The NFL is finally back, and football's regular season officially kicks off this week. The viewing options for the season are vast and can get a bit complicated. Fortunately, we've combed through all of the watch options and the 2025-2026 schedule to identify everything you need to know about how to watch NFL games.
All 32 teams are slated to play 17 games (with one bye week each) in the 2025-2026 regular season, plus the wild card, divisional rounds, conference championships, and Super Bowl. This means that there are just under 300 NFL games that you can watch this season. The games are spread far and wide, appearing on regional sports networks, nationally broadcast networks, and streaming services (with some games exclusively available on streamers).
Preseason ran for three weeks in August (in addition to one game at the very end of July), and the regular season formally kicks off on Thursday, September 4, with a Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game. The regular season will run until January 4, 2026, after which point the Playoffs will begin with a slate of wild card games.
The viewing options get tricky, so we'll break down absolutely everything you need to know about watching the NFL this season. We've highlighted cable networks and live streaming options in the US, as well as international streaming options. We'll keep this guide updated throughout the season, so you can always check back for more information.
How to watch all NFL games on every major platform
Look below for a detailed breakdown of which networks and streaming services will air specific NFL games. This chart is for local in-market and national broadcasts during the regular season. Out-of-market games are not available with these services.
| AFC afternoon games (CBS) | NFC afternoon games (Fox) | Sunday Night Football (NBC) | Monday Night Football (ESPN) | Thursday Night Football | NFL Network games | |
| Antenna | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No* | No |
| DirecTV MySports | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sling TV Orange + Blue** | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| FuboTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESPN Unlimited | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Paramount Plus | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Peacock Premium | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| NFL+ (mobile only) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*Thursday night games will be available over-the-air in the home markets of the two competing teams.
**Sling TV's available NBC, FOX, and ABC games are subject to regional variability.
How to stream NFL games without cable
Below, we'll dive deeper into all your NFL streaming options. We'll show you how to watch Thursday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and more, whether you want an all-inclusive streaming service or cheaper monthly subscriptions.
DirecTV
DirecTV is one of the best cable alternatives, and the new genre packs can help you watch what you want without breaking the bank. While you can find a vast selection of channels in the service's signature plans (especially Choice and above), the MySports genre pack has everything you'll need to watch NFL broadcasts, with the exception of streaming exclusives like Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
DirecTV MySports carries ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS, in addition to several other popular sports networks. Local channel coverage is fairly broad, but it's a good idea to double-check what's available in your region before subscribing. The genre pack also unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited. The month-to-month service costs $70 a month, but new users can get $10 a month off their first two months after a five-day free trial. Those who want to watch NFL RedZone can add on the MySports Extra for an additional $13 a month (with the first month included).
Sling TV
If you're looking for a live TV streaming service to watch football, Sling TV is a great budget option that gives you most of the channels you need at a cheaper price than Hulu or Fubo. There are three different plans, depending on what channels you prioritize. Sling Orange and Sling Blue each cost $46 a month, while the combined Sling Orange + Blue plan costs $61 a month. Additionally, you can purchase the Sling Blue Sports Extra package to add NFL RedZone to your plan for $11 a month.
The Blue plan has NFL Network, as well as Fox, NBC, and ABC in select markets, while the Orange plan has ESPN. Notably, Sling doesn't offer CBS. We recommend going with Sling Orange + Blue to get access to the most NFL content Sling offers all season long. The streamer recently launched a five-month season pass, which costs $199 per individual plan or $274 for Sling Orange + Blue.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox (select markets)
- Sunday Night Football on NBC (select markets)
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- NFL Network games
What you don't get:
- Local games on CBS
- Thursday Night Football games
- Out-of-market games
Fubo
At $85 a month for the Pro plan, Fubo TV offers the same selection of NFL games you can find on DirecTV and more options than Sling TV. It boasts all the network and cable channels you need to watch local and primetime games. If you want Red Zone, you can add the Sports Plus package for $11 per month. First-time customers can try out any of the base plans free for five days and can usually get about $30 off their first month of service. Fubo also just introduced a new Sports plan for $56 a month. The new plan is only available in select markets and is missing NBC.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox
- Local games on CBS
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- NFL Network games
What you don't get:
- Thursday Night Football games
- Out-of-market games
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is another service that offers access to local and primetime NFL games. It costs $83 a month, but new members can get their first two months for $50 a month after a free trial. This is $66 in savings before the plan begins to charge you at the standard rate. Additionally, the service offers NFL Redzone in their Sports Plus package for an additional $11 a month.
