NFL 2026 Football Watch Guide: Best Streaming Deals & Tips

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The anticipation is building: a new NFL season is about to begin. It’s time to ensure all your streaming services are ready. Prepare yourself for the complexities ahead.

The NFL is known for tightly regulating access to its broadcasts, which can make viewing NFL games through various subscriptions quite challenging. Even if you maintain a cable subscription, you might still need additional services to catch every game. We have taken the time to unravel the intricate details for you.

If you’re eager to watch your favorite teams compete this season—whether through cable or streaming—here’s a comprehensive guide on what you need to know, including the most budget-friendly options to do so legally.

When does the 2026 NFL season commence?

The season will kick off on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, featuring a rematch of Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

How to stream NFL games throughout the 2026–2027 season

Watching your favorite teams in the NFL isn’t as straightforward as it is in other sports since no single network holds the rights to every game. With the rise of various streaming services, even those with cable subscriptions will require additional services to view all games.

Here’s a typical weekly schedule for the 2026–2027 season, along with the corresponding channels or streaming services you’ll need.

Thursday Night Football

Sunday afternoon games

• Sunday afternoon games will be broadcast on local CBS stations for AFC teams.

• Sunday afternoon games will be broadcast on local Fox stations for NFC teams.

• The local AFC games will be available for streaming on Paramount+.

• The local NFC games will be available for streaming on Fox One.

Sunday Night Football

• Sunday Night Football games will be aired nationally on NBC.

• Don’t have cable? You can stream Sunday Night Football on Peacock for subscribers.

Monday Night Football

• Monday Night Football games air on ESPN, with select games also being broadcast on ABC.

• You can stream all ESPN and ABC games live with ESPN Unlimited.

Other exclusive games

• The NFL Network will broadcast seven unique games throughout the season, including five international matchups.

• Netflix has expanded its partnership with the NFL to include five games this season, up from two, starting in Week 1.

Noteworthy info

• This season marks ESPN’s “Year of the Super Bowl,” featuring its largest NFL portfolio ever, with a total of 29 games aired across ESPN, ABC, ESPN Unlimited, and NFL Network.

• The season begins on a Wednesday on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET.

• There will be nine international games this season—an all-time high.

If you do not have cable, there are numerous options available for watching live games. Casual fans may find investing in a digital TV antenna sufficient to catch local games and national broadcasts on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. A digital antenna also provides access to local news, major nationally broadcast events like the Grammys or Oscars, and other network programming. If you live within reasonable proximity to your local TV stations, you should be able to receive at least the four major networks. ESPN and NFL Network may not be accessible.

Alternatively, consider subscribing to a cable replacement service like YouTube TV or Fubo to access local networks along with a variety of other channels. While live TV streaming services can be on the pricier side, they offer significant value. This option typically includes ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, and NFL Network in most regions, without the need to be near your local TV stations.

Regardless of the option you choose, you will still need to subscribe to Prime Video to watch Thursday Night Football and to Netflix for its five exclusive games this season. streaming apps such as Peacock, Paramount+, Fox One, and ESPN Unlimited will allow you to view many in-market regular-season games. The decision ultimately depends on how many games you wish to access and your budget. Below, we have compiled the best streaming deals for each service required to watch football games this season.

Key considerations: In-market versus out-of-market games

Before committing to any paid TV provider or streaming service, determine whether you want access to local in-market games or out-of-market games (or both). This aspect can lead to significant confusion when watching sports.

If you are a fan of your local sports team and primarily wish to follow their season, a digital antenna or live TV streaming service will suffice. Typically, you will only have access to in-market games, which consist of teams closest to your location.

If your favorite teams are not near you, they may be blacked out unless they are part of national broadcasts. In such cases, the only legal option to watch out-of-market games is through NFL Sunday Ticket. This service, though costly, allows you to stream out-of-market, regular-season Sunday games. There are two subscription methods: as an add-on to a YouTube TV basic plan or as an individual channel on YouTube. The cost is $378 as an add-on and $480 for a standalone service, although discounts often arise at the season’s start (more on that below).

For example, if you’re a Baltimore Ravens fan residing in Nashville, you can watch all Sunday Ravens games not aired on NBC, CBS, or FOX in your area through NFL Sunday Ticket. if you are a Ravens fan living in or around Baltimore, you would benefit from a digital antenna or a streaming service like Paramount+ or YouTube TV.

The best Prime Video deals

For Thursday Night Football and Black Friday

Alongside Thursday Night Football games, Prime Video will also stream an exclusive Black Friday game and a playoff game during Wildcard weekend this season. Prime members receive access to Prime Video included in their subscription, which is priced at $14.99 per month. New Prime users can enjoy a free 30-day trial before incurring any charges. Here are additional savings options:

• Best for long-term viewing: Save 22% by opting for an Annual Prime subscription at $139 for the entire year, reducing the monthly cost to just $11.59 instead of $14.99.

