The NFL played 49 exhibition games in the completed 2026 NFL preseason.
The total consisted of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game plus three regular preseason weeks. Each of those three weeks contained 16 games, producing 48 standard-week games. Adding the Canton opener gives 49.
The Hall of Fame Game was played before the numbered preseason weeks and therefore is easy to overlook when counting. Carolina and Arizona played in that opener, which gave both clubs an additional exhibition compared with the other 30 teams.
Preseason games are official NFL games for scheduling and statistics purposes, but their results do not carry into regular-season standings. Coaches use them primarily to evaluate backups, rookies, special-teams players and position battles before roster reductions.