Patriots-Lions Munich Game Headlines Detroit Lions 2026 Schedule Analysis
detroit lions 2026 schedule analysis starts with one road trip: the Lions will face the New England Patriots in Munich on Sunday, Nov. 15. That game sits inside the NFL’s full 2026 international schedule, a nine-game slate spread across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums.
The league released the schedule with the Lions among the teams headed overseas, and Peter O’Reilly said the 2026 NFL season will feature the league’s most expansive and ambitious international slate yet. His language matched the scope of the rollout, which also puts games in Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid and Mexico City.
Munich Lands Lions-Pats
The Munich matchup gives Detroit a date that already stands out on the 2026 calendar. The Lions will play at FC Bayern Munich Arena against a Patriots team that joins them in one of the most visible international games on the slate.
That game is the third to be played in Munich and the sixth regular-season game to be held in Germany. It also gives the NFL another Europe stop in a schedule that keeps building on the league’s regular-season footprint outside the United States.
London Runs Three Straight
London remains a major part of the international push. Three consecutive games are set for the city in 2026, with the Indianapolis Colts facing the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4, the Philadelphia Eagles meeting the Jacksonville Jaguars there on Sunday, Oct. 11, and the Jaguars then playing the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 18.
The broader slate opens in Melbourne, where the San Francisco 49ers will face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It then moves to Rio de Janeiro for Ravens-Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Maracanã Stadium, before the first regular-season matchup in France when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the New Orleans Saints in Paris on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Stade de France.
Madrid, Mexico City, May 14
The final two international dates keep the schedule moving late in the fall. The Cincinnati Bengals will face the Atlanta Falcons at Bernabéu Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8, and the Minnesota Vikings will meet the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Banorte on Sunday, Nov. 22.
O’Reilly said, "The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet, with regular-season games spanning Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City." He also said, "This year’s record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the League’s global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before." The full 2026 NFL schedule arrives on Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET.
