Following the NFL costs a lot. A full season usually means a cable or streaming bundle, a separate app for Thursday nights, and another one for the games your local channels don’t show. So it’s no surprise that fans look for a free NFL live stream every weekend.
Free, legal streams do exist, and in more than one country. Several broadcasters outside the US show NFL games at no cost every week, and in the US, an antenna still picks up many of the biggest games.
The catch is that each free stream works only in its own country, so watching from elsewhere requires one extra step. Here’s what you can do.
Free NFL Live Streams: 5 Steps for the 2026 Season
- Sign up for a VPN with Australian servers. We recommend NordVPN.
- Install the app on your phone, laptop, or streaming stick, and sign in.
- Connect to a server in Australia (any city will work).
- Register with 7plus for free, using an Australian postcode.
- Open 7plus Sport and pick a live game.
Where to Watch NFL Games for Free
Several countries have free-to-air NFL deals, and this season’s main free broadcasters are:
| Country | Free channel and app | What’s free |
| Australia | Seven, on 7plus | Usually Thursday Night Football and two Sunday games a week, plus the playoffs and the Super Bowl |
| UK | 5 and 5Action, on the 5 app | Two Sunday games a week, the London games, playoff games, and the Super Bowl |
| Germany | RTL | About five games a week, the European games, and the Super Bowl, with German commentary |
| Canada | CTV, over the air | Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games, Sunday afternoon games, and the playoffs |
| New Zealand | TVNZ, on TVNZ+ | Weekly games, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl |
| Ireland | Virgin Media, on VM Play | Sunday games, playoff games, and the Super Bowl |
| France | M6 | A Sunday game each week, selected playoff games, and the Super Bowl |
| US | CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC, with an antenna | Local Sunday games, Sunday night games, some Monday games, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl |
Still, each of these streams is geo-blocked to its own country. From abroad, you see an error or a player that never starts. For English-speaking fans, 7plus and Channel 5 show the most games you can stream for free, so they’re the two we’d set up first.
7plus: Free NFL From Australia
Seven is Australia’s free-to-air NFL broadcaster, and every game it shows also streams live on 7plus at no cost. A typical week brings the Thursday night game plus a pair of Sunday afternoon matchups, and the coverage continues through the postseason to the Super Bowl.
The games also come with English commentary, and there’s no paywall at any point in the season. Before you watch, 7plus requires a free account with an email address, a password, and an Australian postcode, and a random postcode worked in our tests.
However, the site is built for viewers in Australia. From another country, the player keeps loading without ever showing an error, which can look like a slow connection at first.
The same setup (with a VPN and a randomly-generated ZIP code online) also unblocks 7plus abroad for its other sports and TV channels.
Access 7plus Abroad With NordVPN
Channel 5: Free NFL in the UK
In the UK, Channel 5 shows NFL games for free. Sundays bring a live double bill, with one game on 5Action and another on 5. Coverage also includes the NFL’s London games, a Thanksgiving special, playoff games, and the Super Bowl.
The games stream live on the free 5 app, which requires an account with a UK postcode. Kickoff times are convenient for European viewers, with the Sunday games starting in the early and late evening UK time.
From outside Britain, the 5 app requires a UK IP address, and the same connection works for other UK TV channels abroad.
Free NFL in the US Without Cable
Americans have free options too, and none of them requires a VPN at home:
- An antenna: your local network stations show the Sunday afternoon and Sunday night games, several Monday night games, and most playoff games, including the Super Bowl, all free over the air. Still, the matchups depend on your local market.
- Twitch: most of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football games also stream on Twitch at no cost.
- Free trials: YouTube TV and Fubo offer short free trials that can cover a weekend of games. Sling doesn’t offer one.
Paid US streaming services work only from the US. When you travel, a VPN with a US server keeps those subscriptions working, and it also helps with out-of-market NFL games at home.
Free NFL Streams From Another Country: The Setup
Every free stream checks your IP address before it plays. A VPN replaces your IP address with one from the country you choose, so 7plus sees a viewer in Australia, and the 5 app sees one in Britain.
We used NordVPN, which has Australian servers in five cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. After you install the app and connect to Australia, you’ll have an Australian IP address within seconds.
Then create your free 7plus account and head to the Sport section, where the live games are listed. For Channel 5, connect to a UK server instead and sign in to the 5 app.
In our tests, live games on 7plus took a little while to start, so wait a moment before you switch servers, and don’t assume the VPN isn’t working right away.
Which VPN to Use for Free NFL Streams
A VPN for free NFL streams requires Australian and UK servers and enough speed for HD sports, which the best VPNs for streaming sports offer. When we tested them, NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN unblocked 7plus and the 5 app. We’d actually first recommend NordVPN.
It has servers across Australia and the UK, apps for Fire TV and Android TV, and a 30-day money-back guarantee that covers a month of games. It costs about $3.50 a month on the two-year plan. If you already have Proton VPN or ExpressVPN, either one is fine, especially since both work with all NFl-streaming platforms without issues.
