Cowboys and Texans 2026 Schedule: Confirmed Opponents, Release Date, and Texas Game Guide

The Cowboys and Texans 2026 schedule is partly confirmed, but the complete week-by-week slate is still waiting on the NFL’s full release. As of May 12, 2026, you can already plan around confirmed opponents, a few announced Cowboys dates, and the fact that Dallas is scheduled to visit Houston.

Your best move is to treat this as a planning board until the league publishes every date, kickoff time, and TV window. If you are turning a football weekend into a broader North Texas trip, the Best Museums in Dallas TX list gives you easy indoor options before or after a Cowboys weekend.

The useful part is that the big shape of both Texas NFL seasons is already visible. You can see where the Cowboys and Texans overlap, which road trips matter, and which official pages deserve your attention when the final schedule lands.

What Is Confirmed Before The May 14 NFL Schedule Release

The 2026 NFL schedule release is the line between “opponents are known” and “your calendar is ready.” The NFL’s 2026 schedule release announcement says the full schedule will be released Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

That timing matters because most Cowboys and Texans dates are not official until the full reveal. You can make a watch list now, but you should wait for official dates before locking nonrefundable flights, hotels, or game-weekend plans.

The NFL also says live coverage is scheduled for NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, and NFL+. If you want the fastest update, plan to check NFL.com, the NFL app, and each team site during the release window.

The reason both teams already know their opponents is the NFL’s rotation. NFL Football Operations explains the league’s opponents and scheduling formula, which gives each team 17 games through division matchups, rotating division matchups, placement games, and one extra interconference placement game.

What you should treat as official right now

You can treat official NFL pages, DallasCowboys.com, and HoustonTexans.com as the controlling sources for this topic. Rumor trackers can help you know what people are watching, but they should not drive your bookings unless an official league or team page matches the claim.

You should also separate opponent certainty from date certainty. A matchup can be confirmed without a kickoff time, and that is exactly where the Cowboys at Texans game sits right now.

The clean way to think about the current schedule is simple. Opponents and sites are mostly set, selected Cowboys dates are announced, and the full weekly order is due May 14.

Full Cowboys And Texans 2026 Schedule Details Table

This details table is complete for what official sources have released as of May 12, 2026. Rows marked TBA have confirmed opponents and sites, but the NFL has not yet published the exact date, kickoff time, or TV window.

Use the announced rows as firm calendar anchors and the TBA rows as a watch list. When the NFL releases the full slate, you can replace the pending cells with week, date, time, TV, and ticket details.

Dallas Cowboys 2026 Schedule Snapshot

The Cowboys 2026 schedule already has a clear shape because Dallas knows every opponent and several highlighted dates. If your question is who do the Cowboys play in 2026, the answer starts with NFC East rivals, AFC South opponents, NFC West rotation games, and placement matchups.

The official Cowboys opponent list confirms nine home-designated games and eight road games. Dallas will have one home-designated international game, so you should separate Cowboys “home” from AT&T Stadium dates until the final schedule is complete.

If you are watching Dallas Cowboys opponents for travel, the biggest practical split is home-designated versus away. A home-designated opponent can still shift your trip if the game is moved internationally, and 2026 already includes that kind of wrinkle.

For North Texas weekends, the practical calendar starts with the AT&T Stadium games that remain in Arlington after the Brazil game is separated out. If you want a nearby non-football plan, the Arlington Museum of Art can fit into an Arlington stay without turning the weekend into a full Dallas itinerary.

Cowboys games with announced dates

Dallas already has more official date information than Houston. The NFL schedule release page lists Cowboys at Giants in Week 1 on Sunday, September 13, at 8:20 PM Eastern.

That same official page also lists Eagles at Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, at 4:30 PM Eastern. Those two announced domestic games are useful anchors before the full weekly order is published.

The other major announced Cowboys date is international. The official Cowboys Brazil announcement says Dallas will face Baltimore on September 27, 2026, at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with kickoff listed at 3:25 PM Central on CBS.

Those three announced games give you early anchors, but they do not complete the Cowboys calendar. You still need the May 14 release for the order of the remaining games, bye week, Sunday afternoon windows, and any other national TV placements.

