How NFL used AI & analytics technology to create the 2026 international, prime-time schedules
How NFL used AI & analytics technology to create the 2026 international, prime-time schedules
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-used-ai-analytics-technology-080001277.html
Publish Date: 2026-05-13 04:00:00
Source Domain: ca.sports.yahoo.com
How NFL used AI & analytics technology to create the 2026 international, prime-time schedules originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Everything the NFL does seems to be meticulously planned out months or even years in advance, from Super Bowl dates and locations to the annual draft. The schedule is one major exception.
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The league typically doesn’t announce when the schedule will be released until just a few days before the reveal, leaving fans in the dark until about mid-May, when the spectacle that has become the schedule release takes place.
The NFL doesn’t wait so long to announce a date just for fun. The league combs through large amounts of data to determine which games should be played in which windows, from early Sunday afternoon kickoffs to Thanksgiving and Christmas schedules and beyond..
As the league continues to expand its international slate, finding the right balance for all 32 teams is becoming even more of a science. AI is helping the NFL sort through it all.
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Here’s a closer look at how the NFL relies on AI and analytics to build out its 272-game schedule.
MORE:Tracking 2026 NFL schedule leaks
How many international games are on the NFL schedule?
The 2026 NFL season will feature a record nine international games, split between the following seven cities:
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London, England (3 games)
With about half of the league playing an international game (the Jaguars will play two), the schedule has become even more complex to create. The distance required to travel to some of those countries, particularly Australia, forces the NFL to account for where and when teams play in the weeks surrounding their international game.
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Here’s some insight into how the league manages the convoluted process.
MORE:Every NFL team’s strength of schedule in 2026
How NFL creates international schedule
The NFL still leaves much of the science behind its schedule to mystery, but the league has…
