Each year the NFL makes a big production about ‘releasing the schedule’ in April. But thanks to the NFL’s scheduling formula, we already know 15 of the 17 opponents the Cowboys will face next year, just not when and in what sequence. And with that info, we can take a quick look at what the 2026 schedule will look like for the Cowboys.
In 2026, the Cowboys will play three home games and three away games against the NFC East; they will play four games against the NFC West and four games against the AFC South; they’ll play the second-placed teams from the NFC North and NFC South; finally, they’ll play an interconference game against the second-placed team in the AFC North.
Per the NFL Record & Fact Book, the home and away matchups have also already been determined and are summarized in this table, with the current record for each team included:
| Division | Home | Away | |
| NFC East | Eagles (11-5) | Eagles (11-5) | |
| Commanders (4-12) | Commanders (4-12) | ||
| Giants (3-13) | Giants (3-13) | ||
| NFC West | San Francisco (12-4) | Seattle (13-3) | |
| Arizona (3-13) | LA Rams (11-4) | ||
| AFC South | Jacksonville (12-4) | Houston (11-5) | |
| Tennessee (3-13) | Indianapolis (8-8) | ||
| Intraconference | Tampa Bay (7-9) | OR Carolina (8-8) | Green Bay (9-6-1) |
| Interconference | Baltimore (8-8) | OR Pittsburgh (9-7) | – – |
| Strength of Schedule | 0.433 | 0.555 |
With that schedule, Week 18 has two games with special meaning for the Cowboys: The losers of the Ravens-Steelers and Bucs-Panthers playoff elimination games will face the Cowboys in 2026.
There are some other interesting twists lurking in this schedule:
A Cowboys game in Mexico City?
Roger Goodell announced in November that the league plans to play at lest eight international games next season, with games likely set for London (3), Madrid, São Paolo, Mexico City, Germany, Melbourne, and possibly Dublin and/or Paris. In total, up to 10 international games could be played during the 2026 season, per the CBA.
The host teams for the international games will be selected from the conference with the ninth home game, so clubs will still host eight games in their home stadium. In 2026, the host teams will be NFC teams, meaning the Cowboys could play one of their home games abroad.
Jerry Jones expects the Cowboys to play an international game next season, and his preference would be Mexico City. Could that mean America’s Team plays in Mexico City next year? The Cowboys would certainly be a big draw.
Familiar faces
The Cowboys will travel to Green Bay next year and likely face Micah Parsons for the second season in a row. That should make for some interesting discussions about the winner of the trade that sent Parsons to Green Bay.
But Parsons isn’t the only familiar face the Cowboys will see in 2026. Pending what happens in free agency, the Cowboys will see DeMarcus Lawrence (Seattle), Jourdan Lewis (Jacksonville), possibly Rico Dowdle (Carolina), Dalton Schultz and Damone Clark (both Houston), Tony Pollard and Xavier Woods (both Tennessee), and many more former players and coaches in 2026.
Tough road schedule
Going strictly by the records of the teams above, the Cowboys face a much tougher schedule on the road than they do at home, which is not how you want it. The away opponents currently (pre-MNF) combine for a 70-56-1 record (.555 strength of schedule) while the home opponents combine for “only” a 61-80 record (.433 strength of schedule).
What are your thoughts on the 2026 schedule?
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