While the Minnesota Vikings ended their 2025 season with five consecutive victories, their 9-8 record wasn't quite good enough to get them to the playoffs for the second straight year. As such, it's time to look toward the 2026 campaign.
Now, given the team's salary cap issues and the fact that a number of key contributors on both sides of the football are set to hit free agency (or perhaps retirement in Harrison Smith's case), it's obviously hard to know exactly what the Vikings' roster will look like next season.
What we do know, however, is who Minnesota will play in 2026. While the week-by-week schedule won't be revealed until the spring, the complete list of the 14 opponents the Vikings will face was finalized once the 2025 campaign concluded.
For those who might be unfamiliar with how a team's 17 games are determined, the following criteria are used:
- Six games against every other team within the division — two per team; one at home and one on the road
- Four games against teams from a specific division within its conference on a rotating, three-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
- Four games against teams from a specific division in the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
- Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions within the same conference based on the previous season's standings; one at home and one on the road.
- One game against a team from a division from the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle that the team isn't already scheduled to play based on the previous season's standings.
The Vikings will play eight games in 2026 against teams that made the NFL Playoffs
To lead off, of course, the Vikings will play their usual two games each against their rivals from the NFC North in the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers.
Next, with the three-year intraconference rotation dictating that all NFC North teams will play all NFC South teams in 2026, Minnesota will take on the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The four-year interconference cycle dictates that all NFC North teams will play all AFC East teams, meaning the Vikings will square off with the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
As the Vikings finished third in the NFC North, they'll play the third-place teams from the other two NFC divisions they're not already scheduled to play, meaning they'll face the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers.
And finally, the rotating cycle dictates that every NFC North team will play the AFC South team that finished in the same position in 2025, meaning Minnesota will battle the Indianapolis Colts.
As 2026 is an even year, each NFC team will have nine home games, which obviously means the Vikings will host nine games at U.S. Bank Stadium—unless they're chosen to serve as the home team in one of the International Series games.
Vikings 2026 Home Opponents
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Commanders
- Indianapolis Colts
Vikings 2026 Road Opponents
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- San Francisco 49ers
For those wondering, the Vikings' 2026 schedule will feature eight games against teams that made the postseason, with two each against the Bears and Packers, as well as matchups with the Panthers, Bills, Patriots, and 49ers.