How to Watch Every 2026-27 NFL Game
To see all the pro football action this year, you'll need a mix of broadcast stations, cable networks, and streaming services
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
If you want to catch lots of NFL football this year, you may feel like you’re playing another type of game: “Where’s Waldo?” That’s because many NFL games are now divided among broadcast stations, cable channels, and streaming services. (It’s true for other sports, too.)
The complications start right away. The 2026/27 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with a highly anticipated matchup between the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The game, a rematch of Super Bowl LX, will air on NBC and Peacock.
The next night, you’ll need Netflix to see the Los Angeles Rams face the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first-ever regular-season NFL game to be played in Australia. Last year, the Thursday night opening game was on YouTube.
And that’s the way the rest of the season will go. To catch every game, you’ll need to constantly hop between big TV networks and a variety of streaming services.
The NFL's Weekly Schedule
Sundays
A majority of football action takes place on Sunday, starting on Sept. 13. Early and late afternoon games are split between CBS and Fox, while NBC airs a “Sunday Night Football” game.
You can watch all those games on the regular cable channels, or you can stream them. The CBS games are available on the Paramount+ streaming service, while Fox games can be seen on the company’s new Fox One service. NBC games are simulcast on its Peacock service.
That’s most of the action. But the NFL Network will broadcast seven exclusive games this year, with five being international games airing at 9:30 a.m. ET. To see these five games, plus two Week 16 Saturday games on Dec. 26, you’ll need NFL Network.
Mondays
“Monday Night Football” games, which return on Sept. 14, air on ESPN. Many, but not all, will also be simulcast on ABC stations.
As an alternative, you can also watch all these MNF games on the new ESPN Unlimited stand-alone streaming service, which costs $32 a month.
Thursdays
With the exception of the season kickoff game on Netflix, all “Thursday Night Football” games are now on Amazon Prime and its subsidiary, Twitch.
Saturdays
The NFL hasn’t finalized its late-season schedule, but it regularly schedules Saturday games, usually in the final weeks of the season, to help determine playoff matchups. CBS and Fox split games on Week 15, and this year, NBC and Peacock get week 17 Saturday games, including one that’s exclusive to Peacock.
Thanksgiving Day
Just like last year, a trio of Thanksgiving Day games will be played, this year on Thursday, Nov. 26. Afternoon games will be shown on CBS and Fox, followed by a night game on NBC. New this year, Netflix will stream the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, a contest between the Packers and the Rams on Wednesday, November 25.
Black Friday
Amazon and Twitch will show a game the day after Thanksgiving, with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Denver Broncos at 3 p.m. ET.
Christmas Day
Fans of Christmas Day NFL action will need Netflix. Now in the third year of a three-year deal with the NFL, Netflix will stream two Christmas Day games this year, while this year, Amazon will show a Christmas Eve game featuring the Texans and Eagles.
Super Bowl LXI
ABC/ESPN will be the home of Super Bowl LXI on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027. While ABC has previously hosted the Super Bowl, Super Bowl LXI will mark the first time it will also air on ESPN.
Below is a rundown of the various streaming services you’ll need to catch all the NFL action this year.
Amazon Prime
“Thursday Night Football” games are now on Amazon Prime and its subsidiary, Twitch. (You can view the games on Twitch via a mobile device, tablet, or computer, but not a smart TV app.) But you can still watch free over-the-air broadcasts for the teams in each of their local markets.
This season, TNF will air 16 regular-season games, starting with a Sept. 17 game featuring the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills. Like last year, Amazon will have the Black Friday game, plus a game on Christmas Eve.
Amazon Prime costs $139 a year, but you can pay $9 a month for a stand-alone Amazon Prime Video membership that includes access to NFL games.
Sign up at Amazon Prime Video.
Cable Replacement Streaming Services
A handful of streaming services essentially replicate what you get with a traditional TV package. They include DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, and YouTube TV. All except Sling, which lacks CBS, provide access to the four major broadcast networks in most markets. But you should check each one to make sure it’s available in your area.
Most of these services start at about $85 a month.
DirecTV, formerly called DirecTV Stream, is basically the streaming version of the DirecTV satellite service; prices start at $90 a month. To get both ESPN and the NFL Network, however, you’ll need to step up to the $95-a-month Choice plan.
Fubo Pro ($89 a month) also has the local broadcast stations, plus ESPN and NFL Network. But last year Fubo started offering a new plan, called Fubo Sports & News, a stand-alone plan with more than 20 sports and broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, and Fox, plus NBC in many markets, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, and others. ESPN Unlimited, which includes ESPN+ (now called ESPN Select), is also included. It costs $65 a month. (Disney acquired a majority stake in Fubo, but it will continue to be available as a separate service.)
The Hulu + Live TV bundle, $90 a month, includes all local broadcast stations in most markets, plus ESPN and NFL Network, as well as Disney+ and ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+). You can get Hulu + Live TV on its own, but it doesn’t make much sense, since it’s only $1 cheaper than the bundle.
Sling’s combined Orange and Blue plan, $61 a month, provides access to ABC, Fox, and NBC, but not CBS, so you’ll need to add Paramount+ to get NFL games on CBS. You also get ESPN and NFL Network as part of the plan.
