How to watch every football game of the 2026 NFL season
Football is back (sort of)! While the 2026 NFL preseason won't kick off until August, the complete 18-week regular 2026 NFL season schedule has been released, ushering in the unofficial start of the 2026-27 NFL season. Are you ready to watch some football? This season, NFL games will air across 10+ channels and streaming platforms. If you're worried about the challenge of following your favorite team through the upcoming season, from the NFL season opener to the 2027 Super Bowl, Yahoo Sports has you covered. Here's your playbook for how to watch the 2026-27 NFL season.
How to watch the 2026 NFL season:
Dates:Sept. 9, 2026 - Feb. 14, 2027
TV channels: ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network
Streaming: Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN+, Paramount+, NFL+, Netflix
2026 NFL season opening week schedule:
Week 1 of the NFL season will open with a home game for the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. The 2026 NFL season's opening game will air nationally on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET — it'll also stream live on Peacock and NFL+. Spanish coverage of the game will air on Telemundo and Universo.
The following day, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Australia for an NFL International game streaming exclusively on Netflix.
How to watch NFL games in 2026:
Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you're looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market game, local and primetime, in the season (and preseason) on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, the NFL typically airs on ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video; select football games stream exclusively on Peacock; games on CBS stream live on Paramount+ Premium; and select games stream on ESPN’s App this season. For those keeping count, that's six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that's not counting your local RSN's for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, a playoff game, and the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve match, so don’t forget to add that subscription into the mix.
Confused? You're not alone. Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2026 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.
When does football season start?
This year’s NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 with a match hosted by the 2026 Super Bowl winning-Seattle Seahawks.
Immediately following the 2026 NFL kickoff game, on Thursday, Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Australia. Netflix will be the exclusive streaming home for the first NFL international game of the season.
How to watch NFL games in person:
Tickets for the 2026 NFL season are on sale now.
Find ticketsEvery way to watch NFL games this season:
To recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2025.
