How to watch every football game of the 2025 NFL season
Football is back (sort of)! While the 2025 NFL preseason won't kick off until August, the complete 18-week regular 2025 NFL season schedule will be released tonight, ushering in the unofficial start of the 2025-26 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 2026 Super Bowl, Yahoo Sports has you covered. Here's your playbook for how to watch the 2025-26 NFL season.
How to watch the 2025 NFL season:Dates: Sept. 4, 2025 - Feb. 8, 2026
TV channels: ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network
Streaming: Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN+, Paramount+, NFL+, Netflix
2025 NFL season opening week schedule:Week 1 of the NFL season will open with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The 2025 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 Kansas City Chiefs will play the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil for an NFL International game that will stream exclusively on YouTube (for free!). Tight end Travis Kelce leaked the Chief's opening game information on the latest episode of his podcast.
Here's what else we know about the NFL's Week 1 schedule for the 2025 NFL season:
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
Eagles vs. Cowboys: 8:20 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
Chiefs vs. Chargers in Sao Paulo: time TBD (YouTube)
Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025
TBD
Monday, Sept. 8, 2024
TBD
Many NFL preseason 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 game 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, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and select games will stream on ESPN+ this season. 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, so add that subscription into the mix.
Not to overwhelm you, but there's also ESPN's newest streaming service to consider, and Fox One, Fox's first streaming service. Both these platforms have yet to launch, and it's currently unclear what exactly will be offered/changing from the current landscape. So for now, we recommend betting on a live TV streaming service for the upcoming NFL season, which will include both channels.
Confused? You're not alone. Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 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 Thursday, September 4, 2025 with a match hosted by 2025 Super Bowl winners the Philadelphia Eagles. Immediately following the 2025 NFL kickoff game, on Friday, Sept. 5, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo. YouTube will be the exclusive (and free) streaming home for the NFL international game in Brazil.
Every way to watch NFL games this season:To recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2025.