The Cowboys Open Preseason Saturday Against the Champs, and Play Just One Game at Home

The Cowboys begin their 2026 preseason Saturday, and the draw is not gentle: Aug. 15 at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions.

The schedule details below are from the team's announcement.

Three games, one at home

• Saturday, Aug. 15 - at Seattle. The exhibition opener, and a preview of a return trip: the Cowboys also visit Seattle in December during the regular season.
• Saturday, Aug. 22 - at Arizona. The team breaks training camp in Oxnard, California around Aug. 21 and heads straight to the Cardinals, another opponent that reappears on the regular season schedule Nov. 1 at AT&T Stadium.
• Friday, Aug. 28 - vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m. The only preseason game at AT&T Stadium, and it comes with a storyline: the Saints are coached by Kellen Moore, the former Cowboys quarterback and offensive coordinator.

Why only one home game

With 17 regular-season games, the NFL alternates which teams get the extra home date, and this is the Cowboys' year to carry nine regular-season home games with just one preseason date at home.

There is a catch in that math, though. One of the nine "home" games, Sept. 27 against Baltimore, will be played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fans planning around the home slate will actually get eight games at AT&T Stadium this fall.

The camp calendar

The team has been in Oxnard since late July, and camp is expected to wrap Aug. 21, meaning the Seattle trip comes near the end of a nearly four-week California stay before the team returns to its Frisco headquarters ahead of the home finale of the exhibition slate.

Sources

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/cowboys-announce-dates-times-for-2026-preseason-schedule