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Knowing where to watch NFL games in 2026 can be surprisingly complicated.
Sunday afternoon games are split between CBS and FOX based on your local market. Sunday Night Football airs on NBC and Peacock, Monday Night Football is primarily on ESPN, Prime Video carries the main Thursday Night Football package, and selected games are exclusive to Netflix, Peacock or NFL Network.
Fans who want Sunday afternoon games outside their local TV market may also need NFL Sunday Ticket.
The good news is that you do not need cable. There are several legal ways to watch NFL games this year, including free over-the-air broadcasts, Twitch, standalone streaming subscriptions and, in some states, live streams inside licensed sportsbooks for as little as a $1 qualifying wager.
Before paying for anything, check the full NFL schedule and identify where your favorite team’s games are airing. For many fans, that is the easiest way to avoid paying for subscriptions they do not actually need.
Last updated: September 9, 2026. Prices, promotions and broadcast availability can change during the season.
Where to Watch NFL Games: Quick Guide
| NFL games | Main broadcaster/platform | Cable required? | Other option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Sunday afternoon games | CBS / FOX | No | Antenna, Paramount+, FOX One |
| Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games | NFL Sunday Ticket | No | YouTube / YouTube TV |
| Sunday Night Football | NBC | No | Peacock |
| Monday Night Football | ESPN | No | ESPN Unlimited, Sling |
| Selected MNF simulcasts | ABC | No | Antenna |
| Prime Video TNF games | Prime Video | No | Twitch |
| NFL Network exclusives | NFL Network | No | NFL+ |
| Selected special games | Netflix | No | Local OTA in participating team markets |
| Peacock-exclusive game | Peacock | No | Peacock |
| Local and prime-time games on mobile/tablet | NFL+ | No | NFL app |
| Select sportsbook streams | bet365, Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet | No | Eligibility and wagering rules apply |
The key distinction is between local, national and out-of-market games.
Local games are the CBS or FOX Sunday afternoon games selected for your television market.
National games are distributed nationwide through services such as NBC, ESPN, Prime Video and Netflix.
Out-of-market games are Sunday afternoon CBS or FOX broadcasts that are not available through your local station. That is the main gap NFL Sunday Ticket is designed to fill.
How to Watch NFL Games This Year
If you are wondering how to watch NFL games this year, the easiest approach is to understand what each broadcaster controls.
CBS and Paramount+
CBS carries a large portion of Sunday afternoon football.
The exact game available to you depends on your local television market. You cannot simply select any CBS matchup being played nationwide.
An over-the-air antenna can provide your local CBS station for free after the initial hardware purchase.
Paramount+ is the streaming alternative. It carries NFL games airing on the CBS station assigned to your local market. Paramount+ currently starts at $8.99 per month.
FOX and FOX One
FOX carries the other major portion of regional Sunday afternoon NFL coverage.
As with CBS, the matchup depends on where you live.
An antenna is the cheapest recurring-cost option where FOX reception is available.
FOX One is the standalone streaming alternative. It currently costs $19.99 per month and includes a three-day free trial for eligible new customers.
NBC and Peacock
NBC remains the home of Sunday Night Football and selected special NFL broadcasts.
If NBC is available over the air in your area, an antenna can provide those games without a monthly charge.
Peacock Premium currently costs $12.99 per month or $129.99 annually and includes live sports such as Sunday Night Football.
ESPN and ABC
Monday Night Football is primarily an ESPN property, with selected games simulcast on ABC.
ESPN Unlimited currently costs $31.99 per month or $319.99 per year.
However, fans who only need ESPN occasionally have a much cheaper option.
A Sling Orange Day Pass costs $4.99 for 24 hours and includes ESPN. Sling also offers three-day and seven-day passes.
For a fan whose team only appears on an ESPN-exclusive Monday night broadcast once or twice, buying individual Sling passes can make much more sense than maintaining an ESPN subscription for the entire season.
Prime Video and Twitch
Prime Video carries the NFL’s main Thursday Night Football package.
Its 2026 regular-season TNF slate starts on September 17 with Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Amazon’s overall 2026 package includes 17 NFL broadcasts when special dates and its Wild Card game are counted. The important distinction for regular Thursday viewing is that Prime does not own every Thursday NFL game of the season. Week 1’s Thursday game is on Netflix, while Thanksgiving Day games air on CBS, FOX and NBC.
Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football broadcasts are also streamed legally on Twitch.
So Twitch can replace a Prime Video subscription for the games that belong to Amazon’s TNF package, but it should not be treated as a source for every Thursday NFL game.
NFL Network
NFL Network has seven exclusive live games in the 2026 season.
NFL+ includes a live NFL Network stream, making it one of the most straightforward ways to access those games without a traditional cable package.