• Most affordable: Skip the Prime perks and simply subscribe to Prime Video as a standalone service for $8.99 per month—$6 less than a full Prime membership.

• Best for those under 24: Prime for Young Adults, aimed at individuals aged 18 to 24, along with college students of any age, can receive a free six-month trial. Post-trial, the cost is only $7.49 per month—a 50% discount.

The best live TV streaming deals

For local NFL Sunday afternoon games

Sunday afternoon games are available on either CBS (for AFC teams) or FOX (for NFC teams). CBS can be accessed without cable through Paramount+, while Fox is now available via a new streaming service called Fox One (see the bundle deal under Monday Night Football). Meanwhile, live TV streaming services like Fubo, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV provide access to both CBS and FOX, albeit at a higher cost. Here are the top deals currently available for the NFL season:

• Best for AFC games only: Paramount+ Essential monthly subscriptions are $8.99, but reduce to $7.50 per month with an annual plan (save 17%).

• Best for students (AFC games only): Students can receive a 50% discount on any Paramount+ plan by verifying their student status through SheerID.

• Best for NFC games only: Fox One is $19.99 per month, but drops to $199 with a full-year subscription, equating to just $16.59 monthly. If you subscribe by September 7, you can save 50% on the first year (just $99 instead of $199).

• Best live TV streaming service deal overall: YouTube TV offers a new Sports plan at just $54.99 per month for the first year, including both networks needed to watch Sunday afternoon games, plus ESPN, NFL Network, NBC, and more.

• Most bang for your buck: Hulu’s live TV streaming service costs $89.99 per month, offering over 100 channels, plus Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited.

• Another live TV streaming option: Get $10 off your first month of Fubo Sports plan, reducing it to just $54.99, which includes CBS, Fox, and ESPN Unlimited.

The best Peacock deals

For Sunday Night Football

If you lack access to local networks via a live TV streaming service or a digital antenna, you can still watch Sunday Night Football on NBC by subscribing to Peacock. The network (and streaming service) will also host the season’s opening game on Wednesday, September 9, a Thanksgiving Night game, and a Week 17 Peacock-exclusive game. Subscriptions start at $10.99 per month, but here are a few ways to save:

The best ESPN deals

For Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl

With a total of 29 games available across ESPN, ABC, ESPN Unlimited, and NFL Network, ESPN Unlimited is essential for those without cable or a cable alternative. ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network and RedZone allows streaming of these channels via the updated ESPN app with a bundle deal. ESPN Unlimited is priced at $29.99 per month, but several options exist to help you save or maximize value.

What is the most affordable way to watch NFL games this season?

Great question! If your interest lies mainly in in-market and nationally broadcast games, the most economical choice is to subscribe to the new YouTube TV Sports plan in combination with Prime Video. The YouTube TV Sports plan is available for just $54.99 per month for your first year, while Prime Video costs $8.99 per month. This brings your total to $63.98 monthly. If you’d like access to Netflix for exclusive games, the total would increase to $72.97 for those months.

You can also opt for an à la carte approach by subscribing to individual services like ESPN Unlimited, Fox One, Peacock, Paramount+, and Prime Video. Here’s the pricing breakdown:

YouTube TV Sports option

• $54.99 per month for your first year of YouTube TV Sports — includes ABC, ESPN, FOX, NBC, CBS, NFL Network

• $8.99 per month for Prime Video — Thursday Night Football

• $8.99 per month for Netflix — five exclusive games

Grand total: $63.98 per month without Netflix, $72.97 per month with Netflix

A la carte option

• $39.99 per month for ESPN Unlimited and Fox One — NFC games on Sunday afternoons and Monday Night Football games on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+

• $10.99 per month for Peacock — Sunday Night Football games on NBC, plus a Peacock-exclusive game

• .99 per month for Paramount+ — AFC games on Sunday afternoons

• $8.99 per month for Prime Video — Thursday Night Football

• $8.99 per month for Netflix — five exclusive games

Grand total: $68.96 per month without Netflix, $77.95 with Netflix

If you primarily wish to watch out-of-market games, your options differ. NFL Sunday Ticket is one of the few ways to view out-of-market games throughout the season. New subscribers can take advantage of NFL Sunday Ticket for $30 per month, totaling $240 for the regular season if they sign up before the season starts. For returning users, the cost is $47.25 per month ($378 total) with a YouTube TV subscription, or $60 per month ($480 total) without. For more details, refer to our guide on out-of-market games.

Another alternative for out-of-market games is to sign up for a VPN and access live TV streaming services from a different location. For further information on using VPNs to watch the 2026–2027 NFL season from various locations, check out our guide on bypassing geo-restrictions.

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