How to watch NFL preseason games: Streaming guide

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While preseason might not bring all the action of the regular season, which kicks off in September, it does give football fans a glimpse into the new talent pool for 2026. You'll see the 2026 NFL Draft Class take the field in hopes of earning starting spots on each team. And, of course, scout players for your fantasy team and build up excitement for the best time of year.

Watching live sports, particularly football, is exceedingly complicated in the streaming era. Yes, that even includes the preseason schedule. So, I've done the grunt work for you and broken down the necessary details you need to know to tune in. Here's a handy watch guide for the 2026 NFL preseason so you don't miss out on your team's early exhibition games.

When is the 2026 NFL preseason?

The 2026 NFL preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. ET, featuring the Carolina Panthers vs. the Arizona Cardinals. The official preseason schedule then runs from Aug. 13 through Aug. 29, with the regular season kicking off on Sept. 9.

How to watch NFL preseason games live

There are 48 games total in the 2026 NFL preseason schedule; 32 of those games will be broadcast on either ESPN/ ESPN Unlimited or NFL Network. The other games will be dispersed between Prime Video and your local CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox stations.

The good news is all of these networks will also carry regular season games. So, if you make the investments now in your streaming lineup, you'll be set for the full NFL season. The bad news is, you'll need at least a couple different subscriptions to watch your home team. While there are a number of different ways to gain access to every game, I recommend one of two options. You can buy a digital antenna for access to local networks (CBS, NBC, Fox) and sign up for subscriptions to ESPN with NFL Network and Prime Video. Or you can sign up for a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV or Fubo to get access to local networks as well as ESPN and NFL Network in most markets. Unfortunately, you'll still need to sign up for Prime Video separately if you're not already a Prime member. Make note that blackout restrictions apply to local broadcasts, just as they do in the regular season. To access out-of-market preseason games, you'll need an NFL+ subscription.

Note: The only preseason game on Prime Video is the Aug. 27 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots. Feel free to skip the Prime Video subscription for preseason if you don't care about this game.

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Let's break down what those two options would cost you.

Option 1: Digital antenna + ESPN/NFL Network + Prime Video

Digital antenna options and prices vary depending on the range. Do a quick search of how far you live from your local TV stations by miles, and be sure to grab an antenna that has a range of at least that far. Mashable's sister site, PCMag, has some recommendations if you need help in your search. On average, you're looking at about a $30 to $40 purchase. That will grant you access to local games on Fox, CBS, and NBC. In order to access the 32 games on ESPN and NFL Network, you'll need an ESPN Unlimited subscription with the NFL+ Premium add-on (scroll down to the "Looking for more?" section on the ESPN website). This will cost you $39.99 per month for the bundle. Throw Prime Video into the mix for $8.99 per month, and you have a grand total of around $80 to $90 for a month. After your initial investment in the digital antenna, however, that price will go down to just $49 per month for the ESPN bundle and Prime Video, making this a better deal in the long run.

Option 2: Live TV streaming service + Prime Video

Another smart option to watch preseason NFL games is to sign up for a live TV streaming service like YouTube TV. Recently, YouTube TV added a more affordable Sports Plan, which grants you access to NBC, CBS, FOX, NFL Network, and ESPN — all of the networks you'll need for the preseason. It'll only cost you $54.99 per month for your first year, which is a pretty solid deal. All you'll need in addition to the YouTube TV Sports Plan is a Prime Video subscription for $8.99. That brings the grand total to $64 for a month.

The best streaming deals for the 2026 NFL preseason

ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99 per month, but you can save $59.89 by signing up for a full year at $299.99. Unfortunately, if you want to bundle it with NFL+ Premium for the ultimate football streaming package, you'll have to stick with the monthly plan. However, you'll save about $5 per month on the bundle deal.

ESPN Unlimited deals:

• ESPN Unlimited annual subscription — $299.99/year $359.88/year (save $59.89/year)

• ESPN Unlimited and NFL+ Premium — $39.99/month $44.98/month (save $4.99/month)

• Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundle — $35.99/month $53.97/month (save $17.98/month)

• ESPN Unlimited and Fox One bundle — $39.99/month $49.98/month (save $9.99/month)

We're big fans of YouTube TV's massive 100+ channel lineup, which includes nearly all of the networks you'll need to tune into the NFL preseason live. We're even bigger fans of the 10-day free trial offer. We're not so thrilled with the full price of the Base Plan, however, so we recommend going for the new Sports Plan.

YouTube TV will cost you $67.99 per month for your first three months of the Base Plan, then $82.99 per month thereafter. The Sports Plan, on the other hand, is just $54.99 per month for your first 12 months and $64.99 per month thereafter.

YouTube TV deals:

• YouTube TV Sports — free 10-day trial, $54.99/month for your first year $64.99/month (save $120)

• YouTube TV Base — free 10-day trial, $67.99/month for your first 3 months $82.99/month (save $45)

Honorable mention live TV streaming deal:

• Fubo Sports — $54.99/month for 1 month $64.99/month (save $10)

If you're a fan of a non-local team, you'll need an NFL+ plan to watch out-of-market preseason games. Fortunately, NFL+ is running a preseason deal just in the nick of time. Save 20% on an annual plan to NFL+ or NFL+ Premium and catch your favorite team on your mobile devices. Of course, if you're already an ESPN Unlimited subscriber, the best deal is to bundle it with NFL+ Premium for an extra $10 (see above).

Note: Though you can watch out-of-market preseason games, you'll only be able to watch your local in-market games during the regular season with NFL+. I don't know why and I don't make the rules, but it's something to consider.

NFL+ deals:

• NFL+ — $39.99/year $49.99/year (save $10)

• NFL+ Premium — $79.99/year $99.99/year (save $20)

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