Can You Watch NFL Games Through Sportsbooks?
Yes. For eligible bettors, sportsbook streaming is one of the cheapest legal alternatives to a traditional streaming subscription.
Several regulated U.S. sportsbooks integrate official NFL video directly into their apps. These streams are not pirate feeds. The NFL has an official Watch & Bet distribution agreement with Genius Sports, which powers services such as BetVision.
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bet365 offers the clearest example.
Eligible U.S. customers can stream available regular-season NFL games after placing a minimum $1 wager on the game on the same day.
NFL streams are available on phones and tablets, not desktop computers. bet365 specifically states that the qualifying $1 wager must be placed on the game the customer wants to stream.
That means someone who was already considering a bet could potentially watch a game after risking only $1 rather than buying another monthly streaming subscription.
bet365 is currently live for sports betting in 17 states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The operator continues to expand, so check current availability in your state.
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| Sportsbook | NFL streaming | Main condition |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 | Yes | $1 same-day wager on the NFL game; mobile/tablet |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | Select NFL streams | Availability varies by state/game |
| Hard Rock Bet | BetVision NFL streams | Availability varies by state/game |
Streaming rights, account requirements and available games can vary, so always check for the play or stream icon before relying on a sportsbook as your only viewing option.
You can compare the best NFL sportsbooks available in your state. If you already intend to bet, it is also worth comparing current NFL betting promos before choosing an operator.
21+. Sports betting is not legal in every state. Eligibility, geolocation, account funding and wagering requirements apply. Gambling involves risk.
How to Watch NFL Games Without Cable
There are now plenty of options for anyone searching how to watch NFL games without cable.
A cord-cutter can combine:
- an antenna for CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC;
- Paramount+ for local CBS games;
- FOX One for regional FOX coverage;
- Peacock for NBC and Sunday Night Football;
- ESPN Unlimited or Sling for ESPN;
- Twitch or Prime Video for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football games;
- Netflix for Netflix-exclusive games;
- NFL+ for NFL Network and mobile local/prime-time viewing;
- NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
The mistake is assuming you need all of them.
Start with your team’s schedule.
If most of your team’s Sunday games are local CBS or FOX broadcasts, an antenna may cover a large portion of the season. Add a short-term subscription only when your team lands on ESPN, Netflix, Peacock or another exclusive platform.
An out-of-market fan has a different problem. If you live in California but follow the Patriots, for example, local CBS and FOX affiliates may frequently show another regional team instead. That is where Sunday Ticket becomes far more valuable.
Ways to Watch NFL Games for Free or Almost Free
There are several legal ways to watch NFL games for free, plus a few that cost only a few dollars.
| Method | Approximate cost | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna | Free after hardware purchase | Local CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC |
| Twitch | Free | Amazon TNF package |
| Local OTA simulcasts | Free | Certain streaming exclusives involving local teams |
| FOX One trial | Free for eligible users | FOX coverage during trial |
| bet365 stream | $1 wager | Eligible NFL streams |
| Sling Orange Day Pass | $4.99 | ESPN for 24 hours |
| NFL+ | $6.99/month | Mobile local/prime-time games + NFL Network |
Sportsbook streaming is only available to eligible users in legal jurisdictions. A $1 bet is a wager, not an access fee, and can be lost.
Use an Over-the-Air Antenna
A digital antenna can receive CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC without an ongoing subscription fee.
Reception depends on your location, distance from transmission towers, terrain and building placement.
For viewers with strong local reception, this remains one of the cheapest ways to watch NFL football.
Watch Prime Video TNF Games on Twitch
Amazon’s Thursday Night Football package is also available through Twitch, giving viewers a legal free stream for those broadcasts.
Remember that this applies to Amazon’s package, not every Thursday game on the NFL schedule.
Use Local Over-the-Air Simulcasts
Some streaming-exclusive NFL games are also made available free over the air in the participating teams’ local markets.
Netflix explicitly confirms that its 2026 NFL games will also air on local broadcast television in the respective team markets.
That means a local fan should always check local listings before subscribing to Netflix solely for an NFL game.
Use Free Trials
FOX One currently offers eligible new users a three-day free trial.
Other promotions may appear during the season, so check current terms before paying for a full month.
Watch Through a Sportsbook for a $1 Wager
Eligible bet365 users can watch an available NFL game after placing a $1 qualifying wager on that game on the day it is played.
For someone who is already planning to bet, that can be one of the lowest-cost legal NFL streaming options available.
21+. Must be physically located in an eligible jurisdiction. Terms, state restrictions and wagering requirements apply.
