Cleveland Browns Get Great News Before 2026 NFL Schedule Release

The Cleveland Browns have known their 2026 opponents for quite some time, but they’ll learn their entire schedule on Thursday.

Prior to the schedule release, the NFL announces their international slate of games. This year, the NFL is heading to seven different countries as commissioner Roger Goodell continues to preach about football’s international impact.

According to the announced global schedule, the Browns will not play an international game in 2026.

No international game for the Browns is great news

The worst kept secret in the NFL is that coaches dread international games due to the travel complications and unnecessary pageantry of regular season international games. Throughout an NFL season, teams follow a strict schedule. But traveling across the globe greatly interferes with how teams plan each week. 

Last season, the Browns played the Minnesota Vikings in London during the first weekend of October. Dillon Gabriel became the first quarterback to make his professional debut across the pond in a losing effort. 

The Browns are expected to have the “easiest” schedule in the NFL based on the combined win percentage of their opponents from last season. Keeping the Browns in the United States should help new head coach Todd Monken maintain a regimen that keeps his team prepared each week.

Paris game won’t be happening for the Browns

A few months ago, French radio company RMC Sport incorrectly reported that the Browns would travel to France to face off against the New Orleans Saints in Paris. It was exciting news for fans, as it’s the league's inaugural game in Paris. 

However, according to several reports, it’ll actually be the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to Paris for a matchup on October 25.

Entire division has to deal with international travel except Browns

Arguably the biggest victory for the Browns is that the rest of the AFC North has to deal with international travel while Cleveland should reap the benefits of staying in the country.

The Baltimore Ravens will play the Dallas Cowboys in Brazil on September 27. The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons in Spain on November 8. And of course, the Steelers will play the Saints in that first-ever Paris game. 

While the Browns don’t exactly know when they’ll face their AFC North opponents, they’d be lucky if they can catch at least one coming off of an international game. Last year, when the Browns returned from London, they faced brutal scheduling luck having to travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers which resulted in an ugly 23-9 defeat.

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