NFL fantasy football events 2026
The 2026 fantasy football calendar has two must-know in-person events — the Fantasy Football Expo in Canton (July 24–26) and Draft Nation's National Fantasy Football Draft Day in Las Vegas (August 20–22) — plus draft season over Labor Day and the September 9 kickoff. Here are the dates, locations, and links. New to salary-cap DFS? Start with the fantasy football hub.
The 2026 events calendar
The Fantasy Football Expo
July 24–26, 2026A fan + industry weekend at the Hall of Fame: live drafts, analyst panels, parties, and a vendor expo.
Event details →Draft Nation — National Fantasy Football Draft Day
August 20–22, 2026A ticketed mass-draft destination weekend — 1,000+ managers, 100+ live drafts, poolside cabanas, celebrity guests, and the Superball Gala.
Event details →Fantasy draft season
~Aug 22 – Sep 8, 2026 (peak Labor Day weekend, Sep 4–7)When most redraft leagues hold their drafts, in the run-up to Week 1.
NFL Kickoff — Week 1 opener
Wednesday, September 9, 2026The Seahawks host the Patriots to open the 2026 season (an unusual Wednesday opener).
Event details →Scott Fish Bowl 16 (charity)
Slow drafts began July 6; live events into early AugustThe huge charity fantasy tournament benefiting Fantasy Cares — online slow drafts plus in-person celebrity/analyst drafts.
Event details →NFFC Las Vegas — live drafts
Sep 4–5 (Circa) & Sep 9–12 (Caesars Palace)High-stakes season-long fantasy drafts and auctions across two Vegas weekends.
Event details →Be first when paid contests open.
Free contests are live in the app today. Join the founders' waitlist for first access to paid contests, a permanent Founding Member badge, and free entry into the launch freeroll.
Join the waitlistAfter your draft: NFL daily fantasy on Runtiva
Those events are about your season-long draft team. Runtiva is the other kind of fantasy: daily fantasy — salary-cap NFL contests you enter fresh each week, no season-long commitment. Draft your redraft team at the Expo or in Vegas, then play a new NFL slate every Sunday on Runtiva, with real-time scoring and same-day payouts. Free contests are live now; paid contests open later this summer — well before Week 1. Join the founders' waitlist for first access.
Frequently asked questions
What are the big fantasy football events in 2026?
The two headline in-person events are The Fantasy Football Expo (July 24–26 in Canton, OH, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Draft Nation's National Fantasy Football Draft Day (August 20–22 at Circa in Las Vegas). Draft season peaks over Labor Day weekend, and the NFL opens Week 1 on September 9, 2026.
When is the National Fantasy Football Draft Day?
Draft Nation's National Fantasy Football Draft Day runs August 20–22, 2026 at Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas — a ticketed weekend built around 100+ live drafts. Details and tickets are at draft-nation.com.
When do most fantasy leagues draft in 2026?
Most redraft leagues draft in the two weeks before kickoff — roughly August 22 to September 8 — with the biggest wave over Labor Day weekend (September 4–7), just before the September 9 opener.
How does Runtiva fit into fantasy football?
Runtiva is daily fantasy — salary-cap NFL contests you enter week to week, separate from your season-long draft league. So you can run your redraft team from one of the events above and still play a fresh NFL slate every week on Runtiva, with real-time scoring and same-day payouts.
Be first when paid contests open.
Free contests are live in the app today. Join the founders' waitlist for first access to paid contests, a permanent Founding Member badge, and free entry into the launch freeroll.
Join the waitlist