YouTube TV subscribers can save more than $100 on the price of NFL Sunday Ticket (described below) compared with the full cost of buying it as a stand-alone service. YouTube TV costs $83 a month, and NFL Sunday Ticket is $378 a season if bundled with it; the stand-alone NFL Season Ticket is $480 a season, but new subscribers can get it for half that.
Sign up at DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, and YouTube TV.
ESPN and ESPN Unlimited
You’ll need ESPN to watch “Monday Night Football” games because not all games will be simulcast on ABC. ESPN is available with most pay TV packages.
Also, ESPN/ABC will air wild card and divisional round playoff games on the Saturday of Week 18, January 9, at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. There will be no Monday night game that week.
But the big news is that last year, ESPN launched a stand-alone streaming service, ESPN Unlimited, which includes ABC, all 12 ESPN network channels, and ESPN+, now called ESPN Select. It costs $32 a month, or $320 a year.
An ESPN bundle—with ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and Hulu—costs $36 a month with ads (for Disney+ and Hulu) or $45 without them.
Sign up at ESPN and ESPN Unlimited.
Netflix
As part of a three-year deal with the NFL, Netflix has the right to livestream Christmas Day games. This year, Netflix will stream two NFL games on Christmas Day, with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. ET, and the Denver Broncos hosting the Buffalo Bills at 4:30 p.m. (There will also be a night game shown on Amazon Prime.)
New for this NFL season, Netflix gets a kickoff game on Thursday, Sept. 10, with the San Francisco 49ers facing the Los Angeles Rams live from Melbourne, Australia. Then there’s the Thanksgiving Eve game on Nov. 25 between the Packers and the Rams. Finally, there will be a Week 18 game on Netflix at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9, the final weekend of the regular season.
Sign up at Netflix.
Network Apps
If you subscribe to a cable or satellite TV service, you may be able to watch football when you’re on the go by using a network’s mobile app. The following apps require authentication, meaning you need to be a cable or satellite member.
CBS Sports: In addition to people who sign up for Paramount+, the network lets “authenticated” CBS viewers—anyone who gets CBS through a pay TV service—stream games via the CBS Sports app and online at CBS.com. Paramount+ subscribers can also use the CBS Sports app.
ESPN App: ESPN’s mobile app delivers “Monday Night Football” and shows such as “SportsCenter” once you authenticate that you get ESPN via a paid TV service. There is no separate ESPN Unlimited app; instead, you access ESPN Unlimited through the main ESPN App, or within the Disney+ App using your subscription credentials.
Fox Sports: The Fox Sports app (and FoxSports.com) offers live coverage of local-market games and regional sports networks. You can also access the games through most cable-style streaming services, such as Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. You can watch NFL games via FoxSports.com on your laptop or tablet and some streaming devices. You get access only to the channels in your TV lineup. The new Fox One service has its own app.
NBC Sports: Every 2026 “Sunday Night Football” game will stream live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App. Both require authentication proving you have a subscription to a pay TV service. The games will also be available on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service (see below).
NFL Network: This year, the NFL Network will exclusively air five early-morning international games, plus two exclusive Saturday games late in the season. The NFL Network is available on many cable-style streaming services, such as DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
NFL+
Basically, NFL Game Pass has now morphed into NFL+, the league’s streaming service. It also replaces the NFL Mobile app, which allowed you to watch live games on a mobile device.
NFL+ lets subscribers access live in-market Sunday afternoon games and national games in prime time on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights. But they can be viewed only on a mobile device. This year, you’ll also be able to watch the five exclusive early Sunday-morning international games on NFL+, plus the two late-season exclusive Saturday games on NFL Network.
There are two pricing tiers. The basic NFL+ plan costs $7 a month or $50 annually and lets you watch games—including “Thursday Night Football”—live on a smartphone or tablet. You also get access to the on-demand NFL Films library. NFL+ Premium costs $15 a month or $100 annually and adds NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and full-length replays of all the NFL games.
One other note: You won’t be able to cast games to your TV from a mobile device if you were thinking that would circumvent the mobile-only limitation.
Sign up at NFL+.
Paramount+
If you like watching Sunday afternoon football games, you’ll want access to CBS. Cord-cutters can use the company’s Paramount+ streaming service to get access to the entire CBS NFL football season.
In addition to regional AFC Sunday afternoon games, you also get an AFC wild card showdown, AFC divisional playoff contests, and the AFC championship game. There is also a 12:30 p.m ET game on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, featuring the Bears and Lions.
The games will be available on both the $9-a-month ad-supported Paramount+ Essential service and the $14-a-month mostly ad-free Paramount+ With Showtime version. You can also stream games on mobile devices.
Sign up at Paramount+.
Peacock
Peacock will stream all the 2026 games slated to air on NBC this year, including all “Sunday Night Football” games. It also has the NFL Kickoff game on Wednesday, Sept. 9, the Thanksgiving night game, plus an exclusive primetime game on Saturday, January 2, 2027.
NBC says it will offer all the Saturday night games in 1080 HDR on Peacock and on some ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV over-the-air broadcasts.
The ad-supported Peacock Premium service costs $13 a month or $130 a year. The $20-a-month ($200 annually) ad-free Premium Plus tier removes the ads, though not on live programming.
Sign up at Peacock.
Best TVs
Whichever service you choose, you’ll enjoy the game more if you have a great TV to watch it on. Here are a few sets from CR’s TV ratings that offer great picture quality at various prices.
BEST TIME TO BUY:
