With the Dallas Cowboys' disappointing 2025 season now at an end, it's time for America's Team to start looking toward the 2026 campaign.
Of course, with a number of key contributors on both sides of the football set to become unrestricted free agents, it's difficult to know exactly what this time will look like next season. What we do know, however, is who Dallas will be playing in 2026.
While the full 2026 regular-season schedule won't be released until the spring, typically in mid-May, the complete list of the 14 opponents the Cowboys will face was finalized the moment the 2025 regular season concluded.
For those unfamiliar on how a team's 17 games are determined, the following criteria are used:
- Six games against every other team within the division — two per team; one at home and one on the road
- Four games against teams from a specific division within its conference on a rotating, three-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
- Four games against teams from a specific division in the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
- Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions within the same conference based on the previous season's standings; one at home and one on the road.
- One game against a team from a division from the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle that the team isn't already scheduled to play based on the previous season's standings.
So, let's have a look at how things shape up for America's Team in 2026.
The Cowboys will play eight games in 2026 against teams that made the NFL Playoffs
First up, of course, the Cowboys will play their usual two games each against their fellow teams from the NFC East, those being the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders.
Next up, with the three-year intraconference rotation dictating that all NFC East teams will play all NFC West teams in 2026, Dallas will face the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks. The West, of course, took three of the top six spots in the NFC playoff standings, with the Seahawks (No. 1), Rams (No. 5), and 49ers (No. 6) combining to go 38-13 during the regular season.
The four-year interconference cycle dictates that all NFC East teams will play all AFC South teams, meaning the Cowboys will square off with the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
As the Cowboys finished second in the NFC East, they'll play the second-place teams from the other two NFC divisions they're not already scheduled to play, meaning they'll face the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And lastly, the rotating cycle dictates that every NFC East team will play the AFC North team that finished in the same position in 2025, meaning Dallas will take on the Baltimore Ravens.
As 2026 is an even year, each NFC team will have nine home games, which obviously means the Cowboys will host nine games at AT&T Stadium—unless they're chosen to serve as the home team in one of the International Series games.
Cowboys 2026 home opponents
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baltimore Ravens
Cowboys 2026 road opponents
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Green Bay Packers
For those scoring at home, the Cowboys' 2026 schedule will feature eight games against teams that made the playoffs, two with the Eagles, plus matchups with the 49ers, Jaguars, Rams, Seahawks, Texans, and Packers.