Houston Texans 2026 Schedule Snapshot

The Texans 2026 schedule is clearer by opponent than by date. If your question is who do the Texans play in 2026, you can already sort the season into eight NRG Stadium games and nine road games.

The official Texans opponent breakdown lists the home and road opponents, plus useful strength context from the 2025 season. Houston faces Dallas at NRG Stadium, which makes the Texans home list especially important for in-state fans.

The Houston Texans opponents are balanced between division business and bigger cross-conference names. You get the AFC South home-and-away cycle, AFC North matchups, NFC East matchups, and placement games that send Houston to places like Green Bay and Los Angeles.

The official team breakdown says Houston has eight regular-season games at NRG Stadium and nine road games. If you are planning a Houston trip around one of those home dates, the Houston Hermann Park area can be useful because it keeps you near museums, green space, and the METRORail corridor that many visitors use around NRG events.

What the Texans know before dates arrive

HoustonTexans.com says the Texans face six playoff teams from the 2025 season. It also lists the combined 2025 record of Houston’s 2026 opponents as 112-124-2, which gives you a schedule-strength snapshot before dates and rest advantages are known.

Do not overread that record before the full schedule arrives. A team can have a manageable opponent list on paper, then get a tough travel sequence, short week, or late-season division stretch that changes how the schedule feels.

Your useful takeaway is that the Texans know the teams and locations, not the full rhythm. Once the dates arrive, look first at division spacing, prime-time exposure, and where the Cowboys game lands.

Cowboys At Texans: The Texas Matchup To Circle

The Cowboys Texans game is confirmed for Houston, but the exact date and kickoff time are still pending as of May 12, 2026. Dallas lists Houston as an away opponent, and Houston lists Dallas as a home opponent, so the site is the reliable part right now.

That matchup is the one most Texas-based neutral fans should circle first. You get the state’s two NFL teams in one stadium, and you get a game that can pull both Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston travel demand into the same weekend.

You should wait for the May 14 release before buying travel for Dallas at Houston. Once the date appears, compare hotel rates near NRG Stadium, downtown Houston, the Museum District, and the Galleria before demand catches up.

If you want to stretch the weekend beyond football, you can build a broader Houston sports trip around the Minute Maid Park Houston TX area and nearby downtown stops. That works best if the Cowboys at Texans date lands near another major Houston event or baseball window.

The game also matters because it is not an annual matchup. The Cowboys and Texans do not share a division, so you should treat this as a special calendar event rather than a routine home-and-home rivalry date.

For ticket planning, decide now whether you care more about getting inside the building or getting the right price. High-demand in-state games can move quickly, but rushing before the official date appears can create messy travel changes.

How To Plan Dallas And Arlington Game Weekends

For Cowboys home weekends, you should plan around Arlington first and Dallas second. AT&T Stadium sits in Arlington, so your best hotel choice depends on whether you want stadium convenience, Dallas nightlife, Fort Worth add-ons, or easier driving after the game.

The Cowboys’ home-designated slate includes division rivals, NFC West teams, AFC South teams, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore in Brazil. Since the Baltimore game is already designated for Rio, you should focus Arlington planning on the remaining home games once the full release identifies dates.

If you want the classic Dallas skyline piece of the trip, Reunion Tower Dallas TX is an easy add-on for a Friday arrival or Sunday morning before leaving town. It is better as a city stop than a stadium-area stop, so place it on the side of the weekend when you are already in Dallas.

You should watch the Philadelphia, Washington, and New York dates closely because division games often drive strong local demand. The Thanksgiving Eagles game is already an anchor, and holiday travel usually rewards early planning once ticket and hotel details are official.

For family trips, a Sunday afternoon kickoff gives you more flexibility than a night game. For a night game, you should plan transportation before buying tickets because postgame rides and hotel shuttles can be the difference between a smooth evening and a long wait.

If you are flying in, compare Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field after the date is released. Your better airport can change based on hotel location, rental car plans, and whether you are pairing the Cowboys game with Dallas or Fort Worth time.

