Lost in the 2021 NFL schedule release's manufactured hoopla was the return of a preseason rivalry matchup. No, it won't be during the regular season. It is a preseason matchup.
The NFL is reducing the preseason to three games after eliminating it entirely for one season in 2020 due to the pandemic, and after adding a week to the regular season. The San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders — then in Oakland — faced each other in an annual exhibition matchup for 11 consecutive seasons between 2001 and 2011.
The rivalry game, previously labeled as the "Battle of the Bay," returns in 2021, with the Raiders scheduled to visit Levi's Stadium to close out the three-game preseason schedule.
San Francisco opens its exhibition schedule by hosting the Kansas City Chiefs and then traveling south to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
As stated above, the 49ers and Raiders last played in the preseason in 2011. The series came to an end after violence between the two fanbases broke out at Candlestick Park during the last exhibition meeting. The two teams playing each other benefit from reducing travel time for each squad, even after the Raiders left the Bay Area for Las Vegas in 2020.
There was a report that the series between the two teams would return last year, but the Raiders were nowhere to be found on the 49ers' preseason schedule before the entire exhibition slate of games was eliminated.
The teams have played two regular-season games since 2011, with each squad winning one game. The 49ers traveled to Oakland in 2014, losing 24-13, and then hosted the final Battle of the Bay matchup in 2018, winning 34-3.
You can find the 49ers' preseason schedule below. The exact dates and times will be announced later.
| Week | Date/Time | Opponent |
| 1 | TBA, August 13-16 | Chiefs |
| 2 | TBA, August 20-23 | at Chargers |
| 3 | TBA, August 27-29 | Raiders |
You can find San Francisco's entire 2021 regular season schedule here.