After the conclusion of the NFL regular season on Sunday night, the 13 opponents for the Dallas Cowboys in 2026 have been finalized.
The nine home games next season will include matchups with the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Washington Commanders.
The eight away game contests will include trips to take on the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
The expectation remains that the Cowboys will play an international game in 2026. That could include one of the nine home games being relocated to an international destination — such as Mexico City — or the away game against the Rams being played in Melbourne, Australia.
While the opponents are finalized, the complete 2026 schedule with dates and times will be released in late May.
How are the opponents determined?
Although most NFL fans think the league schedules opponents at random, there is actually a rotation and method to determine who plays who every season.
Since the Cowboys are in the NFC East, they will always play a home game and an away game against all three divisional opponents every season: the Giants, Eagles and Commanders.
Every four years, the division will play against a division from the AFC. In 2026, that division is the AFC South, making it the first time since 2022 that the Cowboys will play the Titans, Colts, Jaguars and Texans.
Every three years, the division faces off against a division from the NFC. In 2026, that division is the NFC West. Two additional NFC opponents are added by making the same-place finisher in every division face off against each other. Since the Cowboys finished second in the NFC East in 2025, they will face off against the Packers (NFC North second-place finisher) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South second-place finisher).
When the 17th game was added in 2021, the league created an additional four-year rotation of matching NFC teams with same-place finishers in the AFC. In 2026, the NFC East is placed with the AFC North which is why the Cowboys will play the Baltimore Ravens.
However, the three preseason opponents are selected by the league each season, typically with an emphasis on teams playing other teams in the same region that are not divisional opponents. The Cowboys are typically placed with at least one West Coast team as a product of having training camp in Oxnard, California, each season. That schedule will also release in late May.
This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 10:38 PM.
Nick Harris
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