NFL to release 2024 schedule: How to watch, what games we know so far

(NEXSTAR) – Draft day excitement has subsided and Fantasy Football is months away, but Wednesday marks a big day for fans who will find out what schedule their respective teams will face in the 2024 season.

Unlike with baseball, hockey or basketball, the NFL season has far fewer games, making each matchup crucial. Breaking down the perceived difficulty – or ease – of teams' schedules will be a popular topic for fans waiting out the summer months.

For fans hoping to go to one or more of the games, ticket sales will go live as the NFL announces the matchups.

Can I watch the announcement?

Football has been the most dominant sport in the U.S. for decades, and even non-game events have become major draws. The 2024 NFL Draft set an attendance record when 700,000 fans converged on Detroit for the three-day event.

Fittingly, the NFL has turned the release of the schedule into a three-hour show that starts Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network. A livestream will be available on NFL.com, the NFL app and NFL+.

ESPN will also have special coverage of the schedule release on ESPN2 or streaming on ESPN+. The two-hour show will start at 8 p.m. ET.

The games we already know

Some individual matchups have already been divulged. Here's what we know so far:

Week 1

• Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (Thurs. 9/05 on NBC/NFL+)
• Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (Sun. 09/08 on FOX/NFL+)
• New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers (Mon. 09/09 on ESPN/NFL+)

Week 2

• Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (Thurs. 9/12 on Prime/NFL+)
• Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (Sun. 9/15 on CBS/NFL+

Week 16 (Christmas)

• Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (Wed. 12/25 on Netflix)
• Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans (Wed. 12/25 on Netflix)

NFL to play internationally in 3 countries

NFL teams will play five games in three countries during the 2024 season: London, Germany and Brazil. Here is the full schedule for those matchups:

Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil

Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 6 on Peacock/NFL+)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, U.K.

• New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings (Oct. 6 on NFL Network/NFL+)
• Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears (Oct. 13 on NFL Network/NFL+)

Wembley Stadium in London, U.K.

New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Oct. 20 on NFL Network/NFL+)

Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers (Nov. 10 on NFL Network/NFL+)

How is the schedule decided?

Each spring, NFL executives have to weigh numerous factors, such as stadium events, travel stress, traffic issues and playing surface conditions to create the ideal 18-week season.

In the process, schedule makers will use cloud-based computers to create hundreds of thousands of possible schedules before selecting the best one.

Flexible scheduling is also built in to help "showcase the best late-season matchups to the largest audiences," according to the NFL. The NFL also relies on a rotation system to guarantee that each team will play one another at least once every four years.

The following rules apply to each team's schedule, which consists of 17 regular season games and one bye week:

• Six games against divisional opponents
• Four games against teams from a division within its conference
• Four games against teams from a division in the other conference
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference
• The 17th game is an extra game against a non-conference team from a division that the team is not scheduled to play

When does the NFL season begin?

The Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to open the regular season Thursday, Sept. 5 against the Ravens. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.