Starting with the 2023 NFL season, YouTube TV began offering NFL Sunday Ticket as an add-on. This extra package lets you watch all out-of-market games. Without a YouTube TV account, NFL Sunday Ticket costs $60/month or $480 a year, but there are some savings if you bundle a YouTube TV account with NFL Sunday Ticket.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox
- Local games on CBS
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- NFL Network games
What you don't get:
- Thursday Night Football games
- Out-of-market games*
*Out-of-market games are available with the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
ESPN
While ESPN+ had some missing games, the new ESPN Unlimited streaming service will carry every Monday Night Football game, whether it airs on ESPN or ABC. Subscriptions cost $30 a month or $300 a year. There's also a cheaper ESPN Select tier, which costs $12 a month or $120 a year, but the best way to ensure you can watch all MNF games is through Unlimited.
From now until the end of the regular season, users can save big when they bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney Plus and Hulu for $30 a month for 12 months. ESPN Unlimited also carries other ESPN/Disney live sports channels, like the SEC Network and ACC Network, so it's a solid service for college football fans as well.
What you get:
- Select ESPN and/or ABC Monday Night Football games.
- A divisional playoff game.
What you don't get:
- Local games on Fox
- Local games on CBS
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football games that aren't listed above
- Thursday Night Football games
- NFL Network games
Peacock
Peacock will stream all games slated to air on NBC during the 2025 season, including all Sunday Night Football games and the Thursday Night kickoff on September 4. Subscriptions start at $11 a month for ad-supported viewing and $17 a month for ad-free streaming (although the ad-free terms usually only apply to on-demand content).
What you get:
- The entire Sunday Night Football schedule
What you don't get:
- Local games on CBS
- Local games on Fox
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- Thursday Night Football games
- NFL Network games
- Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games
Paramount+
If you're just interested in watching CBS games, a Paramount Plus subscription could be all you need. The service lets you stream live CBS television and a growing library of on-demand shows and exclusive titles.
Paramount Plus Essential is available for $8 a month with commercials or $13 a month with ad-free on-demand streaming and Showtime included. You can try the service free for one week. Right now, there are some major savings on annual plans. All live broadcasts, including NFL games, still feature commercials with the ad-free plan.
What you get:
- Local games on CBS
What you don't get:
- Local games on Fox
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- Thursday Night Football games
- NFL Network games
- Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games
Prime Video
Prime Video is now the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football, with regular-season matchups starting September 11. Thursday Night Football has expanded to 17 games this season, including the Christmas night game between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. This year, Prime Video also showed one preseason game and will stream an exclusive Wild Card game.
A stand-alone Amazon Prime Video membership costs $9 a month, and the service is included as part of an Amazon Prime subscription for $139 per year or $15 a month. New customers can get a 30-day free trial.
What you get:
- Thursday Night Football games
- Exclusive Wild Card game in January 2026
What you don't get:
- Local games on CBS
- Local games on Fox
- Monday Night Football on ESPN
- Sunday Night Football games on NBC
- NFL Network games
- Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games
NFL+
If you're only interested in streaming NFL games on your phone or tablet, a subscription to the NFL+ service is your best bet. The platform will let you watch local and primetime broadcast games (regular and postseason), NFL Network games, and out-of-market preseason games.
To access games, you'll need to ensure that your location services are activated on your phone or tablet. NFL+ subscribers also get access to a large library of documentaries and shows from NFL films and the NFL Network, all of which can be found in the NFL app.
