The Chargers will once again spend plenty of time traveling in 2026, ranking seventh in total miles traveled. The good news? After leading the NFL in travel last season, they at least avoid any international games this year.
The Los Angeles Chargers are no strangers to life on the road. After leading the NFL in travel miles during the 2025 season, the Chargers once again find themselves near the top of the league in 2026. This year, however, things are at least a little more manageable.
According to Bill Speros of Bookies.com, the Chargers are expected to travel 24,816 miles during the 2026 season, which ranks seventh-most in the league. While that is still a massive amount of travel compared to many other teams, it is a noticeable drop from last season when the Chargers traveled more than 37,000 miles and led the NFL in total mileage.
There is one major positive this time around: no international games.
That alone should make life easier for Jim Harbaugh’s team. Last season featured a brutal travel schedule that included the season opener in Brazil and several cross-country road trips that forced the Chargers to constantly battle jet lag and disrupted routines. Harbaugh and the coaching staff even adjusted travel strategies throughout the season, including extended East Coast stays, just to help players recover.
Compared to that, 2026 feels a little less chaotic.
Still, the Chargers won’t exactly have it easy. Their longest trips this season include road games against the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens, with each trip totaling more than 4,600 miles round trip. West Coast teams almost always end up near the top of these travel rankings simply because of geography, and the Chargers are no exception.
The good news is that heavy travel has not necessarily translated into poor performance around the league. In fact, the Chargers still managed to make the playoffs in 2025 despite having the NFL’s toughest travel schedule. Several other teams near the top of the mileage rankings also made deep postseason runs.
That said, there is no question that travel adds another layer of difficulty over a 17-game season. Recovery becomes more important, preparation time gets tighter and even simple things like sleep schedules can become an issue. Those challenges tend to show up most late in the season when injuries and fatigue start piling up.
Fortunately for the Chargers, this roster appears deeper than it was a year ago. If the offensive line can hold up and the team stays relatively healthy, the travel schedule alone should not derail what could be another playoff-caliber season.
And honestly, after what the Chargers dealt with in 2025, seventh-most probably feels like a break.