Falcons Learn Their Slate of 2026 Opponents

With all the relevant Week 18 matchups in the books, the Atlanta Falcons have locked in their opponents for the 2026 NFL season.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons wrap their season off at 8-9, and in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South. However, due to tiebreaker rules, they will finish in third place in the division and outside of the playoffs. This result did more than finalize their 2025 standing, because it also finalized the slate of games the team will play in 2026. 

The division was a bit of a mess, but the it finally cleared up on Sunday with the Falcons’ 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 18. As a result, the Carolina Panthers won the South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finish in second, Atlanta is third, and the Saints are last. 

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

How the teams finish in the division will impact a handful of games for each of them are scheduled to play in 2026. The NFC South is paired up with the AFC West, the NFC West, and the NFC East, meaning they will play the team who ends up finishing in the same standings slot as they do.

Aside from how things shook out down south, there were still a handful of results around the NFL that would shape their 2026 season, and it will end with a slate of teams the Falcons have grown rather familiar with in recent years. 

With the Seattle Seahawks beating the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams beating the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers will finish in third in the NFC West and will be matched with the Falcons next season. These two teams played this season on Sunday Night Football, and it came down to the wire with San Francisco escaping Atlanta late. 

In the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs (who will likely be without star quarterback Patrick Mahomes next season) finished in third after a disappointing season. The Falcons last faced them in Week 3 of the 2024 season (also on Sunday Night Football), and the Chiefs held off a late-game comeback effort.

In the NFC East, the Washington Commanders wrapped up an injury-plagued season at 5-12 and will pair with the Falcons. Atlanta toppled them 34-27 in Week 4 as the Falcons bounced back from a difficult Week 3 performance against Carolina. 

What happens next for the Atlanta Falcons? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Falcons news delivered to your inbox daily!

The Falcons will not find out the dates of these matchups until an undisclosed time after the draft this spring, but the opponents are officially known. Also, one of the Falcons’ nine home games is confirmed to be played abroad in 2026. 

The teams they will face off with are as follows:

Home Team:

Panthers, Buccaneers, Saints, Bears, Lions, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, 49ers

Away Team: