Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026: Printable PDF, Times, TV Channels
The Carolina Panthers schedule 2026 starts at home. Carolina hosts the Chicago Bears at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, September 13 at 1:00 PM ET on FOX, the first of nine home dates for the defending NFC South champions.
The bye arrives earlier than anyone else’s. Carolina and Kansas City are the only clubs off in Week 5, so the Panthers play 13 straight game weeks to close the regular season.
Two weeks are still open. Week 16 at Pittsburgh and the Week 18 finale against Atlanta carry no date, no kickoff time and no network yet.
Every kickoff time and channel is below, plus a free printable schedule and a wall calendar, both sized for US Letter paper.
Jump to: Preseason Schedule | TV Schedule | Kickoff Times | Printable Schedule | Wall Calendar | Hall of Fame Game | Bye Week
Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026 Quick Facts
| Season and home opener | Sun, Sep 13 vs Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM ET (FOX) |
| Season span | September 2026 through January 2027 |
| Stadium | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC (75,037 seats) |
| Head coach | Dave Canales (3rd season) |
| Coordinators | Brad Idzik (offense), Ejiro Evero (defense) |
| Quarterback | Bryce Young |
| Division | NFC South |
| Home / road games | 9 / 8, all nine home dates in Charlotte |
| Bye week | Week 5, weekend of October 10 and 11, the earliest in the league |
| Prime time games | 3 (Weeks 4, 8 and 12) |
| Preseason | 4 games, including the Hall of Fame Game in Canton on August 6 |
| Networks | FOX 8, CBS 4, NBC 1, ESPN 1, Prime Video 1, Weeks 16 and 18 TBD |
| Radio | WRFX 99.7 FM, flagship of the Panthers Radio Network |
| 2025 season | 8-9, won the NFC South, lost 34-31 at home to the Rams in the Wild Card round |
Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026: Week by Week
Home games are marked “vs” and road games “at.” Every time below is Eastern, which is also local time in Charlotte.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | vs Chicago Bears | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | at Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | at Cleveland Browns | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | vs Detroit Lions | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 5 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 8 | Thu, Oct 29 | at Green Bay Packers | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | vs Denver Broncos | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | at New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | vs Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 12 | Mon, Nov 30 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | at Minnesota Vikings | 4:25 PM | CBS |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | vs New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 16 | TBD | at Pittsburgh Steelers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | vs Seattle Seahawks | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 18 | TBD | vs Atlanta Falcons | TBD | TBD |
Week 1 is a harder opener than the 1:00 PM slot suggests: Chicago won the NFC North at 11-6 last season. At the other end, the Atlanta Falcons bookend the year, away in Week 2 and home in the finale, the kind of placement the league uses when a division title could still be live on the last weekend.
Two rows are blank on purpose. Week 16 at Pittsburgh is an undesignated game that can land anywhere from Thursday, December 24 to Monday, December 28, and the league will not fix it until after Week 14. Week 18 falls on the weekend of January 9 and 10, 2027, with the day and network set only once Week 17 finishes.
Flexible scheduling can move the rest, though less freely than fans assume. Sunday night can claim a Carolina afternoon game twice between Weeks 5 and 10 and in any week from 11 to 17, Monday night applies in Weeks 12 to 17 and Thursday night twice in Weeks 13 to 17. The Week 4 Sunday nighter against Detroit is locked because it sits before the window opens, but the Week 12 Monday night game at Tampa Bay is inside it.
Also Check: NFL TV Schedule Today
Panthers Preseason Schedule 2026
Carolina played four exhibitions rather than three because it drew the Hall of Fame Game, its first appearance in that fixture since 1995. That gave the Panthers the earliest start in the 2026 NFL preseason by more than a week.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOF | Thu, Aug 6 | vs Arizona Cardinals (Canton) | 8:00 PM | NBC |
| 1 | Sat, Aug 15 | at Buffalo Bills | 1:00 PM | Panthers TV Network |
| 2 | Fri, Aug 21 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | 7:30 PM | Panthers TV Network |
| 3 | Fri, Aug 28 | vs Houston Texans | 7:00 PM | Panthers TV Network |
The Canton opener on NBC was the only national broadcast. The three August games air on the Panthers Television Network, which is WSOC in Charlotte and includes WRAL in Raleigh and WXII in Greensboro. Only the August 28 meeting with Houston is at Bank of America Stadium, the one preseason chance to see the team in Charlotte.
What Channel Are Panthers Games On in 2026?
The Carolina Panthers schedule 2026 leans on free to air television more than most. FOX has eight games and CBS has four. NBC, ESPN and Prime Video take one each, and two weeks have no network yet.
| Network | Games | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| FOX | 8 | 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 11, 15, 17 |
| CBS | 4 | 6, 9, 13, 14 |
| NBC | 1 | 4 |
| ESPN | 1 | 12 |
| Prime Video | 1 | 8 |
| TBD | 2 | 16, 18 |
Three things to know:
- Three prime time games, and only one is at home. Detroit visits for Sunday Night Football on NBC in Week 4, then Carolina travels for Thursday Night Football at Green Bay on Prime Video in Week 8 and Monday Night Football at Tampa Bay on ESPN in Week 12.
- Twelve of the 15 assigned games are on FOX or CBS. A digital antenna picks up nearly the whole slate in the Carolinas at no cost, which is unusual in a season with this many streaming exclusives.
- Spanish language coverage reaches both national windows. The club lists Universo alongside NBC in Week 4 and ESPN Deportes alongside ESPN in Week 12.
WRFX 99.7 FM in Charlotte is the flagship of the Panthers Radio Network and carries every game, preseason included, with Anish Shroff on play by play. Out of market viewers can add Sunday afternoon games through NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube, and Week 8 needs a Prime Video subscription rather than cable.
Panthers Kickoff Times in Every Time Zone
Charlotte sits in the Eastern zone, so the table above is already local for most of the Carolinas. Carolina uses only four kickoff slots all season, which makes the conversion simple.
| Eastern (Charlotte) | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 4:25 PM | 3:25 PM | 2:25 PM | 1:25 PM |
| 8:15 PM | 7:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 5:15 PM |
| 8:20 PM | 7:20 PM | 6:20 PM | 5:20 PM |
Carolina never leaves the eastern half of the country in 2026. Only three of the eight road games cross into Central time, all short flights: Green Bay in Week 8, New Orleans in Week 10 and Minnesota in Week 13. There is no Mountain or Pacific trip, so the last two columns matter to readers rather than to the travel plan.
One clock change to watch. Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and Carolina has no game that weekend. The Week 8 Thursday game at Lambeau Field is the last on daylight time; everything from the Week 9 home date against Denver onward is Eastern Standard Time. Readers in Arizona should subtract three hours from Eastern rather than two until November 1, because the state does not observe daylight saving.
Free Printable Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026 (PDF)
The Carolina Panthers schedule 2026 fits on one page: all four preseason games, including Canton, and every one of the 18 regular season weeks with dates, opponents, kickoff times and TV channels. Home games print in bold so the nine Charlotte dates stand out, and each row has an empty box for the result.
A facts strip across the top carries the 9 and 8 home and road split, the Week 5 bye, Bank of America Stadium and Dave Canales. The notes box flags the Hall of Fame Game result, Luke Kuechly’s enshrinement and the two weeks still waiting on a kickoff time. Sized for US Letter at 8.5 by 11 inches, free, with no sign up and no email required.
Want every team on one page? Get the full 2026 NFL schedule with all 32 teams, week by week.
Panthers 2026 Wall Calendar Printable (PDF)
A month grid works better on a fridge door than a list does. This version runs August 2026 through January 2027, with Bank of America Stadium dates filled in black, road dates outlined in Panther blue, and every square carrying the opponent and the kickoff time.
October is the page worth pinning up: the Sunday night game against Detroit on the 4th, the empty bye weekend of the 10th and 11th, then three games in 12 days once the Panthers restart at Philadelphia. January is the quiet one, with a single dated home game against Seattle on the 3rd. Also US Letter, also free.
Printing tip: choose “Actual size” or “100%” rather than “Fit to page” so the small type stays sharp.
Hall of Fame Game: Why Carolina Opened 2026 in Canton
Luke Kuechly is the reason. The linebacker entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the class of 2026 on Saturday, August 8, and the Hall paired Carolina with Arizona because Kuechly and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. were the two men in the class who played their whole careers for the team that drafted them.
The game came first. Carolina beat Arizona 33-30 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday, August 6, an 8:00 PM ET kickoff on NBC, with undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King running in a five yard touchdown as time expired. Arizona was the designated home team. It was Carolina’s first Hall of Fame Game since 1995.
Kuechly is the third Panther in Canton, after Sam Mills in 2022 and Julius Peppers in 2024, but the first to spend his whole NFL career in Carolina. The trip cost a week of camp and gained a fourth exhibition, but none of it counts: the win does not appear in the standings and does not touch the 17 games above.
Defending the NFC South for the First Time Since 2015
Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta all finished 8-9 in 2025. The Panthers took the division on head to head record inside the tied group, going 3-1 against Tampa Bay’s 2-2 and Atlanta’s 1-3. It clinched on January 4, 2026 and made Carolina the first team in NFL history to win a division twice with a losing record. The season ended at home on January 10 with a 34-31 Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the club’s first home playoff defeat since 2013.
Winning the division changes the schedule. The first place formula adds three games against 2025 division winners on top of the fixed rotation against the NFC North and AFC North, which is how Philadelphia in Week 6, Denver in Week 9 and Seattle in Week 17 land on the slate. Division games are spread rather than clustered: Tampa Bay in Weeks 7 and 12, the New Orleans Saints in Weeks 10 and 14, Atlanta in Weeks 2 and 18.
Bank of America Stadium and the $1.3 Billion Renovation
Bank of America Stadium opened in uptown Charlotte in 1996 and the club still lists 75,037 seats, though the post renovation figure has not been published. The 2024 agreement with the city was worth roughly $800 million, of which $650 million was public. On July 23, 2026 the ownership group said it would fund the full scope plus extra design work, taking total investment past $1.3 billion while the city’s share stays fixed.
Renderings released the same day show larger scoreboards, a 500 level social patio looking out over uptown, upgraded premium seating and an illuminated crown around the rim. Interior work runs through 2026, fan facing construction starts in 2027 and the project finishes in 2030. A separate 4,400 capacity music venue is planned next door for 2029. Bank of America extended its naming rights the same week without disclosing terms, and the phasing means all nine home dates stay in Charlotte alongside the Charlotte FC season.
When is the Panthers Bye Week in 2026?
Week 5, the weekend of October 10 and 11. Carolina and Kansas City are the only two clubs off that early, and no team in the league rests before them.
That timing is the most distinctive thing about the Carolina Panthers schedule 2026, and it cuts both ways. Carolina plays four games, rests, then plays 13 in a row into January with no scheduled break. The Week 8 Thursday game at Green Bay is the only short week in that run, and it brings extra recovery on the other side because the Panthers do not play again until November 8. Compare every club on our NFL bye weeks page.
Panthers 2026 Coaching Staff and Key Players
Carolina kept its structure after the division title and spent heavily in free agency. Then camp opened and the injury list started filling up.
- Dave Canales enters his third season. Named the seventh head coach in franchise history on January 25, 2024, he arrived from Tampa Bay where he was offensive coordinator, after 13 seasons with Seattle.
- Both coordinators are back. Brad Idzik runs the offense and Ejiro Evero the defense, the latter after interviewing for four head coaching jobs last cycle without landing one. Tracy Smith stays on special teams.
- Bryce Young starts in year four. Carolina picked up his fifth year option in April, which covers 2027, so this is not a contract year. He threw for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2025. Kenny Pickett arrived from Las Vegas as the backup.
- The defense got the money. General manager Dan Morgan signed edge rusher Jaelan Phillips out of Philadelphia for four years and $120 million, and linebacker Devin Lloyd, a 2025 second team All-Pro, from Jacksonville for three years and $45 million.
