The 2026 Hall of Fame Game is the official start to the NFL season, with it being the first game of the preseason slate.

The showdown will take place in Canton, Ohio, where the NFL’s Hall of Fame is held, and will feature the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers this time around. 

It is played on Friday, August 7, with the game scheduled for 10:00 AEST.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Panthers to win

Value bet: ‘ Under’ in total points

Long shot: Panthers by 1-13 pts

Betting Preview

The 2026 Hall of Fame Game is a classic preseason opener. Starters usually see only limited action, so the betting value tends to come from depth, quarterback rotation, and which team treats the game more seriously.

The game is much more about evaluation than winning. Because it is the first preseason game, coaches usually use it to get a brief look at healthy starters, then spend most of the night sorting through backups, rookies, and roster-bubble players.

Unfortunately for fans, that sometimes means that the game can look a bit messy early on, with limited playbooks, conservative game plans, and a whole raft of substitutions. 

The team that handles those details best often has the value, because execution and depth matter more than star power in this setting.

So, expect the likes of Bryce Young, Chuba Hubbard, and Tetairoa McMillan to have limited reps (if any) for the Panthers, while the same could be said for the Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett, Jeremiyah Love, and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Betting Markets to Watch

If you are considering the moneyline, the Carolina Panthers are considered the slight early favourites . They are considered by many to be the cleaner side in terms of the system that they use, despite arguably not being the strongest team on paper.

With that in mind, the Carolina Panthers handicap market] offers slightly more value than the moneyline odds being offered. With the margin very slim, there’s potential value worth exploring here if you believe that they can get their plays moving, particularly early on.

From a betting perspective, the total looks to be a more interesting angle than the side. 

Hall of Fame games tend to feature cautious play-calling, limited offensive installation, and plenty of substitutions, which often creates long stretches of disjointed offense. As a result, this often favours lower-scoring outcomes.

The current total match points market is sitting around the mid-30s, which is not especially high for preseason standards, but it still asks both teams to produce a decent number of efficient drives to get over the number. 

This is why the ‘ Under ’ is likely to be the more probable outcome.

Our Prediction

Our prediction is that the Carolina Panthers will be the likely winners. They have the cleaner system that is likely to work in their favour.

But as a long shot, we think there’s good value worth exploring in the Carolina Panthers by 1-13 Pts outcome in the Big Win Little Win market.