served.

The "17-course meal" will provide the team the opportunity to open at home for the seventh time in 11 seasons of home games at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Vikings aren't scheduled to play on a major holiday, but they will make their Mexico debut one season after participating in the NFL's first double dip of international games in different countries.

Here are 10 takeaways from the 2026 schedule (all times mentioned are CT).

1. Divisional duet plate

We won't do a food-themed write-up throughout, but I thought we'd start there to build off this year's schedule release video featuring "Will the Thrill" Reichard and longtime devoted Vikings fan Chris Jericho with a special cameo. Check it out below, if you haven't or would like to watch again.

The Vikings will open 2026 by hosting the Green Bay Packers at 3:25 p.m. on Sept. 13. It will be the third time ever that Minnesota has opened a campaign by hosting a Border Battle, a recent development in the rivalry with previous instances occurring in 2020 and 2022.

The rarity extends into the second week when the Vikings visit the Chicago Bears at noon on Sept. 20.

This is just the second time since the NFL aligned teams into eight four-team divisions in 2002 for Minnesota to open with back-to-back division games. The previous instance was 2013, which resulted in losses at Detroit and Chicago in Weeks 1-2.

Between the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and 2002's realignment, the Vikings opened seasons with back-to-back division games six times (1971, 1974, 1986, 1992, 1994 and 1995).

This is also the first time the Vikings have visited Chicago in Week 1 or Week 2 of consecutive seasons since 2001-02.

2. How about some networking?

The Vikings are slated to appear on five different networks/streaming services.

Right now, there are seven scheduled appearances on FOX, four on CBS, two on NBC, one on ESPN, one on Prime and two that remain to be determined (Week 16 vs. Washington and Week 18 against Chicago).

The NFL has been treating each game as its own entity and continuing to expand placements of games with broadcast partners.

3. Less than half at noon, for now

Seven games are currently scheduled for noon kickoffs, which could increase depending on what happens with the Vikings and Commanders seasons and what implications exist for Minnesota, Chicago and the rest of the league in Week 18.

NFL Flex Scheduling begins in Week 5 and could affect some prime-time games, but for now, Minnesota is scheduled for four such appearances: Week 9 vs. Buffalo on Monday Night Football, Week 11 vs. San Francisco in Mexico on Sunday Night Football, Week 14 at New England on Thursday Night Football and Week 15 vs. Detroit on Sunday Night Football.

It will be up to the Vikings to play to keep those time slots. There are also two games right now in which Minnesota will be heavily featured for much of the country in the 3:25 p.m. time slot on CBS (Week 1 vs. Green Bay and Week 13 vs. Carolina).

The Carolina timing right before visiting New England (the third time in four seasons that Minnesota only has a road Thursday game) further shrinks the window for recovery.

A timing rarity is the appearance of two games scheduled for 3:05 p.m. kickoffs (Week 3 at Tampa Bay and Week 4 at home against Miami).

In the past 25 seasons, the Vikings have only had 14 games kick off at 3:05 p.m., and it's usually been when visiting the Cardinals, Chargers or Seahawks (three times each). A 2007 game at Detroit is the only instance since 2001 of Minnesota traveling east and playing at that time slot.

The Week 4 game against the Dolphins on the same day as the Twin Cities Marathon, which starts in Minneapolis and ends in St. Paul, will be the first instance since at least 2001 of a 3:05 p.m. kickoff in Minnesota. In 2012, however, the Vikings hosted the Titans in a game that was moved from noon to 3:15 because of the race.

4. Bye, bye, bye

It's a little early in the grand scheme of things, but it's become the recent norm for the Vikings to have a Week 6 bye. This will be the third consecutive year that Minnesota has had that week off.

While there is a bit of monotony there (and somewhat of a repeat of 2020-22 when Week 7 byes occurred each season), a departure from the past two seasons is avoiding a Thursday Night Football game on the West Coast in Week 8 (at Rams in 2024 and at Chargers in 2025) that neutralized the effects of the bye.

The bye overlaps with MEA Weekend (for all the non-Minnesotans, that means school is out Thursday and Friday). October in these parts is also a gorgeous time to enjoy the outdoors.

5. On the (Thursday) road again

Speaking of Thursday Night Football, the Vikings have one scheduled appearance, and it involves their first visit to New England in eight years.

For the third time in four seasons, Minnesota has only one Thursday game and is on the road on short rest. The Vikings are seeking their first road win in a Thursday game since Thanksgiving 2017 when Case Keenum gnawed on an imaginary turkey leg after his 9-yard touchdown run against the Lions.

6. New international flavor

By now, you probably know that the Vikings will play in Mexico for the first time in franchise history.

The Week 11 contest against the 49ers was announced by the NFL Wednesday morning.

This will be the seventh regular-season international game and 11^th overall (including four preseason contests) for the Vikings, who will try to improve upon their 5-1 mark in regular-season instances.

Some thought Minnesota's double dip of Dublin and London in 2025 may result in an off-year, but with the NFL initiative expanding to nine games across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums in 2026, the league opted to sub this destination for Minnesota's trip to San Francisco.

7. Potentially toughest stretch

That contest against the 49ers will mark Minnesota's fourth consecutive game against a team that finished 2025 with a winning record, potentially the toughest four-game stretch of 2026.

November begins again this year at Detroit (9-8 in 2025 despite two losses to the Vikings) and continues with the Vikings hosting Buffalo (12-5) for ESPN's Monday Night Football on Nov. 9. The Vikings will then make their annual trip to Lambeau Field to face the Packers (9-7-1) before challenging the 49ers (12-5), who are expected to have a considerable fan base in Mexico City as one of 10 teams with marketing rights in Mexico.

The 42-25-1 combined showing by those teams last season isn't quite as intimidating as the 52-16 combined mark in 2024 by the Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens that the Vikings went 1-3 against from Week 7-10 last season, but it could prove quite challenging.

8. Late-season weather a factor?

The temperature averages for November in Mexico City are 76 degrees Fahrenheit for the high and 45 for the low. Sounds amazing.

The other post-mid-November trips for the Vikings are at the Packers (Nov. 15), at the Patriots (Dec. 10) and at the Jets (Jan. 3, 2027), so the elements could come into play.

The Vikings visited the Packers Nov. 23 last year, and the weather was 43 degrees (could have been worse) with a 10-mile-per-hour west wind for a wind chill of 37.

Minnesota also played in MetLife Stadium (against the New York Giants) last season. The temperature was 46 degrees with a 20-mph northwest wind for a wind chill of 38.

The Vikings last visited the Patriots on Dec. 2, 2018. The temperature was 53, but the humidity was 100 percent. It was like watching football in a thin, illuminated cloud.

9. Closing with five home games out of final seven

The Vikings have an end-of-season reward in the form of playing five of their final seven games at home.

This stretch starts Nov. 29 when the Vikings will host the Falcons for the third consecutive season and continues Dec. 6 with the Panthers, another NFC South squad that claimed the division with an 8-9 mark via tiebreakers over the Bucs and Falcons.

Minnesota is due to host Detroit on Sunday Night Football on Dec. 20, before Washington returns for a second consecutive December. The date and time for the Vikings and Commanders game is to be determined, as is the Week 18 season finale.

10. Bears back at back end for bookend

Once upon a time, not so long ago, one of the likeliest outcomes to predict on a Vikings schedule release was Chicago visiting Minnesota to close a regular season.

It happened every season from 2016-19, as well as 2021.

That tradition has returned, simultaneously resulting in the biggest single-season gap between Vikings-Bears games.

See the Vikings 2026 Schedule.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Visit vikings.com/international.

Buy single game tickets.

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