How sports schedules actually get made
The formulas, rules, and traditions behind every schedule you mock on MockSlate — written to answer the questions fans actually ask.
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When Does the 2027 NFL Schedule Come Out? Release Date History and What to Expect
The full 2027 NFL schedule will almost certainly drop in the second week of May 2027 — here's the release-date history since 2018 and the pattern behind it.
How scheduling works
View all 6 →The formulas, rules, and constraints behind every schedule.
World Cup 2030 Draw: How the Pots Work and When It Happens
FIFA hasn't announced the 2030 World Cup draw date or pot structure. Here's how the 2026 draw actually worked — pots, seeding, constraints — and what that precedent projects for 2030, clearly labeled.
How World Cup Qualifying Works, Confederation by Confederation
How teams qualify for the World Cup: six confederations, six separate competitions, and an intercontinental playoff for the last places — plus where every 2030 qualifying format stands today.
The 2030 World Cup Format, Explained: 48 Teams, 6 Countries, 104 Matches
The 2030 World Cup format: 48 teams, 12 groups of four, a round of 32, and 104 matches across Spain, Portugal, and Morocco — plus three centenary openers in South America. Every rule, explained.
Release dates
When schedules drop — history, patterns, and what to expect.
When Do NBA Schedules Come Out? Release-Date History and What to Expect
The NBA releases its full schedule in mid-August, almost always at 3 p.m. ET. Here's the exact release date for every recent season, why the date keeps creeping earlier, and what drops before the main event.
We Studied NerdingonNFL's 2026 Standalone-Game Grid: What It Gets Right About How the NFL Thinks
NerdingonNFL and OzzyNFL tracked every 2026 leak in real time on one shared grid. Here's what watching it fill reveals about how the NFL assembles its season.
History & traditions
View all 11 →Holiday slates, broadcast eras, and how we got here.
The 2026-27 NBA Schedule vs. 22 Years of History: What Changed, What Didn't, and What Nobody Noticed
The full 2026-27 NBA schedule is out. We ran it against a 22-season database of 26,000+ games — the streaks that grew, the droughts that didn't end, a Christmas first for Minnesota, and the quiet end of the back-to-back decline.
Thanksgiving Football Since 1966: Every Game, Every Host, and the One Franchise That's Never Played
Every NFL Thanksgiving game since 1966 — 146 played plus the 2026 tripleheader. Detroit and Dallas's real records, every host, the shutouts and streaks, and the one franchise that has never played on the holiday.
The NFL Abroad: Every International Game Since 2005, and Why the "Home" Team Keeps Losing
Every NFL international game since 2005 — 62 played across nine cities, plus the record 2026 slate that makes it 71 in twelve. London's 45, the designated-home team's losing record, and the one franchise that's only been abroad once.
Team guides
View all 51 →Opponents, matchups, and scheduling history, team by team.
Cameroon's Road to 2030: World Cup Qualifying Status and History
Cameroon haven't qualified for the 2030 World Cup — CAF hasn't announced its format. Their status, Africa's most-traveled World Cup record, the 1990 breakthrough no later run has matched, and why they missed 2026.
Sweden's Road to 2030: World Cup Qualifying Status and History
Sweden haven't qualified for the 2030 World Cup — UEFA's format is announced in shape but not schedule. Their status after a playoff return to the 2026 knockouts, and a record whose summit is a home final sixty-eight years back, with two third places forty-four years apart.
Ivory Coast's Road to 2030: World Cup Qualifying Status and History
Ivory Coast haven't qualified for the 2030 World Cup — CAF hasn't announced its format. Their status after the tournament that changed the record: a first-ever knockout appearance in 2026, behind three group exits, two of them in groups ranked among the hardest of their eras.
Data & rankings
View all 12 →Best, worst, most — the numbers behind the slate.
Rams Home & Road Records: Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Back
The Rams are 262-197-3 at home and 220-241-5 on the road since 1966 — a top-six road franchise across three cities and six home stadiums, from the Coliseum to Anaheim to St. Louis to SoFi.
Vikings Home & Road Records: Four Stadiums, One Cold-Weather Truth
The Vikings are 303-158-3 at home since 1966 — 5th in the NFL, one spot ahead of Green Bay — across four stadiums. The Met vs. the domes, seven perfect home seasons, and the December splits.
Packers Home & Road Records: When Lambeau Became a Fortress
The Packers are 299-158-8 at home and 211-249-5 on the road since 1966 — and .747 at Lambeau since Milwaukee ended in 1994. Favre vs. Rodgers, December records, and the NFL's strangest tie.
Fan community
View all 6 →The people covering the games — podcasts, channels, and fan communities.
The Evolution of ThatsGoodSports: How Brandon Perna Became Football's Comedy Channel
From editing early YouTube hits in LA to a fake sports desk in Denver: how Brandon Perna built ThatsGoodSports into the NFL's comedy channel, one Broncos heartbreak at a time.
The Best Lions Podcasts & YouTube Channels in 2026: A Fan's Guide
A fan's guide to the people covering the Detroit Lions in 2026 — the SB Nation institution, two daily shows, and a live-streaming crew that skips the hot takes. Grouped by what you're in the mood for, not ranked.
The Evolution of Voch Lombardi (2015–2026): Film School for Cowboys Fans
How a former offensive lineman turned a YouTube hobby into one of the most respected film voices in Cowboys media — and ended up co-founding a network with a Super Bowl-winning scout.