The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a disappointing season on Sunday, but with the 2026 campaign only eight months away, the team will be back on the field soon enough.
With that in mind, here's a look at the Chiefs' opponents next season. We won't know the actual schedule for at least a few months, but due to the league's scheduling formula, we already know the teams Kansas City will play in 2026. Those opponents are listed below.
You'll also notice that the Chiefs have eight home games to nine road games next season. The onset of the 17-game schedule in 2021 brought about an unbalanced number of home and road contests, prompting a solution that alternates the extra home game between conferences from season to season. The AFC had the benefit of the ninth home game this past season, meaning that each member of the NFC will have an extra home game this time around.
Additionally, an explanation of how these opponents were determined is below.
Home
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Arizona Cardinals
Indianapolis Colts
New York Jets
New England Patriots
San Francisco 49ers
Away
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Atlanta Falcons
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
To start with the obvious, six of the Chiefs' games next year will take place against AFC West opponents (the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers). That's the lone component of the schedule that remains the same from season to season.
Beyond that, the Chiefs (and the rest of the AFC West) will take on the entirety of the AFC East (Patriots, Bills, Dolphins and Jets) and NFC West (Seahawks, Rams, 49ers and Cardinals) in 2026. Every division in the NFL plays each team from one division in the AFC and one in the NFC on a rotating basis. For example, the Chiefs played the AFC South and NFC East this past year.
That already accounts for 14 of the Chiefs' matchups next season, leaving three remaining opponents. Two of those (the Colts and Bengals) were determined because of where each team finished in their respective division this past year. Kansas City finished third in the AFC West, locking them in with matchups against the third-place finishers in the AFC North (Cincinnati) and AFC South (Indianapolis).
The final game was calculated in a similar manner, as each member of the AFC West will play the team that finished in its same position in the NFC South. That pins the Chiefs against the champion of the third-place finisher in the NFC South (the Falcons) while the Broncos, for example, will play the Carolina Panthers (who won the division). The location of this game – which is often referred to as "the 17th game" – is the one that alternates between conferences. The NFC has more home games than the AFC this year, which is why this game will take place in Atlanta. This inter-conference matching occurs on a four-year rotational basis, meaning that the AFC West will line up with the NFC East in 2027.
It all makes for another great slate of opponents in 2026, and as the offseason kicks into high gear in the coming months, we'll learn the exact schedule soon enough.
