The short answer is almost — but not quite. YouTube TV covers more NFL games than any single service ever has, especially since it became the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket. But a handful of games each season live on Amazon, Netflix, and Peacock — and you can’t get those through YouTube TV. Here’s the full picture, spelled out plainly.
NFL broadcasting has never been more complicated. Games are spread across more services than ever before, and the answer to “can I watch every game on YouTube TV?” depends entirely on which games you care about. These takeaways cover the questions most people are really asking.
- 1 Does YouTube TV have every NFL game? No — but it comes close. YouTube TV’s base plan includes CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network — covering local Sunday games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football broadcast games, and most primetime matchups. Add NFL Sunday Ticket and you cover out-of-market Sunday games too. What you still miss: Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video (17 games), five Netflix-exclusive games, and one Peacock-exclusive Saturday night game.
- 2 How much does YouTube TV cost for full NFL coverage? The base plan is $82.99/month. NFL Sunday Ticket for new subscribers starts at $240 for the season (or $192 in some promotional windows). That’s the core combination. To catch every game, you’d also need Amazon Prime Video (~$14.99/month) for Thursday Night Football and select playoff games, Netflix (~$17.99/month) for five exclusive games, and Peacock (~$10.99/month) for one exclusive Saturday game.
- 3 Do I need NFL Sunday Ticket to watch my team? Only if your team is playing in a different city. If you live in the home market of your team, their games already appear on your local CBS or FOX through YouTube TV’s base plan. Sunday Ticket is for fans who live out of state — someone in Boston who roots for the Green Bay Packers, for example. It unlocks every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game that isn’t showing locally or on primetime.
- 4 Does Sunday Ticket cover playoff games and the Super Bowl? No. NFL Sunday Ticket is regular-season Sunday afternoon games only. Playoff games, the Super Bowl, Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football are all excluded from Sunday Ticket — those come from your base plan channels (CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN). The Super Bowl this season airs on ABC and ESPN, both included with YouTube TV’s base plan.
- 5 Can I watch Thursday Night Football on YouTube TV? Not most weeks. Amazon Prime Video has exclusive rights to 17 Thursday Night Football games during the regular season. These games do not air on any broadcast channel or YouTube TV — they are Amazon-only. The exceptions are Thanksgiving Thursday (which airs on CBS and NBC instead) and Week 1. For the vast majority of Thursday night games, you need a separate Amazon Prime subscription ($14.99/month or $139/year).
- 6 What NFL games does Netflix have — and do I have to subscribe all season? Netflix holds five exclusive NFL games this season: the Week 1 international game from Melbourne (Rams vs. 49ers), a first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, a Christmas Day doubleheader (two games), and one Week 18 game. You don’t need Netflix all season — you can subscribe for the months when their NFL games air and cancel in between. The strategic move is to add Netflix for Week 1, Thanksgiving week, Christmas, and Week 18 only.
- 7 What is NFL RedZone and is it worth it on YouTube TV? RedZone is a companion channel that jumps between all Sunday afternoon games in real time, showing only live scoring plays and critical moments across the entire league simultaneously. No commercials during live game action. It’s $10.99/month through YouTube TV’s Sports Plus add-on. If you care about the whole league every Sunday rather than following one team, RedZone is one of the best values in sports television. It does not replace watching a full game from start to finish.
- 8 Can I watch YouTube TV’s NFL games on my TV, not just my phone? Yes — on most smart TVs, streaming sticks, and game consoles. YouTube TV works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung smart TVs, LG smart TVs, and PlayStation or Xbox. The app is free to download and you sign in with your YouTube TV account. NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV also streams on all these same devices — no separate hardware required beyond what you already own.
YouTube TV’s base plan at $82.99/month covers more NFL programming than any previous era of cable or satellite. Here’s what you get before you spend a single dollar on any add-on.
These four channels carry the majority of NFL football. CBS and FOX split the Sunday afternoon slate every week — the games you grew up watching on a Sunday afternoon are here. CBS carries AFC games; FOX carries NFC games. NBC airs Sunday Night Football, which is consistently the most-watched show in American television. ABC carries Monday Night Football alongside ESPN. All four networks’ NFL coverage is included in YouTube TV’s base plan.
Important local caveat: Availability depends on whether YouTube TV carries your local affiliate. In most markets — all major cities and most midsize cities — local CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC are available. In a small number of markets, one or more local affiliates may not be carried due to carriage negotiations. Check your ZIP code at tv.youtube.com before subscribing to confirm local channel availability at your exact address.
ESPN carries Monday Night Football and select playoff games. NFL Network carries seven exclusive games this season — five International Series games (London, Paris, Madrid), and a Week 16 Saturday doubleheader on December 26. ESPN now owns NFL Network after Disney acquired NFL Media in early 2026, though the channel continues operating under the NFL Network name. All of these are included in YouTube TV’s base plan.
YouTube TV also added ESPN Unlimited to both its Main Plan and Sports Plan at no extra cost in mid-2026 — a significant addition that includes access to all ESPN channels and ESPN+, further broadening the NFL coverage available to subscribers without additional fees.
Every YouTube TV plan includes unlimited cloud DVR storage. That means you can record any NFL game that airs on the included channels and watch it later — including replays, if you’re watching on a delay. Games you record stay in your DVR for nine months. For fans who can’t always watch live, this is a genuinely useful feature that most cable providers charged extra for or capped at a certain number of hours.
