The NFL will release the full 2026 schedule on Thursday. However, the league already announced on Monday that the Dallas Cowboys will open their season against division rivals, the New York Giants, on Sunday Night Football in Week 1. It will mark the first time the Cowboys face the Giants in a season opener since Dallas’ dominant 40-0 win over New York back in 2023.

If Dallas ends up playing its Week 2 game at home, the Cowboys would still travel more than 6,500 miles across the first three weeks of the 2026 season alone.

“We’re thrilled and honored to be part of Rio’s first NFL game,” Jerry Jones said in a statement during the draft weekend. “Playing in the legendary Maracanã Stadium against the Ravens in front of such a passionate and growing fan base on a global stage will be very special for our team, our entire Cowboys organization and the millions watching back home and around the world.”

The Rio matchup will mark just the second international game in franchise history and the first since Dallas defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17 in 2014 at Wembley Stadium.

With two of their first three games potentially coming away from home, it is fair to expect Dallas to deal with a hectic travel schedule early in the 2026 season. For the broader context, the Los Angeles Chargers traveled the most miles in the NFL during the 2025 season at 38,214 miles. Coincidentally, the Chargers also played an international game in Brazil last year against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And heavy travel loads early in the season can create legitimate challenges for teams because of long flights, time-zone adjustments, disrupted recovery schedules, and inconsistent sleep patterns. While the NFL still has not unveiled the complete 2026 schedule yet, the Cowboys already appear set to headline one of the toughest travel stretches during the opening weeks of the season.

This is a developing story. Stay Tuned!

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