If the trip to France for the first ever NFL game in Paris was the teaser leading up to the release of the New Orleans Saints’ 2026 schedule, then a return to prime time for the 20-year Superdome reopening anniversary game is the pièce de resistance.
The much-anticipated Paris game, against six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh, will be played Oct. 25. But before the trip overseas, the Saints will return to prime time after a one-year absence with a Week 4 Monday night game in the Caesars Superdome against the Falcons on Oct. 5. The date, time slot and opponent closely align with the anniversary of the Superdome reopening after Hurricane Katrina: Sept. 25, 2006, for a Monday night game against the Falcons, which New Orleans won 23-3.
The 2026 schedule features five playoff teams from last year, and five opponents with winning records in 2025. New Orleans, 6-11 last season, opens '26 with consecutive road games for the first time since 2014; at Detroit on Sept. 13 for the season opener, and at Baltimore a week later.
The balance comes immediately with three straight home games: the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27, the Falcons eight days later and Minnesota on Oct. 11.
The Saints will play a road game against the Giants in Week 6 on Oct. 18 before traveling to Paris to play the Steelers. The Paris game will be a home game for New Orleans, which holds exclusive international marketing rights to France, and the Saints will have their bye the following week, during Week 8.
When it returns to action, New Orleans will enjoy two home games — against Cleveland on Nov. 8 and Carolina on Nov. 15, Weeks 9 and 10 — before taking a huge road turn.
From Nov. 22 through Dec. 20, four of five games will be away from the Superdome. New Orleans will be at Chicago on Nov. 22, at Cincinnati on Nov. 29, at Carolina on Dec. 13 and at Tampa Bay on Dec. 20 for Weeks 11, 12, 14 and 15, respectively. It'll wedge in a home game against Green Bay on Dec. 6, Week 13.
The Packers represent one of the five opponents on this year's schedule that posted winning records in '25, along with the Steelers, Bears, Vikings and Lions. It also is one of five games New Orleans will play against playoff teams from last year (Steelers, Bears, Packers and Carolina twice).
After facing off against Arizona in the Superdome two days after Christmas, the Saints will finish out the season with a road game against the Falcons on Jan. 3, and home in the Superdome against Tampa Bay. The date and time of the Week 18 game will be determined later.
