The wait is nearly over! The 2023 NFL season kicks off on Thursday, September 7 when the Detroit Lions travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Expect plenty of fireworks on opening night from NFL MVP odds favorite Patrick Mahomes, who led the league in passing yards and touchdowns a year ago, and continues to find new and inventive ways of confounding defenses with his no-look passes and endless creativity. The five-time Pro Bowler is entering his prime at age 27, and appears poised to be the face of the league for years to come.
Mahomes will need to bring his A-game against the frisky Lions, who won five of their final six games last season to finish above .500 for the first time since 2017. Detroit has since bolstered its defense with the acquisitions of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Cameron Sutton, both of whom should pay immediate dividends in what was a dicey secondary. The offense will also benefit from the addition of explosive running back David Montgomery, who led the Chicago Bears in rushing from 2019 to 2021 and averaged a career-high 9.3 yards per reception last season. Add it all up and it's easy to see why optimism is running high in the Motor City.
The NFL's eagerly anticipated return isn't the only reason for excitement in September. Fans can also look forward to oodles of NCAAF action, the U.S. Open, the FIBA World Cup Championship, UFC 293, and the 2023 WNBA Playoffs.
Stay on top of all upcoming games and tournaments with our freshly updated September sports calendar below.
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac
September 2
Accor Arena (Paris, France)
CFL Week 13
September 2-4
Various venues
F1 Italian Grand Prix
September 3
Autodromo Nazionale Monza (Monza, Italy)
NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500
September 3
Darlington Raceway (Darlington, SC)
NCAAF Week 2
September 5-11
Various venues
NFL Season Kickoff: Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs
September 7
Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo)
NFL Week 1
September 7-12
Various venues
CFL Week 14
September 8-9
Various venues
U.S. Open Women's Final
September 9
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (Queens, NY)
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland
September 9
Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney, Australia)
U.S. Open Men's Final
September 10
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (Queens, NY)
NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400
September 10
Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, KS)
FIBA World Cup Championship Game
September 10
Mall of Asia Arena (Manila, Philippines)
NCAAF Week 3
September 12-18
Various venues
NFL Week 2
September 13-19
Various venues
WNBA Playoffs
September 13 - October 20
Venues TBD
PGA Fortinet Championship
September 14-17
Silverado Resort and Spa (Napa, CA)
Roberto Clemente Day
September 15
Various venues across MLB
Luis Alberto Lopez vs. Joet Gonzalez featherweight title fight
September 15
American Bank Center (Corpus Christi, TX)
CFL Week 15
September 15-16
Various venues
UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2
September 16
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race
September 16
Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN)
F1 Singapore Grand Prix
September 17
Singapore Street Circuit (Marina Bay, Singapore)
NCAAF Week 4
September 19-25
Various venues
NFL Week 3
September 20-26
Various venues
CFL Week 16
September 22-23
Various venues
LIV Golf Chicago
September 22-24
Rich Harvest Farms (Sugar Grove, IL)
Laver Cup
September 22-24
Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot
September 23
UFC Apex (Las Vegas, NV)
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce 2 WBO heavyweight title fight
September 23
OVO Arena Wembley (London, UK)
F1 Japanese Grand Prix
September 24
Suzuka International Racing Course (Suzuka City, Japan)
NASCAR AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
September 24
Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX)
NFL Week 4
September 27 - October 3
Various venues
NCAAF Week 5
September 26 - October 2
Various venues
CFL Week 17
September 29-30
Various venues
Ryder Cup
September 29 - October 1
Marco Simone Golf Course (Rome, Italy)
Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo super middleweight title fight
September 30
Venue TBD (Las Vegas, NV)
