While Bucs fans are ready for the full 2026 NFL schedule to be released at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday night, there are always leaks — and some game announcements — during the week leading up to the official release. That means we’ll begin to get an idea of how the Bucs’ 2026 slate is shaping up before it’s fully released.

Tampa Bay’s opponents for the 2026 season have been set since the 2025 regular season came to a bitter end in January. Todd Bowles’ squad has nine home games and eight road games in this make-or-break season, with the opponents as follows:

HOME:

Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints

AWAY:

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints

The Bucs will face six teams from the 2025 playoff field. Five of them come to Raymond James Stadium, with the Packers, defending AFC North champion Steelers, Chargers, Rams and defending NFC South champion Panthers visiting Tampa. The Bucs obviously have the return game to face the Panthers in Carolina, plus they have a trip to Chicago to match up with the defending NFC North champion Bears.

PewterReport.com is keeping track of any Buccaneer schedule leaks here.

***DISCLAIMER: None of these reports are absolutely official unless otherwise noted.

Bucs 2026 Schedule Leaks

PRESEASON WEEK 1 – Buccaneers at Jets
PRESEASON WEEK 2 – Buccaneers vs. Chiefs
PRESEASON WEEK 3 – Buccaneers at Jaguars

WEEK 1 – Sept. 13: Buccaneers at Bengals – 1:00 p.m. ET
WEEK 2 – Sept. 20: Buccaneers vs. Browns – 1:00 p.m. ET
WEEK 3
WEEK 4 – Oct. 4: Packers at Buccaneers – 1:00 p.m. ET
WEEK 5 – Oct. 8: Buccaneers at Cowboys – Thursday Night Football
WEEK 6 – Oct. 18: Steelers at Buccaneers
WEEK 7
WEEK 8 – Nov. 1: Falcons at Buccaneers – 1:00pm ET
WEEK 9 – Nov. 8: Buccaneers at Bears – Sunday Night Football
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
WEEK 12 – Nov. 30: Panthers at Buccaneers – Monday Night Football
WEEK 13
WEEK 14
WEEK 15
WEEK 16
WEEK 17
WEEK 18

1:58 p.m. Thursday, May 14 – @NerdingonNFL has reported that Bucs will have their home opener in Week 2 against the Browns. That game is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.

12:01 p.m. Thursday, May 14 – Broadcaster Chris Myers, who also calls all of the Bucs’ preseason games on WFLA with color commentator Rondé Barber, is reporting that Tampa Bay will start their preseason on the road at the Jets, then home against the Chiefs in the second week and will finish up the preseason with a road game against the Jaguars.

11:50 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – @NerdingonNFL is reporting that the Packers will play the Bucs in Tampa Bay in Week 4 on Oct. 4. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. ET.

11:45 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – @NerdingonNFL is reporting that the Bucs will opening the 2026 season on the road in Cincinnati vs. Joe Burrow and the Bengals. The Bucs play on the road in Week 1 for the fourth time in five years since Todd Bowles became the head coach in Tampa Bay.

11:40 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – @OzzyNFL is reporting that the Bucs will playing the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 5 on Oct. 8 on Thursday Night Football.

11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14 — Based on leaks of Week 1 matchups for other teams throughout the league, many have been narrowing down the options for the Bucs’ 2026 season opener in recent days. After the Saints and Lions were rumored to be playing each other in Week 1, that’s two more options off the board.

And as James Yarcho pointed out, that leaves two options left for Tampa Bay’s opener: at Cincinnati or at Baltimore.

9:00 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – The Bucs will have at least two primetime games in 2026, as @OzzyNFL reports that Tampa Bay will host Carolina in Week 12 with a Monday Night Football game on November 30.

8:55 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – Steelers insider Andrew Fillipponi reports that the Bucs will host the Steelers in Week 6 on Sunday, October 18.

8:45 a.m. Thursday, May 14 – According to @OzzyNFL, the Bucs will host the Falcons in Week 8 on November 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

9:32 p.m. Wednesday, May 13 – WFLA’s Aileen Hnatiuk reported on Wednesday night the first big bombshell regarding the Bucs schedule. With much anticipation made about who Tampa Bay could play in primetime, the first game revealed for such airing will be when the Bucs take on the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 9. That game will take place at Soldier Field with more details to come.

7:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 13 – The NFL’s 2026 International Games schedule has apparently been finalized, and the Bucs will not be playing overseas in 2026. With Tampa Bay set to play at Dallas, at New Orleans, at Detroit and at Atlanta this year and all of those teams hosting games in foreign countries, there were four chances that the Bucs would play overseas. But that won’t be the case.

With no international games on the 2026 schedule, the furthest trip Tampa Bay has to make for any away game this year is Dallas, which is only a two-and-a-half-hour plane ride. The Bucs host both teams from Los Angeles – the Rams and Chargers – in Tampa.

8:00 p.m. Monday, May 11 – As Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams wrote in his 2026 mock schedule and Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds also wrote in this week’s Bucs Mailbag, Bruno Mars has tour dates at Raymond James Stadium Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, which would force the Bucs to open up the 2026 season away from home. This would be the second straight season and the fourth time in five years that Tampa Bay has opened up on the road.

11:01 a.m. Monday, May 11 – Chris Myers, the preseason voice of the Bucs on WFLA News Channel 8, posted some early schedule news Monday morning centered on the team’s preseason slate. According to Myers, Tampa Bay looks to be starting its three-game preseason schedule on the road against the Jets before coming home for Week 2 of the preseason. Then, the exhibition finale will come on the road.

Pewter Report Podcast: Bucs 2026 Schedule Release Show At 7:30 PM ET

Be sure to join Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday for a special Bucs 2026 Schedule Release Show edition of the Pewter Report Podcast on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel. The show will also be streamed live on the @PewterReport Facebook and X channels, too.