How to Watch the NFL in 2026: Every Channel & Streaming Option
The NFL is split across more networks and apps than ever in 2026 — six TV networks and four streaming platforms. Here's exactly where every game lives, what's free, and how to watch without cable.
The 2026 national TV map
The Sunday and primetime windows break down like this:
| Sunday afternoons | CBS (mostly AFC games) and FOX (mostly NFC) — split into regional windows, so the game you get depends on your market |
| Sunday Night | NBC — every Sunday Night Football game also streams on Peacock |
| Monday Night | ESPN / ABC — 17 Monday-night games, streaming in the ESPN app |
| Thursday Night | Amazon Prime Video, exclusively — plus the Black Friday game |
| Select games | NFL Network (seven games) and Netflix (five, see below) |
CBS and FOX are free over the air with an antenna, as are NBC and ABC — so a big share of the season costs nothing to watch if you're in the local market. CBS games also stream in-market on Paramount+, and NBC's on Peacock.
Regional games: what "CBS/FOX" really means on Sunday
CBS and FOX don't show the same game everywhere. On Sunday afternoons the country is carved into regional windows, and your local affiliate airs the game assigned to your market — so "on FOX" doesn't guarantee your team's game is on your FOX station. To follow an out-of-market team, you'll want Sunday Ticket (below). On our schedule we flag these regional windows and point you to check local listings.
Streaming exclusives
- Amazon Prime Video — Thursday Night Football is Prime-only, included with an Amazon Prime membership, plus the Black Friday game.
- Peacock — carries every Sunday Night Football game (NBC's slate).
- Netflix — a five-game 2026 slate: the Week 1 international opener from Melbourne, Australia (49ers–Rams), a first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, a Christmas Day double-header, and a Week 18 Saturday game.
- ESPN app — Monday Night Football and ESPN's slate stream here.
The playoffs & Super Bowl LXI
The postseason is spread across CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC and Amazon. The big one for 2026: Super Bowl LXI is on ESPN and ABC on February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium — the first Super Bowl ESPN has ever broadcast — and it will also stream on ESPN's platforms. CBS carries the AFC Championship this season as part of its playoff package.
NFL Sunday Ticket & out-of-market games
To watch out-of-market Sunday afternoon games (your team when you don't live in its market), you need NFL Sunday Ticket, which lives on YouTube and YouTube TV. It's a season-long add-on (around $378 on YouTube TV for 2026, with lower promotional pricing at times). Note that Sunday Ticket does not include nationally televised games (SNF, MNF, TNF) or your local-market games — those are on the networks above.
NFL RedZone
RedZone whips around every game's scoring plays on Sunday afternoons. You can get it through live-TV streamers as a sports add-on (e.g., YouTube TV's Sports Plus, about $10.99/month) or via NFL+ Premium (about $10/month, which also includes it). As of 2026, ESPN operates NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
How to watch without cable
An antenna gets you CBS, FOX, NBC and ABC free (most of the Sunday and primetime schedule). Add Peacock for SNF, an Amazon Prime membership for TNF, and a live-TV streamer (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, Sling, DirecTV Stream) for ESPN and NFL Network. Our football streaming services guide compares them on price and channels.
For the week-by-week schedule with every NFL game's channel and kickoff in your local time, see the NFL TV schedule.