Cheapest Way to Watch All NFL Games Legally
The cheapest way to watch all NFL games depends on what “all” means to you.
There are three very different viewing goals.
Cheapest Option for a Local-Team Fan
Start with an antenna.
Then add individual services only when your team appears on an exclusive platform.
A typical low-cost strategy might use:
- antenna for CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC;
- Twitch for Amazon TNF broadcasts;
- Sling Day Pass when ESPN is required;
- one month of Netflix when necessary;
- one month of Peacock when necessary;
- NFL+ for NFL Network or mobile viewing.
This approach can be dramatically cheaper than paying for multiple services throughout all 18 weeks.
Cheapest Option for National NFL Coverage
If you want most major national broadcast windows but do not care about every simultaneous Sunday afternoon game, combine:
- antenna;
- Twitch;
- Sling Day Passes only on ESPN-exclusive dates you care about;
- short-term Netflix, Peacock or NFL+ subscriptions when required.
This gives you access to a large share of the NFL schedule without maintaining every service for the full season.
Cheapest Option for Out-of-Market Sunday Games
If you need out-of-market Sunday afternoon football, NFL Sunday Ticket is the major additional expense.
The current pricing makes eligibility especially important:
| NFL Sunday Ticket plan | 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Eligible students | $119 |
| Eligible military, veterans, first responders, medical community and teachers | $198 |
| New customer | $240 |
| Returning customer + YouTube TV | $378 |
| Returning standalone YouTube customer | $480 |
YouTube lists the student plan at $119. Its ID.me Heroes plan costs $198 for eligible military members, veterans, first responders, medical workers and teachers.
For eligible viewers, these discounts materially change the answer to the cheapest way to watch out-of-market NFL football.
What Is NFL Sunday Ticket?
NFL Sunday Ticket provides out-of-market Sunday afternoon regular-season games.
It is not an all-inclusive NFL subscription.
For example, if CBS is showing one AFC matchup in your area but you want a different CBS Sunday afternoon game taking place elsewhere, Sunday Ticket can provide the out-of-market broadcast.
It does not replace nationally distributed games on NBC, ESPN, Prime Video, Netflix or Peacock.
New customers currently pay $240 for either the standalone YouTube version or the YouTube TV add-on.
Returning subscribers pay $378 with YouTube TV or $480 for the standalone YouTube product.
YouTube also offers:
- a $119 student plan with eligibility verification;
- a $198 ID.me Heroes plan for eligible military members, veterans, first responders, members of the medical community and teachers;
- a $204 offer for eligible paid YouTube Premium members who are new Sunday Ticket subscribers, available through October 31, 2026.
Those discounts are worth checking before paying the standard rate.
What Is NFL+?
NFL+ is one of the cheapest direct NFL subscriptions, but its device restrictions are important.
Standard NFL+ costs $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year and includes:
- live local regular-season and postseason games on phones and tablets;
- live prime-time games on phones and tablets;
- NFL Network;
- live game audio;
- NFL programming and highlights.
NFL+ Premium costs $14.99 per month or $99.99 annually and adds:
- NFL RedZone;
- full game replays;
- condensed game replays;
- All-22 coaches film;
- NFL Pro features.
Through September 21, 2026, the NFL is offering 20% off annual subscriptions, reducing NFL+ to $39.99 and Premium to $79.99 for the year.
The biggest restriction is that live local and prime-time games are primarily limited to phones and tablets.
NFL Network and game replays have broader device support.
So NFL+ can be excellent value for a viewer who is comfortable watching games on mobile, but it is not a complete TV replacement.
What NFL Games Are on Netflix?
If you are searching what NFL games are on Netflix, the service has five regular-season games during the 2026 season.
| Date | NFL game | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 10, 2026 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams, Melbourne | 8:35 p.m. ET |
| Nov. 25, 2026 | Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| Dec. 25, 2026 | Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Dec. 25, 2026 | Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos | 4:30 p.m. ET |
| Jan. 9, 2027 | Week 18 matchup, TBA | 1:00 p.m. ET |
The NFL lists Packers-Rams on Thanksgiving Eve at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Week 1 game in Melbourne is the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia.
There is also an important free-viewing exception.
Netflix confirms that all of its 2026 NFL games will be available on local over-the-air television in the participating teams’ respective markets.
So if your local team is playing on Netflix, check local TV listings before purchasing a subscription.
Netflix’s cheapest U.S. plan currently starts at $8.99 per month.
What About NFL RedZone?
NFL RedZone and NFL Sunday Ticket solve different problems.
Sunday Ticket lets you choose and watch a specific out-of-market Sunday afternoon game.
RedZone moves between multiple Sunday games and focuses on scoring opportunities, touchdowns and important moments.
