How To Watch NFL Games in 2026 and 2027
Get the right apps to stream every matchup in HD
Aug 6, 2026 | Share 
Streaming Guides
The 2026 NFL season kicks off with a historic international matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sept. 10, 2026. But what’s the best way to find out whether your favorite team still has what it takes to dominate the gridiron?
Watch in real time, of course! Tune in on NBC, the streaming service Peacock, or the NFL+ app.
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To catch every NFL game all season, you need a mix of live TV and streaming services. The premier (and priciest) experience is YouTube TV with the NFL Sunday Ticket add-on, plus separate subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video for most Thursday Night Football (TNF) games and Netflix, which has picked up its own marquee TNF-window games (the Week 1 opener, a Thanksgiving Eve game, and the Christmas Day doubleheader). You’ll pay out the nose either way.
If you don’t need every single game, we recommend Paramount+ for CBS’s Sunday afternoon games and Peacock for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, plus Peacock’s own exclusive Week 17 game. Tubi sometimes streams a couple of FOX NFL games for free each year—the Thanksgiving Day game and the Super Bowl in years FOX has the rights—but it isn’t a way to watch everything FOX airs.
For Monday Night Football, you need ESPN’s app through an ESPN Unlimited subscription. ESPN’s standalone streaming service, launched in 2025, bundles ESPN+ with the full ESPN network lineup. ESPN+ alone no longer gets you MNF.
You can also watch on NFL+. The basic plan runs about $8 per month (or $40 for the year) for live local and primetime games plus NFL Network, but it’s mobile/tablet-only. You can’t watch or cast live on TV.
NFL 2026 broadcast partners
Netflix is a major 2026 broadcast partner, specifically for marquee holiday games like Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Day. Here are some key dates to keep in mind for the 2026 season:
- 10 in Melbourne: San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams on Netflix
- 22 in Mexico City: San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings on NBC
- Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 25): Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Rams on Netflix
- Early Thanksgiving Game (Nov. 26): Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions on CBS
- Afternoon Thanksgiving Game (Nov. 26): Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys on FOX
- Nightcap Thanksgiving Game (Nov. 26): Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills on NBC (Highmark Stadium)
- Black Friday Game (Nov. 27): Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers on Amazon Prime Video
- Christmas Morning (Dec. 25): Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears on Netflix
- Christmas Day (Dec. 25): Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos on Netflix
- Christmas Night (Dec. 25): Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks on FOX
Which TV channels carry the NFL?
If you’re a football fan signing up for a cable TV or live TV streaming service, look for the following channels:
- ABC
- CBS
- ESPN
- FOX
- NBC
- NFL Network
- NFL RedZone
- Nickelodeon
What equipment do you need to stream the NFL season?
You need a smart TV or a streaming device like a Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV, which support the 2026 streaming platforms that broadcast live NFL games. Of course, you also need an active subscription to your preferred streamer or a cable TV plan that gives you channels like CBS and ESPN.
Tips for optimizing your NFL streaming experience
If you’re looking forward to the next big game, the last thing you want is a spotty Wi-Fi connection buffering two seconds before a touchdown or lagging behind your neighbor’s stream.
Here are some troubleshooting measures you can take to ensure your Wi-Fi doesn’t make a fumble.
Move your router
If your router’s shoved into a back closet or cabinet, the signal may have trouble making a connection with your TV. If you can, move the router to a centralized place.
Better yet, use an Ethernet cable to hardwire your smart TV or streaming device directly to your router or invest in a mesh networking kit.
Replace your router
An out-of-date router may suffer from slow speeds and occasional restarts. Vamp up your home network with a router featuring the Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 standard. See our best routers guide for recommendations.
Test your speeds
A speed test is the stethoscope of your home network, letting you know whether you’re getting the bandwidth you’re paying for from your internet provider. Run speed tests regularly (and download our speed test app!) to make sure your Wi-Fi isn’t under the weather by game time.
Can your connection keep up? Find out now.
We recommend a connection with at least 100Mbps of speed if you’re watching in 4K, but you can get away with less if you’re only streaming on one device or watching in standard definition.
Run speed tests regularly (and download our speed test app!) to make sure your Wi-Fi isn’t under the weather by game time.
Limit downloads
Try to schedule big downloads like game updates or work files for times other than the big game, or any time everyone in the house is trying to stream at once. Catching that game-clinching field goal is the real priority here!
Author - Chili Palmer
Chili Palmer covers home tech services, with a special focus on understanding what families need and how they can stay connected on a budget. She handles internet access and affordability, breaking news, mobile services, and consumer trends. Chili’s work as a writer, reporter, and editor has appeared in publications including Telecompetitor, Utah Business, Idaho Business Review, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and Switchful.com.
Editor - Jessica Brooksby
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at HighSpeedInternet.com. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and seven years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
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