- Camp has been unkind. Nic Scourton, set to start opposite Phillips, tore an ACL on day one and is on season ending injured reserve, and rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II is out for the year. Ikem Ekwonu is on PUP and Taylor Moton on the non football injury list, which is why Carolina drafted Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling 19th overall and signed Rasheed Walker from Green Bay.
How to Get Carolina Panthers Tickets
Home tickets run through the official Panthers ticket page, which routes to Ticketmaster for season tickets, single game seats and verified resale. StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats are third party marketplaces rather than team affiliated options, and most season ticket locations require a Permanent Seat Licence.
Demand is uneven across the nine dates. Detroit on Sunday night and the Atlanta finale move first, both division home games carry weight, and Denver and Seattle bring two of last season’s 14-3 division winners to Charlotte. The Chicago opener and the Cincinnati date on December 20 are usually the easiest ways in.
Carolina Panthers Schedule 2026 FAQ
When do the Panthers play their first game in 2026?
Sunday, September 13, 2026 at home against the Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM ET on FOX. It is both the season opener and the home opener at Bank of America Stadium, and Chicago arrives as the reigning NFC North champion.
Where can I get a free printable Carolina Panthers schedule 2026?
Use the download buttons above. The printable is a one page US Letter PDF with all four preseason games and all 18 regular season weeks, including dates, kickoff times and TV channels, with home games in bold and a box to log each result. A wall calendar version covers August 2026 through January 2027. Both are free, with no sign up or email required.
What channel are Carolina Panthers games on in 2026?
FOX carries eight games and CBS has four. NBC has the Week 4 Sunday night game against Detroit, Prime Video has the Week 8 Thursday game at Green Bay, and ESPN has the Week 12 Monday night game at Tampa Bay. Week 16 at Pittsburgh and the Week 18 finale against Atlanta have no network yet. The three August preseason games air on the Panthers Television Network, which is WSOC in Charlotte.
When is the Panthers bye week in 2026?
Week 5, the weekend of October 10 and 11, 2026. Carolina and Kansas City have the earliest bye in the league, and no club rests before them. The Panthers then play 13 straight game weeks to finish the regular season.
Why did the Panthers play in the 2026 Hall of Fame Game?
Because Luke Kuechly was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8, 2026. The Hall paired Carolina with Arizona because Kuechly and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. were the two members of the 2026 class who played their entire careers with the team that drafted them. Carolina won the August 6 game 33-30 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, its first Hall of Fame Game appearance since 1995.
How many home games do the Panthers have at Bank of America Stadium in 2026?
Nine, all in Charlotte. The home slate is Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Denver, Baltimore, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Seattle and Atlanta in the Week 18 finale. Carolina has no international or neutral site game on the 2026 regular season schedule, and the stadium renovation is phased so no home date is displaced.
Who is the Panthers starting quarterback in 2026?
Bryce Young, in year four of his rookie contract. Carolina exercised his fifth year option in April 2026, which covers the 2027 season, so 2026 is not a contract year. He threw for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2025. Kenny Pickett signed from Las Vegas as the backup.
When are the Panthers Week 16 and Week 18 games?
Neither is fixed yet. Week 16 at Pittsburgh is an undesignated game, so it can land on Thursday December 24, Saturday December 26 on NFL Network, Sunday December 27 or Monday December 28, and the league will announce it no later than immediately after Week 14. Week 18 against Atlanta falls on the weekend of January 9 and 10, 2027, with the day, time and network set only after Week 17 finishes.
How many Super Bowls have the Carolina Panthers won?
None. Carolina has reached the Super Bowl twice, losing Super Bowl XXXVIII to New England after the 2003 season and Super Bowl 50 to Denver after the 2015 season. Carolina did win the NFC South in 2025, its first division title since 2015.
The Carolina Panthers schedule 2026 gives you nine Sundays in Charlotte, the earliest bye in the league, three prime time games and a division title to defend against Atlanta on the final weekend.
Save the printable or the wall calendar above, circle the weekend of October 10 as the only free one, and check back once the league fixes the kickoff times for Weeks 16 and 18.
Last Updated: August 11, 2026. Every line checked against panthers.com, nfl.com, steelers.com, the NFL flexible scheduling procedures and profootballhof.com.