NFL RedZone is included with NFL+ Premium, currently priced at $14.99 per month before any annual-plan promotion.
For bettors following multiple games at once, you can also compare live NFL odds while watching the Sunday slate.
Best Way to Watch NFL Games by Type of Fan
| Type of fan | Best place to start |
|---|---|
| I mainly watch my local team | Antenna |
| I mainly watch CBS games | Paramount+ |
| I mainly watch FOX games | FOX One |
| I want Sunday Night Football | NBC / Peacock |
| I want Monday Night Football | ESPN Unlimited / Sling |
| I want Amazon TNF | Twitch / Prime Video |
| I want NFL Network | NFL+ |
| I want NFL RedZone | NFL+ Premium |
| I follow an out-of-market team | NFL Sunday Ticket |
| I watch mostly on mobile | NFL+ |
| I already bet legally on NFL games | Check sportsbook streaming |
| I want one traditional TV-style package | YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, DIRECTV or similar |
For most viewers, the cheapest strategy is to build around the games they actually watch rather than subscribing to every possible service.
Can You Watch Every NFL Game on One Streaming Service?
No.
There is currently no single U.S. streaming service that gives one subscriber every live NFL game.
Sunday Ticket covers out-of-market Sunday afternoon games but does not replace national and streaming-exclusive broadcasts.
NFL+ covers local and prime-time games on mobile devices but does not provide live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
A live TV bundle can consolidate many traditional networks, but services such as Netflix and Prime Video can still sit outside the package.
That fragmentation is why there is no universal cheapest solution.
Can You Watch NFL Games Outside the United States?
Yes, but this guide focuses on viewing options inside the United States.
International broadcast rights work differently.
NFL Game Pass International is distributed through DAZN in many countries, while other markets may have separate local broadcast agreements.
Fans outside the U.S. should check the NFL’s official viewing information for their country rather than relying on U.S.-specific CBS, FOX, NFL+ or Sunday Ticket rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
NFL games are spread across CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, Prime Video, Netflix and Peacock. NFL Sunday Ticket carries eligible out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, while NFL+ offers local and prime-time live games on mobile/tablet plus NFL Network.
Use an antenna for local network broadcasts and combine it with standalone services such as Paramount+, FOX One, Peacock, ESPN Unlimited, Twitch, Netflix, NFL+ and Sunday Ticket depending on which games you want.
There is no single cheap package that provides every game. Local and national coverage can be kept relatively inexpensive using an antenna, Twitch, Sling Day Passes and short-term subscriptions. To add out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, you will generally need NFL Sunday Ticket.
The most useful legal options are an antenna for local network broadcasts and Twitch for Thursday Night Football. Local over-the-air simulcasts and legitimate free trials can provide additional games. Some sportsbooks also offer extremely inexpensive streaming, such as bet365’s $1-wager NFL option.
Yes. Official sportsbook live streams are available through selected regulated operators. bet365 offers eligible NFL streams after a $1 same-day wager, while sportsbooks including Fanatics and Hard Rock Bet use official streaming technology such as BetVision.
Eligible bet365 customers can watch an available NFL stream on mobile or tablet after placing a $1 same-day wager on that game. Availability depends on your location, account eligibility and the specific event.
No. Sunday Ticket focuses on out-of-market Sunday afternoon regular-season games. National and digital-exclusive games on ESPN, NBC, Netflix, Prime Video, Peacock and other platforms require separate access.
No. NFL+ offers live local and prime-time regular-season games on phones and tablets plus NFL Network, but it does not provide all live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
Netflix has five regular-season NFL games in the 2026 season: 49ers-Rams in Melbourne, Packers-Rams on Thanksgiving Eve, Packers-Bears and Bills-Broncos on Christmas Day, plus a Week 18 game that will be selected later.
Because CBS and FOX coverage varies geographically, check your local listings and the current NFL schedule before game day.
Final Thoughts: Where Should You Watch NFL Games?
The best answer to where to watch NFL games comes down to three questions:
- Is your favorite team local or out of market?
- Do you want every game or only your team’s games?
- Are you comfortable watching on mobile, or do you need everything on a TV?
For a local fan, start with an antenna.
For nationally televised football, add free Twitch coverage and short-term subscriptions only when necessary.
For eligible sports bettors, official sportsbook streaming can make individual NFL games exceptionally cheap to access, with bet365 requiring only a $1 qualifying wager for eligible streams.
For an out-of-market fan, Sunday Ticket is the most important additional product, particularly if you qualify for the $119 student plan or $198 ID.me discount.
The simplest way to save money is not to subscribe to everything first. Check the schedule, identify where the games you actually want are airing, then build the cheapest legal combination around those broadcasts.
