NFL PreseasonStreaming ServicesCord CuttingFree Trials
No Single Streaming Service Carries Every 2026 NFL Preseason Game
Free trials, budget bundles, and the league's own app each cover a different slice of August football; match a service to the network you need, and learn when the season begins.
Source material: variety.com
Fubo: The Most Complete Preseason Package
If you want every network that carries preseason football in one place, Fubo is the easiest. The streamer includes NFL Network, CBS, FOX, and ESPN, plus the NFL RedZone channel for added analysis and a live feed of every scoring play. Fubo also carries more than 200 live TV channels, including ESPN Unlimited, which simulcasts the ESPN preseason broadcasts. For cord-cutters, the five-day free trial covers the entire opening weekend if you time it right. The service's sports-centric layout makes it simple to find the Hall of Fame Game and Week 1 matchups without clicking through menus. Fubo's trial is particularly useful because it gives you access to the four networks that split the preseason slate, so you won't miss the games that air on CBS or FOX. After the trial, the service's price varies by region, but the comprehensive channel list justifies it for fans who want every exhibition live.
DirecTV: A Five-Day Trial That Includes Disney+ and Hulu
DirecTV's streaming service offers a five-day free trial, which is enough to watch the entire first week of preseason games without paying a cent. The entry-level Entertainment package costs $59.99 for the first month (then $89.99 per month afterward) and includes NFL Network, CBS, FOX, and ESPN — the four networks that broadcast preseason football. What sets DirecTV apart is that its Signature packages bundle Disney+ and Hulu, meaning you can use the trial to watch Camp Rock 3 (premiering Aug. 13 on Disney Channel) and its sequel the next day on Disney+ without an extra charge. The trial is a no-risk way to sample the service's channel lineup, which also includes local broadcast channels in most markets. If you're a fan of both football and Disney's nostalgia trip, this trial covers both within the same five-day window.
Hulu + Live TV: One Subscription for Three Services
Hulu + Live TV starts at $89.99 per month and includes NFL Network, ESPN, CBS, and FOX, which covers the majority of preseason broadcasts. The subscription also comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+, so you get on-demand access to the first two Camp Rock movies and a library of ESPN content. While Hulu doesn't advertise a free trial as long as DirecTV's or Fubo's, the service's three-day trial (as reported by some sources) can still catch a Thursday or Friday night preseason game if you plan ahead. The bundle is particularly valuable for households that want live sports plus a deep catalog of Disney and Marvel titles. For fans who watch football beyond the preseason, Hulu's cloud DVR lets you record games and watch them later, though the 50-hour storage fills up quickly during a busy Week 1.
Sling Orange + Blue: The Budget Pick for NFL Network
Sling's Orange + Blue plan is one of the cheapest ways to get NFL Network, FOX, and ESPN in one package, costing $69.99 per month. Unlike other major live TV streaming services, Sling does not offer a free trial, but you can pay as little as $4.99 per day for the Orange plan, which includes ESPN and Disney Channel — handy for a single preseason game. For the full preseason schedule, the Orange + Blue tier adds FOX and NFL Network, while a $11 monthly Sports Extra add-on includes NFL RedZone, the channel that jumps between games on Sunday afternoons. Sling's channel availability varies by local market, so check its website to confirm whether your area receives FOX or the NFL Network. It's not as comprehensive as Fubo, but the lower entry price makes it a solid choice for fans who don't need every network.
NFL+: The League's Own Streaming Option
NFL+ is the league's own streaming subscription. At $6.99 per month, it features all games across broadcast and cable networks during the preseason, regular season, postseason, and the Super Bowl. A single login replaces the need to track which network—NFL Network, CBS, FOX, or ESPN—is carrying a given game. The service also broadcasts 24 hours of NFL content, so there is always something to watch even when a game isn't live. In practice, you sign up, open the app, and select the game feed you want; there's no cable login, no antenna, and no extra sports package. For a fan who wants guaranteed access to every preseason matchup without checking local listings, NFL+ is the direct option. The $6.99 monthly price is the starting tier, and it covers the full slate from the preseason opener through the Super Bowl. That makes it the simplest way to watch the league's games from one place.
ESPN+: Everything ESPN Without Cable
If you only care about the preseason games that air on ESPN or ABC, ESPN+ (called ESPN Unlimited in the marketing materials) starts at $29.99 per month and gives you access to all of ESPN's networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN on ABC, and ESPN Deportes. That means you can watch the Monday night and Thursday night exhibitions that air on the mothership, plus college football and tennis on the secondary channels. This is a narrow but reliable option for fans who already have a cable package for local channels but want ESPN without the full live TV bundle. The Disney Streaming Bundle, which includes ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ for $35.99 per month, saves you nearly 40% compared with buying all three separately — a good deal if you also watch Disney's original series. For preseason, ESPN+ covers the games that Fubo and Hulu get, but without the rest of the channels.
Paramount+: CBS Preseason Games on a Free Trial
Paramount+ gives you a specific, low-cost way to watch NFL preseason games that air on CBS. The service starts at $8.99 per month, and that base tier includes CBS's preseason broadcasts, so you don't need a full live-TV package just for one network. Its standout feature is a seven-day free trial—long enough to cover the entire first week of preseason football if you start it on Aug. 13. That means you can stream every CBS preseason contest in that window without paying anything, then decide whether to continue at $8.99 for the rest of the season. The trial is also useful for checking whether your internet connection and device handle the live stream smoothly. If you are already paying for another streamer, this is an affordable way to add the CBS games you would otherwise miss. Sign up for the trial before kickoff, watch the Week 1 slate, and let the subscription lapse if you don't need more.
Prime Video: Thursday Night Football and More
Prime Video is the streaming home of Thursday Night Football during the NFL preseason. That means each week's Thursday exhibition game is available to anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription, which includes Prime Video as part of the membership. For people who don't yet pay for Prime, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial—far longer than the five- or seven-day trials elsewhere—so you can watch the entire preseason's Thursday slate without committing. The membership also comes with Prime Gaming, free two-day shipping on most orders, in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market, and early access to Prime Day and Black Friday shopping events. On the video side, you get not only live football but also Amazon original series like "Off Campus," "Spider-Noir," "The Boys," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," and "Fallout." In practice, you sign up for the trial, open Prime Video, and watch the Thursday night game live, with the same login covering your deliveries and shopping perks. If you already have Amazon Prime, there is no extra charge—the preseason games are included in what you already pay. The 30-day window will outlast the preseason, so you can watch every Thursday night matchup free.
When the 2026 Preseason Starts
The 2026 preseason begins with a single kickoff game, but the rest of the league enters during Week 1 on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. That is the date the rest of the league joins the exhibition season, so it's the moment when virtually every franchise is in action. The full season then runs to Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027. That game will crown the NFL's champion for the 2025-27 season and end with the Vince Lombardi Trophy being handed out in Los Angeles. For viewers, these dates matter because free trials are tied to calendar time: a seven-day trial started on Aug. 13 captures the first full week of preseason games, while a 30-day trial from the same day lasts through multiple weeks. If you want to watch the preseason's opening game first, you'll need a service that carries that specific broadcast; after Aug. 13, every team's games become available. So the schedule is the key to timing your streaming plan.