Paid Ways to Watch Every NFL Game
Free TV covers only part of the schedule, so watching every game requires a paid service, and the right one depends on where you live.
NFL Game Pass Outside the US
Game Pass, operated by DAZN, streams every game live outside the US and China, from the preseason to the Super Bowl. Its top tier adds RedZone in markets such as Germany. Prices vary by country, and in much of Europe, a full season costs about €200 to €250.
DAZN usually cuts the price once the season is underway. Because pricing is regional, some fans use NordVPN, with servers in 152 countries, to compare the Game Pass price in other countries by changing their IP address.
Paid NFL Streaming in the US
In the US, the games are split across several networks and apps:
- YouTube TV (about $83 a month): CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, with Sunday Ticket as an add-on
- Peacock (about $13 a month for Premium): Peacock streams Sunday Night Football and one exclusive game
- Paramount+ (about $9 a month): your local CBS games
- ESPN (about $32 a month): Monday Night Football and playoff games
- Prime Video: Thursday Night Football
- Netflix: a handful of games, including Christmas Day
- Sling (about $46 a month for Orange or Blue): ESPN on Sling TV Orange, and FOX and NBC in select markets on Blue
- Fubo (about $89 a month): the main networks, including NBC again after a carriage dispute
- NFL+ (about $7 a month): in-market and primetime games, on mobile devices only
Streaming NFL Online in Canada
DAZN streams every game in Canada for about CA$25 a month, or about CA$200 a year. TSN’s Standard and Premium plans, at about CA$25 and CA$30 a month, cover TSN’s games, and Premium adds RedZone.
CTV’s free games stream online only with a TV provider login, so an antenna is the free way in. Both DAZN and TSN are region-locked, so Canadians abroad need a Canadian IP address to keep watching.
Watching NFL Live in the United Kingdom
Sky Sports shows more than half of the season’s games, including Sunday doubleheaders, primetime games, RedZone, and the Super Bowl. Without a Sky contract, NOW sells a Sports day pass for about £15 or a month for about £35.
DAZN’s Game Pass is the all-games option for UK fans who don’t want Sky. Brits in America can also watch Sky Sports in the USA by connecting to a UK server.
Paid NFL Streaming in Australia
Kayo shows ESPN’s NFL coverage, with at least six games a week, from about AU$30 a month. Foxtel’s sports packages also include ESPN. Australians who travel can still watch Kayo abroad with an Australian server, and 7plus remains the free option at home.
Super Bowl LXI: Free Ways to Watch
Super Bowl LXI is on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. In the US, ABC airs it free over the air, and ESPN shows it on cable and streaming.
Outside the US, it’s free on 7plus in Australia, 5 in the UK, RTL in Germany, TVNZ in New Zealand, and Virgin Media in Ireland.
If the Free Stream Won’t Load: 5 Simple Fixes
A free stream can still fail with the VPN connected. These steps solve most of the problems:
- Start fresh in a private window. 7plus and 5 may still know your real location from stored cookies.
- Switch servers in the same country. If one Australian city doesn’t work, try another one.
- Disable location sharing in your browser. Some streaming sites ask the browser for your location directly.
- Put the VPN on your router. Every TV in the house then uses the VPN connection, including sets with no VPN app of their own.
- Change the Amazon country for Fire TV. The 7plus app appears in the Fire TV store only when your Amazon account’s country is set to Australia.
Summary
The cheapest way to follow the NFL this season is to use the free broadcasters. 7plus streams the most free games in English, Channel 5 is the free pick in the UK, and in the US, an antenna picks up the local and primetime games. From another country, connect a VPN to Australia or the UK, create a free account, and the games play as they do there.
Before game day, check kickoff times in your own time zone. A 1 pm Eastern game on Sunday starts in the early evening in Europe, and early on Monday morning in Australia, so live viewing may take some planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you watch every NFL game for free?
No, free broadcasters such as 7plus, Channel 5, and CTV show a selection of games each week. The full schedule requires Game Pass outside the US, or Sunday Ticket plus the national networks.
Is Thursday Night Football free?
Yes, in some places. Seven in Australia and RTL in Germany air it on free TV, and in the US, Twitch offers a free simulcast of most Prime Video Thursday games.
Does NFL+ show every game?
No, NFL+ covers only local and national primetime games on phones and tablets, along with NFL Network. Out-of-market Sunday afternoon games require Sunday Ticket.
Can you use NFL Game Pass in the US?
No, Game Pass isn't sold in the US, and China is excluded too. American viewers rely on NFL+, Sunday Ticket, or the networks and streaming services with the broadcast rights.
Can you watch 7plus outside Australia?
No, Seven limits 7plus streams to viewers in Australia, and a free account doesn't change that. Viewers abroad need an Australian IP address to watch its live games.
Does NFL Sunday Ticket include primetime games?
No, Sunday Ticket covers out-of-market Sunday afternoon games only. Thursday, Sunday night, and Monday night games air on Prime Video, NBC, and ESPN instead.