How To Plan Houston Game Weekends

For Texans home weekends, start with NRG Stadium and then decide how much Houston you want around it. The Texans have eight confirmed home opponents, including the Cowboys, Ravens, Bills, Giants, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans.

The Cowboys visit will probably be the most obvious Texas travel draw, but Buffalo and Baltimore also stand out because HoustonTexans.com marked both as 2025 playoff teams. You should watch those dates for hotel movement once kickoff windows are known.

For a lower-stress weekend, choose a hotel strategy before you choose seats. You can stay closer to NRG Stadium for game-day simplicity, or you can stay in the Museum District, downtown, or the Galleria if you want more non-football options.

If your trip includes kids or out-of-town guests, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a strong daytime pairing because it works in heat, rain, or awkward kickoff windows. It also fits well with Hermann Park and the broader Museum District.

You should also watch the AFC South dates after release. Colts, Jaguars, and Titans games matter because division placement can change the whole feel of the Texans season, especially if those games cluster late.

For Dallas fans visiting Houston, build a plan that does not depend on one parking option or one rideshare pickup point. Big in-state crowds can make the area around NRG feel different from a lower-demand matchup, and a backup route can save real time.

What To Watch When The Full Schedule Drops

When the full schedule drops, your first scan should not be every game in order. Start by finding Cowboys at Texans, the Cowboys bye week, the Texans bye week, Thanksgiving, international travel, and any short-week spots.

Next, compare home stretches and road stretches. A team with three home games in four weeks can create better local ticket options, while a team with multiple road games in a row can create a tougher competitive window.

Prime-time games matter for more than TV. A Sunday night or Monday night kickoff can affect flights, school-night plans, work schedules, hotel checkout timing, and whether you should extend the trip by a day.

You should also check whether any Cowboys or Texans games fall near major Texas events, concerts, college football weekends, marathons, or holiday periods. Hotel prices can climb even when the NFL matchup itself is not the only draw in town.

For the Cowboys, pay close attention to the spacing around the Rio game because international travel can affect rest and roster rhythm. For the Texans, watch how the road trips to Green Bay, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland are grouped.

You can also use the release to decide which games deserve immediate action and which games can wait. The in-state matchup, holiday game, and prime-time windows usually need faster decisions than a lower-demand Sunday afternoon game.

For tickets, use official team links, NFL links, or verified resale platforms after the matchup date is official. Avoid buying based only on screenshots, social posts, or calendar images that do not point back to an official source.

Your final step is to make two calendars: one for football and one for logistics. Football tells you opponent, date, time, and TV window; logistics tells you airport, hotel, parking, transit, meals, and the backup plan if kickoff changes under league scheduling rules later in the season.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 NFL schedule release?

The 2026 NFL schedule release is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8 PM ET. NFL Network, ESPN2, the ESPN App, and NFL+ are listed for live coverage, and NFL.com says complete team-by-team schedules will appear on NFL.com and the NFL app.

Do the Cowboys play the Texans in 2026?

Yes, the Cowboys play the Texans in 2026, and the game is confirmed for Houston because Dallas lists Houston as an away opponent while Houston lists Dallas as a home opponent. The exact date and kickoff time are still pending until the full schedule is released.

Where is the Cowboys international game in 2026?

The Cowboys international game is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dallas is scheduled to face the Baltimore Ravens on September 27, 2026, at Maracana Stadium, with the Cowboys listing a 3:25 PM Central kickoff on CBS.

Do the Texans have eight or nine home games in 2026?

The Texans have eight regular-season home games at NRG Stadium and nine road games in 2026. Their home opponents are the Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Ravens, Bengals, Bills, Cowboys, and Giants.

Should you book hotels before the full schedule is released?

You should be careful with nonrefundable hotels before the full schedule is released. You can shortlist Dallas, Arlington, and Houston hotel areas now, but the smarter move is to book flexible rates until the NFL publishes exact dates, kickoff times, and sites.

Are leaked Cowboys or Texans dates official?

No date should be treated as official unless it is confirmed by the NFL, the Cowboys, the Texans, or a broadcast partner announcement that the league recognizes. Rumors can help you know what to watch, but your bookings should follow official pages.