The 2026 NFL schedule is set to be released this Thursday night. Several games have been leaked, such as the full international schedule, which includes an NFL-record nine games. We also know the first few primetime matchups, such as the Cowboys at Giants on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 1, and Broncos at Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.”

While we don’t know the full NFL schedule just yet, we do know the opponents each team will play — home and away. Now that we also have the full international schedule, we know which teams will have the toughest travel schedules this upcoming season. 

Bill Speros of Bookies.com has calculated all of the miles each NFL team will travel in 2026, measuring from stadium to stadium. He discovered that teams will travel a total of 628,873 miles this year, which equals 25.2 trips around the circumference of the Earth. Let’s take a look at Speros’ research:

49ers set to make travel history

The 49ers are expected to break an NFL record with over 38,100 miles traveled. A big reason why is because they are participating in the first NFL Australia game, but also make a trip to Mexico City in Week 11. The 49ers will become the first NFL team to play multiple international games in non-consecutive weeks. Speros says the 49ers will cross 58 time zones, breaking the record of 42 set by the Chargers last year. 

There is a caveat, however. If the 49ers bundle their two trips east (Giants and Falcons), they would not break the miles traveled record, per CBS Sports Research. However, we don’t know if those games will be close together on the schedule. Maybe the NFL gives San Francisco a break and puts those road matchups on back-to-back weeks so the 49ers can stay on that side of the country.

Panthers winners of the travel lottery

While the 49ers will travel the most miles in 2026, the Panthers will travel the fewest with 8,740. San Francisco travels 4.4x more miles than Carolina this year! The Panthers will make just six time zone changes, and don’t travel west of Minneapolis.

It’s a pretty nice benefit for the Panthers, who surprised many by clinching the NFC South last year for the first time since their last Super Bowl appearance with an 8-9 record. The Panthers kept up their momentum in the offseason, luring former Eagles pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd to Charlotte with lucrative contracts in free agency. This is a team that wants to continue to improve, and the league has handed the franchise a big bonus with a lax travel schedule.