Champion Seahawks to kick off 2026 NFL season on a Wednesday

The Seattle Seahawks will begin the first step in their defense of their Super Bowl title on a Wednesday as opposed to the traditional Thursday opener to the NFL's regular season.

The NFL has yet to announce an opponent for the Seahawks, who will host the 2026 opener on Sept. 9.

Seattle is playing one day earlier than usual because of the league's first-ever regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia, pitting the Los Angeles Rams against the NFC West-rival San Francisco 49ers.

The Australia game will take place Friday...