With the Kansas City Chiefs coming off a disappointing 2025 season, star tight end Travis Kelce worried that the Chiefs would not be a part of many big-money primetime games for the 2026 season. The Chiefs finished third in the AFC West with a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But with the release of the NFL schedule, all these concerns were put to bed.

“The Chiefs are currently slated to play six Primetime contests, with GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium hosting three,” the franchise confirmed as they released their 2026 schedule. “The club will be featured in at least 10 national games and will play on the road Weeks 12-13 on back-to-back Thursday nights.”

The Chiefs will kick off their season opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football and will feature on MNF in Week 2 on Sunday night, hosting the Colts. In Week 7, Kansas City will play on Sunday night in a road fixture against the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks. Five weeks later, the Chiefs will lock horns against arch AFC rivals, the Buffalo Bills, on Thanksgiving night.

The franchise’s next Primetime game will be against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 13 on Prime Video on a Thursday night. Two weeks later, the Chiefs will host the defending AFC Champion Patriots at home in another Monday night clash. In the penultimate clash of the season, Kansas City will face off against division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on the road in a Saturday matchup on NBC and Peacock.

With this release of fixtures, the Chiefs fans and Travis Kelce can take a sigh of relief, as many speculated that they may not be a top priority for the NFL this year, resulting in a reduced number of Primetime fixtures.

“In previous years, we’ve had up to five or six prime time games,” Travis told his brother, Jason Kelce, on the New Heights Podcast. “This year, I’m gonna guess, three high, and four.”

But despite their disappointing performance, it’s clear that with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, who is still recovering from his knee injury from December, and Travis Kelce still being an integral part of the Chiefs’ setup, the franchise will always command global attention. The numbers they bring to the NFL also confirm their position in the league.

According to the reports from the 2025 season, the Kansas City Chiefs vs Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game set the record for the most-watched  NFL regular-season game in league history and averaged around 57.23 million viewers. In fact, four out of the most-watched top 5 games from the last season included the Chiefs. The figures prove that the Chiefs continue to set viewership records at every turn.

  • Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys – Week 13 (Thanksgiving Day) averaged 57.23 M viewers
  • Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Week 2 averaged 33.8 M viewers
  • Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills – Week 9 averaged 30.9 M viewers
  • Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos – Week 11 averaged 29.0 M viewers

The 2025 regular season became the second-most-watched in NFL history, reporting over a 10% increase from the 2024 season, and averaged about 18.7 million viewers per game. Compare the figure to the numbers only in the Kansas City Chiefs bring alone to the league and it shows why the franchise is getting six primetime games this year.

In addition to the viewership, the Chiefs also recorded an average of nearly 4.2 million website sessions, 12.5 million page views, and nearly 1.9 million unique website users per month during the football season (September–December).

Looking at social media numbers, Kansas City currently has more than 17.9 million social media followers across all owned and operated accounts, as per the franchise’s website. And hence, making them a vital cog in the league’s growth.

While these numbers highlight how important the Chiefs are to the NFL, surprisingly, for the upcoming league year, the three-time Super Bowl champions won’t be making an international trip, as they did last year.

No international games for the Chiefs in the 2026 season

After playing against the Chargers in São Paulo, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be making an international trip this season. The development was confirmed as the NFL announced its international games for the 2026 season. This year will feature a record-breaking nine international games, with Melbourne, Australia, on board as the newest international venue.

“The 2026 NFL season will feature our most expansive and ambitious international slate yet, with regular-season games spanning Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, major events and international, in a statement.

“This year’s record-breaking schedule will see a host of world-class NFL franchises and star athletes play in some of the most iconic sporting venues in the world, underlying the league’s global growth vision and bringing our fans internationally closer to the game than ever before.”

The Kansas City Chiefs had a rough 2025 season, but their 2026 schedule shows the NFL still values them highly. Despite missing the playoffs, they earned six Primetime games and at least 10 national appearances. Their star power, led by Mahomes and Kelce, keeps them a must-watch team. The only downside is no international game this season, but Chiefs fans otherwise have plenty to look forward to.

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