Where to Watch the NFL in 2026: A Week-by-Week Cost Guide

Short answer: in the US, a free antenna still gets you the majority of games through CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC. Streaming every game legally in 2026 means CBS (Paramount+), Fox (Fox One), NBC (Peacock), ESPN, Prime Video for Thursdays, Netflix for five special games, and Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sundays. The non-obvious catch: several of the biggest games of the year, including the Week 1 game in Australia and both Christmas Day streams, are exclusive to Netflix.

The 2026 season at a glance

The 2026 season kicked off on 9 September and runs to Super Bowl LXI on 14 February 2027, which ESPN and ABC broadcast. The structure is familiar, but the edges have moved: Netflix has grown to five games, Peacock has an exclusive late-season window, and NFL Network now sits inside Disney with ESPN producing it.

Our main guide to where to watch the NFL covers the international picture and NFL Game Pass. This page is the US week-by-week view, with costs.

Every window, and what it costs

Prices are the standard US list prices around the start of the season, before promotions and taxes.

Watch the extras. Several services sell annual plans at a discount, and Fox One also comes bundled with ESPN for $39.99 a month, which covers Fox Sundays and Monday nights together.

Anything shown on CBS, Fox, NBC or ABC in your area is free over the air with an antenna. That's still the cheapest way to watch most of the season.

Sundays: CBS, Fox and Sunday Ticket

Local games are shown on CBS (mostly AFC road games) and Fox (mostly NFC road games), with each channel usually showing one or two games in its early and late windows. An antenna gets them free; Paramount+ streams your local CBS game and Fox One your local Fox game.

Out-of-market games are the job of NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube. It doesn't include Thursday, Sunday night or Monday games, and local games stay on CBS and Fox. See our separate guide to Sunday Ticket pricing for 2026 for the discounts that make the list price largely theoretical.

NFL RedZone, which whips around every Sunday afternoon game, is available through NFL+ Premium, as a Sunday Ticket add-on, and on live TV services.

Prime time: Thursday, Sunday and Monday

Thursday Night Football is exclusive to Amazon Prime Video, alongside a Black Friday game. In the two teams' home markets it's also shown on a local broadcast station, so fans of those teams can use an antenna.

Sunday Night Football is on NBC and streams on Peacock. NBC also has the season opener and Thanksgiving night, and Peacock has an exclusive game in Week 17.

Monday Night Football is on ESPN, with some games on ABC and ESPN2's alternate ManningCast. ESPN's direct streaming subscription, ESPN Unlimited, carries all of them without a TV package.

Netflix's five games

Netflix has its biggest NFL slate yet:

Week 1 international game in Australia (Friday 10 September US time).
Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday 25 November.
Christmas Day doubleheader: Packers at Bears and Bills at Broncos.
Week 18, a Saturday game.

These games are exclusive nationally, although the participating teams' home markets typically get a local broadcast too. Netflix's cheapest plan with adverts is enough.

Christmas also has a third game, Rams at Seahawks, on Fox, the first Christmas game on broadcast television in a few seasons.

Holidays and key dates

Cheapest ways to cover most games

Antenna only: free. Your local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC games, including Sunday Night Football, most playoff games and the Super Bowl.

Antenna plus Prime and Netflix: adds Thursdays and the Netflix specials for the price of a Prime membership and Netflix's cheapest plan with adverts.

Add ESPN if Monday nights matter; it's the most expensive single piece.

A live TV service such as YouTube TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream bundles CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and usually NFL Network for around $80-90 a month, but still doesn't include Prime Video or Netflix games.

Only one team to follow? If you live in its market, most games will be local and an antenna plus the streaming exclusives covers nearly everything. If you don't, Sunday Ticket is the piece that matters.

A word on unofficial streams

Every NFL game this season is available legally, and most of them free with an antenna. Unofficial streams and unlicensed IPTV services aren't licensed to show the games, often cut out during the biggest moments, and in the US operating them is a crime. For playing a legitimate service on a TV box, our guide to IPTV for sports explains what to look for.

Quick answers

Where can I watch the NFL in 2026? CBS and Fox on Sunday afternoons, NBC and Peacock on Sunday nights, ESPN and ABC on Mondays, Prime Video on Thursdays, Netflix for five special games, and NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sunday games.

What NFL games are on Netflix in 2026? Five: the Week 1 game in Australia, a Thanksgiving Eve game, two Christmas Day games (Packers at Bears and Bills at Broncos) and a Week 18 Saturday game.

Can I watch the NFL for free? Yes, with an antenna. Local CBS, Fox, NBC and ABC broadcasts are free over the air, which covers most Sunday games, Sunday Night Football, most playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Where is the Super Bowl in 2027? Super Bowl LXI on 14 February 2027 is broadcast by ESPN and ABC.

Is Thursday Night Football only on Prime Video? Nationally, yes. The two teams' local markets also get it on a broadcast station.

Does Sunday Ticket include prime-time games? No. It covers out-of-market Sunday afternoon games only. Thursday, Sunday night and Monday games are elsewhere.

What's the cheapest way to watch every game? There isn't a single cheap option. An antenna plus Prime Video and Netflix covers most national games; add ESPN for Mondays and Sunday Ticket for out-of-market Sundays.

Broadcast schedules include flexible scheduling late in the season, and streaming prices and promotions change frequently. Checked September 2026.