Photo: Aaron Brethorst. Source (Openverse). License: CC BY 3.0. Photographed January 10, 2014; historical NFL context, not a confirmed 2027 playoff venue.
The 2027 NFL playoffs are scheduled to start Saturday, January 16, 2027, with Wild Card Weekend running January 16-18. These are the playoffs for the 2026 regular season, not the season beginning in fall 2027. The source snapshot for this static calendar guide is October 5, 2026, so distinguish scheduled game dates from the separate timing fields on Kalshi playoff-qualification contracts.
Sources checked October 5, 2026: the NFL important-dates calendar, NFL tiebreaking procedures, the exact KXNFLPLAYOFF-27 event, its Kalshi series record, and the full linked contract terms.
The NFL calendar establishes the scheduled rounds. The Kalshi records describe qualification contracts, not a postseason schedule or a forecast of which teams will advance.
The official calendar lists these five milestones. Every date below falls in 2027, including Week 18 of the 2026 regular season.
| 2027 dates | Scheduled event |
|---|---|
| January 9-10 | Week 18, the final regular-season weekend |
| January 16-18 | Wild Card Weekend, the opening playoff round |
| January 23-24 | Divisional Playoffs |
| January 31 | AFC and NFC Championship Games |
| February 14 | Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California |
These entries are scheduled dates as of the snapshot. The NFL does not mark these five calendar entries tentative, but a published sports schedule is not a guarantee against later changes. A round spanning several dates also does not mean every team plays on every listed day.
The checked sources did not establish exact 2027 Wild Card matchups, kickoff hours, venues, or broadcasters. Do not substitute kickoff times from the previous postseason.
The NFL schedule page says specific Week 18 matchup dates, start times, and networks will be announced following Week 17. That regular-season scheduling process is separate from confirming the playoff bracket.
For championship-day context, use the separate Super Bowl LXI calendar and verification guide.
At the October 5, 2026, 05:31:50 UTC snapshot, Kalshi’s Pro Football Playoff Qualifiers series contained the KXNFLPLAYOFF-27 event, subtitled “2026-27,” with 32 active team contracts. Those were 32 listings, not 32 playoff berths. Their observed status does not guarantee later availability.
One verified example, KXNFLPLAYOFF-27-BAL, was titled “Will Baltimore be one of the 2026-27 Pro Football playoff qualifiers?” Its primary rule stated: “If Baltimore is one of the Pro Football playoff qualifiers, then the market resolves to Yes.”
These are different questions. Qualifying does not require winning a Wild Card game or the championship. Several teams can qualify, so these contracts should not be treated as one mutually exclusive winner list.
The NFL’s rules provide for three Wild Card clubs from each conference. Tied records do not automatically produce identical qualification outcomes. Same-division and cross-division ties follow different procedures, so consult the linked tiebreakers rather than reducing qualification to one comparison.
All 32 observed contracts carried the following timing fields:
These dated API fields neither move the January 16 game start nor promise trading through January 25. They also do not guarantee settlement or payment on January 11.
The series lists ESPN and the governing league as settlement sources without establishing a precedence rule. The linked terms are a generic achievement document, not a dedicated 2027 rulebook; their broader source list also names the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox Sports. This guide does not decide legal precedence between the template and API fields. They address official results, disqualification, delays, cancellation, review, and fractional-payout contingencies. Read the full terms rather than assuming instant settlement or a universal binary payout. The Kalshi settlement guide explains the broader mechanics.
The 2027 NFL playoffs are scheduled to start Saturday, January 16, 2027, according to the NFL important-dates calendar checked October 5, 2026. This postseason follows the 2026 regular season. Week 18 is scheduled for January 9-10, one weekend before the opening playoff round.
Wild Card Weekend is scheduled for January 16-18, 2027. Those dates cover the opening playoff round, not three games for each participating team. The next round, the Divisional Playoffs, is scheduled for January 23-24. Matchup-specific scheduling requires a separate check of the NFL’s published schedule.
The sources checked for this guide did not establish confirmed Wild Card matchups, kickoff times, venues, or broadcasters. The official round dates alone cannot supply those details. Check the NFL schedule for subsequent announcements, and do not reuse kickoff hours or television assignments from the 2026 postseason.
The October 5 snapshot showed January 11 as expected expiration and January 25 as close time and latest expiration, with early closing enabled. These are qualification-contract timing fields, not game dates or guaranteed payout deadlines. January 16 remains the scheduled start of playoff games; qualification concerns reaching that postseason.
Not financial advice. Prediction-market trading is speculative, and you can lose money. Do your own research.