How To Watch the NFL In The 2025-26 Season
How To Watch the NFL In The 2025-26 Season & What It’ll Cost You
Source: Logan Bowles / Getty
It’s been seven long months since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the brakes off the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX. While it was a triumphant night for Eagles fans, it was also bittersweet, as it marked the end of the NFL season.
Now, it’s back with storylines that are as dramatic as any in recent years – Can the Eagles repeat? Will Shedeur Sanders ever start for the Cleveland Browns? Can Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, the last two MVPs, ever get to the Super Bowl? Which rookie QB will be the future of his team? Can Joe Burrow overcome his offensive line to get the Bengals to the playoffs and can Travis Hunter truly be a dual threat in the NFL?
And more importantly to some, who’s going to help their fantasy football team the most?
To get the answers to those questions, you’ll want to watch as many games as possible. But this year, there is a confusing array of options and understandably, many NFL fans are trying to figure out the best way to watch their favorite teams. We all love football, but just how much will it cost?
So here’s the deal – if you are a diehard fan of your home team and those games are the ones most important to you, buy an antenna. You can get one on Amazon for anywhere from $19 – $65, and if you have a smart TV, the antennas are configured especially for them. That way, you get your team’s games and the ones airing on network TV in the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. slots as well as NBC’s Sunday Night Football. That’s the simplest, cheapest and easiest way to get the most NFL games.
Now, if you are a diehard, a fan of a team outside of your market, and/or want access to a wider variety of games, as well as ones that are exclusively airing on streaming channels on certain dates, well, that’s when it gets more and more expensive.
If you already have Amazon Prime, you’ll get Thursday Night Football. If you already have Netflix, you’ll get two Christmas Day games (but no Beyoncé this year, at least that we know of, but we’re good if you want to run it back, B.) If you have Peacock, you’ll get Sunday Night Football.
However, if you want Monday Night Football, then you’ll need ESPN. Now that ESPN has its own streaming app, you could go that route for $29.99 a month, but on Oct. 1, it will be bundled with Fox to create an app for $39.99 a month that includes Fox News, FOX Business, FOX Weather, FOX Sports, FS1 (Fox Sports 1), FS2, BTN (Big Ten Network), FOX Deportes, FOX Local Stations and the FOX Network. The ESPN channels will include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes and ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX.
On the cheaper side, here are some options that should cover most NFL needs.
Now, while we can’t send you to any illegal sites to watch free football streams, if you know where to look (Reddit), you may find live streams that are, once again, illegal, but they are there.
Also, depending on your level of fandom and frugality, you can always keep up with live action updates via the official NFL account on Instagram and on X and watch official NFL game recaps for free, after the game, on YouTube.
$100 or less
Sling TV (Orange + Blue Bundle)
- Cost: $30.50/month (first month)
- Includes: ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, local ABC, NBC, and FOX channels in select markets.
- Note: Local CBS and some NFL games may require additional services.
Fubo Sports
- Cost: $45.99 for the first month, then $55.99/month
- Includes: Over 20 sports and news channels, including ESPN, NFL Network, and local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC in select markets.
NFL+ Premium
- Cost: $14.99/month or $80/year
- Includes: Live local and primetime games on mobile, NFL RedZone, and full game replays.
Amazon Prime Video
- Cost: $8.99/month
- Includes: All Thursday Night Football games, but that’s it.
Hulu + Live TV
- Cost: Starts at $82.99/month
- Includes: All local networks, ESPN, NFL Network, and NFL Sunday Ticket.
$100 and up
And for you ballers out there, here’s the platinum level of NFL fandom at $100 and up monthly:
NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV
- Cost: $282 and up per year (including the cost of YouTube TV base, which you need to add on Sunday Ticket)
- Includes: All out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
- Does not include Netflix Christmas Day games or Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
For a month-to-month, constantly updated breakdown of what to spend where this season, depending on what you want, click here.
Here’s a quick summary of streaming apps and costs. Watch below.
And good luck to your NFL team this year (Editor’s note: Unless you play against the Eagles).
How To Watch the NFL In The 2025-26 Season & What It’ll Cost You was originally published on cassiuslife.com
