Still days away from even officially hitting the new league year, the NFL has announced an important date on the calendar for the upcoming season.
On Wednesday, the NFL revealed that the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers will kick off the 2026 preseason as opponents in the annual “Hall of Fame Game” in Canton, Ohio.
Arizona and Carolina are coming off very different 2025 seasons
The two teams, who are coming off very different 2025 seasons, will square off on Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, playing under the backdrop of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Arizona went 3-14 last season while the Panthers won the NFC South with an 8-9 record.
With Carolina looking ahead to another season for Bryce Young to continue in his development and for the team to build off its playoff experience, the Cardinals’ future is also much more in flux based on their plan to release former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray on March 11.
Cardinals vs. Panthers makes sense as the 2026 HOF Game
Of course, the reason for pitting the Cardinals and Panthers against each other in the NFL’s preseason opening game that’s been in existence since 1962 connects to two of the members of the Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.
First-ballot inductees in former Panthers linebacker and 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and Larry Fitzgerald, a Cardinals icon and regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers in league history, will take their place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s museum known as “Football Heaven” that same weekend.
For more on their resumes, Fitzgerald caught 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards and made 11 Pro Bowls during his 17-year career. As for Kuechly, he recorded 1,092 total tackles, picked off 18 passes and forced seven fumbles in just eight years, making seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams.
Joining Fitzgerald and Kuechly will be fellow first-ballot two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl champion Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Patriots/Colts clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri and running back Roger Craig, mostly known for his time on three of the 49ers’ Super Bowl-winning teams.