The NFL is finally back, and the regular season officially kicks off soon. The viewing options for the regular season are vast and can get a bit complicated. Fortunately, we've combed through all of the watch options and the 2026-2027 schedule to identify everything you need to know about how to watch NFL games.
All 32 teams are scheduled to play 17 games (with one bye week each) in the 2026-2027 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 runs through most of August, and the regular season formally kicks off on Wednesday, September 9, with a New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks rematch of the Super Bowl. The regular season will run until January 10, 2026, after which point the Playoffs will begin with a slate of wild card games. This season's Super Bowl will take place on Valentine's Day in 2027.
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 platforms 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. Netflix will also carry a handful of games this season, including a Christmas Day game.
| 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 |
| 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 | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Amazon Prime Video | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| NFL Plus*** | 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.
***Most games are mobile-only on NFL Plus. NFL Network and NFL RedZone content (available on the Premium tier) are available on most devices, but other games can only be streamed through NFL Plus on phones and tablets.
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, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and more, whether you want an all-inclusive streaming service or cheaper monthly subscriptions.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is another service that offers access to local and primetime NFL games. The main plan costs $83 a month, but new members can get their first five months for $68 a month. This is $15 a month in savings before the service begins to charge you at the standard rate. The deal runs through the end of August. Additionally, the service offers NFL RedZone in its Sports Plus package for an additional $11 a month. YouTube TV also has a cheaper sports plan, which costs $65 a month. A limited-time deal will allow new users to get $10 a month off their first 12 months of the Sports plan.
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. New users can get NFL Sunday Ticket for $30 a month for eight months or $240 a year. Returning users can get NFL Sunday Ticket for $60 a month for eight months or $480 a year, but there is a savings opportunity for returning subscribers who bundle NFL Sunday Ticket with a YouTube TV subscription, wherein Sunday Ticket will only cost $47.25 a month for eight months or $378 a year, on top of the standard YouTube TV subscription prices.
What you get:
- Local games on Fox
- Local games on CBS
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football on ABC/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.
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 lower price than YouTube TV or Fubo's main plans. There are several different plans, depending on what channels you prioritize. The Blue plan has NFL Network, as well as Fox, NBC, and ABC in select markets, while the Orange plan has ESPN.
Sling Orange and Sling Blue each cost $46 a month, while the combined Sling Orange + Blue plan costs $61 a month (although plans with local channels often cost a little bit extra each month). Additionally, you can purchase the Sling Blue Sports Extra package to add NFL RedZone to your plan for $11 a month. There's also an option to get Sling Orange through cheap, short-term passes, starting at $5 for one day of access.
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. Sling also offers pared-down plans, Sling Essentials and Select, which start at $20 a month each. Select offers around 10 channels, including the NFL Network, while Essentials carries about 10 channels, including ESPN.
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 $89 a month for the Pro plan, Fubo TV is another NFL-friendly live TV option. It boasts all the network and cable channels you need to watch local and primetime games. If you want RedZone, you can add the Sports Plus add-on for $11 per month.
Fubo also has a budget-friendly Sports + News plan, which costs $65 a month (with $10 off the first month) and carries all the necessary channels to tune into the NFL season. Fubo Sports + News, Pro, and Elite all unlock ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost. First-time customers can usually get a free trial and a decent discount on their first month of service on all Fubo plans.
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
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. 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. Subscriptions cost $30 a month or $300 a year. There's also a cheaper ESPN Select tier, which costs $13 a month or $130 a year, but the best way to ensure you can watch all MNF games is through Unlimited.
There are also several ESPN Unlimited bundling opportunities, which can help users save big each month. ESPN Unlimited can be bundled with Disney Plus and Hulu, NFL Plus Premium, or FOX One.
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 2026 season, including all Sunday Night Football games, the regular season kickoff on September 9, and the Thanksgiving night game. The platform will also carry a Peacock-exclusive game on January 2.
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 CBS television and a growing library of original on-demand shows and exclusive titles.
Paramount Plus Essential is available for $9 a month with commercials or $14 a month with ad-free on-demand streaming and Showtime included. All live broadcasts, including NFL games, still feature commercials with the ad-free plan. While you typically need Paramount Plus Premium to live stream CBS, NFL on CBS games will be available through all tiers of service.
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 17. Thursday Night Football has expanded to 17 games this season. This year, Prime Video will once again stream an exclusive Wild Card game.
A stand-alone Amazon Prime Video membership starts at $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. Plans start at $7 a month or $60 a year.
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. From now until September 21, fans can 20% off their first year of an annual plan. With the special deal, NFL+ will cost $40 a year, and NFL+ Premium will cost $80 a year.
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
- NFL RedZone*
What you don't get:
- Out-of-market games
*NFL RedZone is only available with an NFL Plus Premium plan.
DAZN
Starting with the 2023 season and continuing in 2026, 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 and depend on your contract details, whether weekly, monthly, monthly with a one-year commitment, or annually.
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. Preseason games will be available for free to most international NFL fans.
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 be triggered 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.
- United States: In the US, 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 Prime Video's Twitch in the US, courtesy of Amazon. This option doesn't require any account creation.
- Australia: Australia's Channel 7 and its streaming service, 7Plus, once again have the rights to NFL games this season. Last season, the service offered Thursday games and a couple of Sunday games (Monday in Australia) every week for free, along with the Super Bowl and other playoff coverage. We'll keep this page updated as we learn exactly how comprehensive 7's coverage will be in 2026.
- United Kingdom: The UK typically offers select games for free each week. Last season, Channel 5 showed two Sunday games each week (along with the Super Bowl), which were also available to stream for free. Since it was a multi-year deal, we expect select games to once again be available via 5, and we will update this page once we know the offerings for the 2026 season.
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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