How to Watch NFL Games Live For Free to See Every Match This Season

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Football season is back, and if you’re looking for how to watch NFL games live for free, we have the secrets to save money (and stress) this season.

The National Foot Ball League, also known as the NFL, started in 1920 and consists of 32 teams divided between two main conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). These days, the NFL’s regular season runs for 18 weeks from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week.

After the regular season ends, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, which culminate in the Super Bowl, held on the first Sunday in February. Since the creation of the Super Bowl, which is played between champions of the NFC and AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots hold the title for the most championship titles at six each. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady holds the record for the NFL player with the most Super Bowl rings. So where can football fans stream NFL games to see which teams make it to the Super Bowl? Read on for how to watch NFL games live for free this season.

How to watch NFL games live for free

Most NFL games air on three main networks: NBC, CBS, and FOX, which are available to stream on services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Hulu+ With Live TV. All three services also have ABC and ESPN, which most Monday Night Football games air on. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends (with $10 off your first three months). Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends. Hulu+ With Live TV starts at $68.99 per month and includes free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus for select plans.

Some Monday Night Football games also air on ESPN Plus, which $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, a savings of around $20 or 17 percent off. Thursday Night Football games air on Prime Video, which offers a 30-day free trial and costs $8.99 per month.

• Best Overall Pick to Watch NFL Games: DirecTV Stream
• Best Free Trial Pick to Watch NFL Games: Fubo
• Best Upgrade Pick to Watch NFL Games: Hulu+ With Live TV

Best Overall Pick to Watch NFL Games: Direct TV Stream

Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch NFL games live for free for its free trial, price (including its current deal), and channel selection. Direct TV Stream offers a five-day free trial and has a current deal where new subscribers can receive $10 off their first three months. Direct TV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $74.99 per month with the first three months at $64.99 per month; Choice, which costs $99.99 per month with the first three months at $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $109.99 per month with the first three months at $99.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $154.99 per month with the first three months at $144.99 per month. NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, and ESPN are available on all four plans.

As for other difference between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch NFL games with DirecTV Stream’s free trial. 

1. Visit streamtv.directv.com
2. Click “Shop Packages”
3. Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
4. Enter your information and payment method
5. Search for the channel of your choice and start watching

Best Free Trial Pick to Watch NFL Games: Fubo

Fubo is our best free trial pick to watch NFL games live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers three plans: Pro, which costs $74.99 per month; Elite, which costs $84.99 per month; and Ultimate, which costs $99.99 per month. NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, and ESPN are available on all four plans.

As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Ultimate includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch NFL games with Fubo’s free trial. 

1. Visit Fubo.TV
2. Click “Start Free Trial”
3. Enter your information and payment method
4. Search for the channel of your choice and start watching

Best Upgrade Pick to Watch NFL Games: Hulu+ Live TV

Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch NFL Games based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $68.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $69.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $74.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, and ESPN are available on all four plans. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how watch NFL games with Hulu+ Live TV.

1. Visit Hulu.com/liveTV
2. Click “Sign Up Now”
3. Enter your information and payment method
4. Search for the channel of your choice and start watching

How to watch Thursday Night Football

Thursday Night Football is available to stream on Prime Video, which offers a 30-day free trial and costs $8.99 per month for non-Amazon Prime members. Prime Video comes for free with a Prime subscription, which also offers a 30-day free trial and costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year (a saving of about $36 from the monthly subscription.) Along with Prime Video, Prime also includes Prime Delivery (such as free two-day shipping, free same-day shipping, free release-date delivery and free no-rush shipping), as well as access to Prime Music, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading. Students can also subscribe to Amazon Prime Student for $7.49 per month or $69 per year, which is half the price of the regular subscription and also comes with Prime Video.

Below are step-by-step instructions for how to sign up for Prime Video’s free trial to watch Thursday Night Football.

1. Visit Prime Video’s website
2. Click “Start your 30-day free trial“
3. Create or log into your Amazon account
4. Start watching Thursday Night Football on Prime Video for free

How much is ESPN Plus?

ESPN Plus is ESPN’s streaming service with live sports events and thousands of hours of TV shows, movies and other content not aired on TV. ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $99.99 per year for a yearly plan, which saves customers about 17 percent or $20 from the monthly rate. ESPN Plus also offers exclusive UFC pay-per-view matches for $70 for existing subscribers. New subscribers can also get a special discounted bundle that includes a one-year membership to ESPN Plus, as well as one pay-per-view match for $89.98.

ESPN Plus is also included in The Disney Bundle, which offers three plans: Duo Basic for $9.99 per month (which includes ad-supported plans of Hulu and Disney Plus; Trio Basic for $12.99 per month (which includes ad-supported plans of Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus); and Trio Premium for $19.99 per month (which includes ad-free plans for Hulu, and Disney Plus and an ad-supported plan of ESPN Plus). The Duo Basic saves subscribers $5.98 per month from subscribing to Hulu and Disney Plus’ ad-supported plans individually; Trio Basic saves subscribers $12.99 per month from subscribing to Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus’ ad-supported plans individually; and Trio Premium saves subscribers $15.98 per month from subscribing to Hulu and Disney Plus’ no-ads plans and ESPN Plus’ ad-supported plan individually.

Does ESPN Plus have a free trial?

Does ESPN Plus have a free trial? The answer is no. Though ESPN Plus had a seven-day free trial when it launched in 2018, the service has since ended the option. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to watch ESPN Plus for free. Read on for an even better alternative to ESPN Plus’ free trial.

Verizon’s Free ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu Bundle

If you’re a Verizon customer (or know someone who is), you can receive free ESPN Plus, Disney Plus and Hulu subscriptions with the service’s Disney Bundle offer. According to Verizon, customers with at least one Get More Unlimited or Play More Unlimited plan are eligible for offer, which includes free subscriptions to ESPN Plus, Disney Plus and Hulu (which saves users a cost of $13.99 per month) for as long as their plans are active. Click here for Verizon’s FAQ on how to sign up for Verizon’s free Disney Bundle.

How to sign up for ESPN Plus

1. Visit ESPN Plus’ website
2. Click “Get the Disney Bundle” or “Subscribe to ESPN+ only”
3. Create an account
4. Select your plan and insert your payment information
5. Log into your account and start watching ESPN Plus

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