NFL+ Premium is also available for $15 a month or $100 per year. This plan lets you watch replays of games after they air and provides access to game film that's usually reserved for coaches and analysts. Most importantly, NFL+ Premium grants you access to NFL RedZone.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox (mobile only)
- Local games on CBS (mobile only)
- Sunday Night Football on NBC (mobile only)
- Monday Night Football on ESPN (mobile only)
- Thursday Night Football games (mobile only)
- NFL Network games (mobile only)
What you don't get:
- Out-of-market games
DAZN
Starting with the 2023 season and continuing in 2024 and 2025, NFL fans outside the United States and China can tune into every single game—including playoffs—using NFL Game Pass International on DAZN. The sports streaming service is the exclusive provider of this comprehensive coverage. Prices vary in each region, but as an example, DAZN offers Game Pass International in the United Kingdom for £17.99/month to $19.99/month in a 12-month contract, or weekly with no commitment. You can watch games live and on demand. Viewers in the UK may see up to two Sunday games per week on a 24-hour delay. And viewers in Canada can catch all of the NFL action through their regular DAZN subscription, so there's no need to get Game Pass. DAZN Canada prices start at $24.99/month.
You can access Game Pass International through the DAZN app, available on Apple, Android, and Amazon mobile devices; Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV devices; Smart, Sony, LG, Panasonic, and Roku smart TVs; and PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Antennas
You can purchase an antenna, like our best overall pick (the Channel Master Flatenna), to add to your TV for about $35, giving you access to local channels within a certain distance. For more recommendations, check our guide to the best digital antennas.
An antenna lets you watch all the regional games broadcast from whichever market you're located in. You also get the weekly Sunday Night Football matchup that airs on NBC. Because it's only a one-time payment, this is a great option if you're solely interested in watching the team in your area.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox
- Local games on CBS
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
What you don't get:
- Out-of-market games
- Monday Night Football
- Thursday Night Football
- NFL Network games
Blackout and out-of-market games
Even with comprehensive streaming packages, some conditions may prevent you from watching certain games. The most common is the availability of out-of-market games. Many basic streaming options restrict your game choice to those that would normally air in your city on local, over-the-air network television.
Conversely, all-in packages like Sunday Ticket will only allow you to view out-of-market games, forcing you to turn to traditional options for local games. The networks use several factors to determine which markets their broadcasts will air in.
Blackouts are different. A blackout game means local affiliate stations will decline to show the game, which typically only happens if the team in that market fails to reach a certain number of ticket sales. This tactic is designed to incentivize fans to attend games. But blackouts can also trigger due to contractual disputes and under other rare circumstances.
Additionally, it can be hard to keep up with your favorite teams while traveling, even if you buy every streaming service on this list. Enter VPNs, which we'll discuss at the bottom of this article.
How to watch NFL games for free
If you're not interested in cable, streaming services, or even getting a digital TV antenna, you'll want to know of a few options for watching free NFL games every week.
- Thursday Night Football: Thursday Night Football games air on Prime Video in the US, which requires a paid subscription or free trial. The games will also live stream for free on Twitch in the United States, courtesy of Amazon. Thursday games will also be shown for free on 7Plus in Australia (Friday in Australia).
- Sunday games:Australian streaming service 7Plus streams a couple of Sunday games (Monday in Australia) every week for free. Check the schedule in your local timezone. Channel 5 in the UK will also show two Sunday games, which will be available to stream for free.
How to watch NFL games from anywhere
If you're trying to keep up with your subscriptions while traveling, you'll want to know your way around a VPN. VPN is short for virtual private network. It's a software tool that allows you to change the location your device appears to be connecting from so you can access your usual websites from anywhere. In addition, it secures your connection using high-level encryption, upgrading your cybersecurity.
Our go-to is NordVPN. It's one of the best VPNs we've tested, and there's no risk in trying it thanks to a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN is currently offering 77% off two-year plans, and you'll get an extra three months free. Read our NordVPN review to learn more, and check it out for yourself by clicking the link below.
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
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