The 2026 NFL regular season kicks off with the Patriots at Seahawks on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Where will you be streaming?
The stripped-down, sports-focused packages from YouTube TV and Fubo are pretty compelling for fans who watch regularly. Others may want to consider selecting networks a la carte.
Here’s a price-conscious guide on where and how to watch.
Where to watch Sunday, Monday and Thursday football games
Despite the increasingly fragmented sports rights landscape, most weekly NFL games still air on traditional TV networks. “Thursday Night Football” is the exception, but you’re probably used to it streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video each week by now.
- Where to watch Sunday day games: CBS and Fox.
- Where to watch Sunday night games: NBC.
- Where to watch Monday night games: ESPN (and sometimes ABC).
- Where to watch Thursday night games: Prime Video.
- Where to watch games played internationally: NFL Network (and Netflix in Week 1).
Netflix expands its NFL coverage to five regular season games this year, which includes two Christmas Day matchups.
» MORE: What’s the cheapest Netflix plan you can get?
Where to watch on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Got a winter “holiday” in mind? There’s a game or two (or three) on TV for that.
- Thanksgiving Eve (Netflix)
- Thanksgiving (CBS, Fox, NBC)
- Black Friday (Prime Video)
- Christmas Eve (Prime Video)
- Christmas Day (Netflix)
- New Year’s Eve (Prime Video)
Super Bowl LXI will air on ESPN (and ABC) on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2027.
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How to watch football without cable
You can buy a single package or pick networks one by one.
Option 1: Subscribe to a live TV streaming service sports package
It’s hard to beat the relatively new sports plans from YouTube TV and Fubo for fans who want to watch on Sundays and Mondays. These pared down live TV streaming plans are $20 (or more) less than the flagship plan offered by each service and include Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN (and ABC) and NFL Network along with a handful of other fringe sports channels. Prices below are before taxes and fees.
- YouTube TV Sports plan: $64.99 per month (or $54.99 for the first 12 months for new subscribers).
- Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC and NFL Network included.
- Fubo Sports plan: $64.99 per month (or $54.99 for the first month for new subscribers).
- Fox, CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC and NFL Network included.
What you’ll still need: A Prime Video subscription for “Thursday Night Football.” Amazon Prime members have it already. Others can subscribe separately for $8.99 per month. Also, you’ll need Netflix for the few games it airs.
Option 2: Subscribe to multiple network-owned streaming services
Now that each major NFL-airing network offers its own direct-to-consumer streaming service, you can get them all separately. Doing so will cost a few bucks more than the sports packages mentioned above. Here are the primary players and the cost of each. Prices are before taxes and fees.
- Fox One: $19.99 per month, includes live NFL games on Fox.
- Paramount+ Essential: $8.99 per month, includes live NFL games on CBS.
- Peacock Premium: $10.99 per month, includes live NFL games on NBC.
- ESPN Unlimited: $29.99 per month, includes live NFL games on ESPN (and ABC).
Total before taxes: Roughly $70 per month. Add $8.99 if you need Prime Video.
» MORE: What you get with Peacock and Paramount+.
🤓Nerdy Tip
NFL+ Premium, a service from the NFL that costs $14.99 per month, is an interesting alternative to other streaming services, says NerdWallet editor Chris Hutchison. With it, you can stream NFL RedZone on your TV on Sunday afternoons to catch scoring plays of every game in real time. You get access to live local and primetime games too, but only on a mobile device.Option 3: Subscribe to the services that air Sunday daytime games
Maybe Sunday afternoons are your jam. Then all you need is Fox One and Paramount+. Those two will get you a good amount of Sunday afternoon NFC and AFC action, and allow you to catch the home team often at a reasonable cost.
- Fox One: $19.99 per month, includes live NFL games on Fox.
- Paramount+ Essential: $8.99 per month, includes live NFL games on CBS.
Total before taxes: Roughly $29 per month.
Option 4: Bundle Fox and ESPN to save $10, add Peacock and Paramount+
You can pair ESPN Unlimited and Fox One for $39.99 per month. That saves $10 off buying each separately.
Add Peacock Premium ($10.99) plus Paramount+ Essential ($8.99), and you're looking at around $60 total for Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN via different apps. It’s a bit of a hack.
🤓Nerdy Tip
Go over-the-air, says NerdWallet writer Kurt Woock, who reminds friends and relatives that TV antennas still exist in a streaming-first world. Get access to live local TV stations like Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC for free. An inexpensive indoor antenna may be all you need if you live in a location with good signal strength.Are sports streaming services worth it?
For me, the casual football fan who wrote this article (without AI, mind you), buying a live TV streaming service doesn’t quite compute. I cut the cable cord years ago, saved a lot of money and can’t accept what’s gotten to cable-like costs for streaming.
I tried an indoor antenna a couple years ago, which I was super stoked about, but couldn’t get Fox to come in consistently.
So, something like Fox One, to catch my Washington Commanders most Sunday afternoons, and Peacock Premium, for "Sunday Night Football," is the cheaper play for me this season.