This is the part that trips people up. Even with YouTube TV’s base plan and NFL Sunday Ticket, three other streaming services hold exclusive rights to specific games. These are not on YouTube TV, period — no add-on, no upgrade fixes this.
Amazon has exclusive rights to 17 Thursday Night Football games during the regular season. These games air only on Amazon Prime Video and nowhere else — not on FOX, not on NFL Network, not through any YouTube TV add-on. The exceptions are Thanksgiving Thursday (which goes to CBS and NBC) and the Week 1 kickoff. Black Friday football and one Wild Card playoff game are also Amazon exclusives.
- Approximately 15 of 18 regular-season Thursdays are Amazon Prime exclusive
- Amazon Prime Video subscription: approximately $14.99/month or $139/year (includes shopping shipping and other benefits)
- Games do stream on local over-the-air TV in the home markets of the two teams playing — so a digital antenna is free viewing if your team is in the game
Netflix dramatically expanded its NFL footprint this season as part of a new multi-year rights deal. Five games air exclusively on Netflix — including the Week 1 international game from Melbourne, Australia (Rams vs. 49ers), the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game (Wednesday night), a Christmas Day doubleheader (two games on December 25), and a Week 18 Saturday game. None of these appear on any broadcast channel or YouTube TV.
- Week 1 international game: Rams vs. 49ers from Melbourne, Australia
- Thanksgiving Eve (Wednesday): A new holiday window Netflix secured exclusively
- Christmas Day: Two games — including Packers vs. Bears and Bills vs. Broncos
- Week 18 Saturday: One additional exclusive matchup
- You don’t need Netflix all season — subscribe for the months with NFL games, cancel the rest. Netflix starts at approximately $17.99/month with ads, $22.99/month ad-free.
Peacock holds one exclusive game this season — a Saturday night primetime matchup during Week 17 on January 2, 2027. All other NBC Sunday Night Football games simultaneously stream on Peacock as a secondary option, but this one game airs on Peacock only. It does not air on NBC, and it is not accessible through YouTube TV. Peacock Premium starts at $10.99/month. If Week 17 is when your team is in this game and the playoff picture is tight, this could be a pivotal game you’d otherwise completely miss.
Sunday Ticket is the most-searched NFL add-on — and the most misunderstood. It solves one specific problem extremely well. But it has clear limits that every subscriber should know before paying.
Sunday Ticket unlocks every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game — meaning games not shown on your local CBS or FOX affiliate because they’re airing in another city. This was previously only possible through DirecTV satellite, which held the rights for nearly 30 years before YouTube acquired them in 2023 in a roughly $2 billion-per-season deal. If you live in Chicago but root for the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday Ticket means you watch every Cowboys game that isn’t nationally televised, regardless of what’s showing locally.
What Sunday Ticket does NOT cover: Your own local market games (those are blacked out because they already air locally for free). Preseason games. Thursday Night Football. Sunday Night Football. Monday Night Football. International games on NFL Network. Netflix, Amazon, or Peacock exclusives. Playoff games. The Super Bowl. Sunday Ticket is only for regular-season Sunday afternoon games your local market isn’t showing.
The Multiview feature: One of the best additions since YouTube took over — you can watch up to four games simultaneously on one screen. For fantasy football players or fans who follow multiple teams, this is genuinely useful in a way that nothing before it offered at this price point.
NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube is non-refundable from the moment you purchase it — not just once the season starts. If you buy it in June and change your mind in August, you cannot get a refund. The subscription is also non-cancellable once purchased; you can turn off auto-renewal for next season, but you’re locked into the current season the moment you pay. For new subscribers, YouTube currently offers a promotional rate significantly lower than the returning subscriber price — verify current pricing at tv.youtube.com before deciding, as these promotional windows change.
Different fans have different needs. Here’s what each level of NFL coverage on YouTube TV costs per month during the season, so you can decide what you actually need versus what’s nice to have.
You live in your team’s home market, watch their games on CBS or FOX locally, and watch Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football when your team plays. You don’t care about out-of-market games.
- YouTube TV Base Plan: $82.99/month — includes everything you need
- Amazon Prime Video: needed for any Thursday Night Football games featuring your team (~$14.99/month — subscribe for those months only)
- Total: $82.99/month base, plus short-term Amazon subscription when your team is on Thursday
You moved away from your team’s city and want to watch every single game they play regardless of where you are.
- YouTube TV Base Plan: $82.99/month
- NFL Sunday Ticket: $240/season new subscribers (about $30/month over 8 months) — covers every out-of-market Sunday game
- Amazon Prime Video: ~$14.99/month for Thursday games your team plays
- Netflix: ~$17.99/month, subscribe only for months your team plays on Netflix
- Approximate cost during peak football months: $140–$160/month all-in
You want to watch every one of the 272 regular-season games and every playoff game. This is what completionists and serious fantasy players need.
- YouTube TV Base Plan: $82.99/month
- NFL Sunday Ticket: $240/season new (returning subscribers pay $378)
- NFL RedZone add-on: $10.99/month (or $42/season bundled with Sunday Ticket)
- Amazon Prime Video: $14.99/month (for all Thursday Night Football)
- Netflix: $17.99/month (needed for portions of September, November, and December)
- Peacock: $10.99/month (needed for Week 17)
- Approximate all-in monthly cost during peak season: $190–$220/month
Use this to quickly find which service carries the game you’re trying to watch. The desktop table shows everything at once; on mobile, swipe through each game type as a card.
← Scroll to see full table →
| Game / Package | On YouTube TV? | Service Needed | Extra Cost? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Local Games (CBS / FOX) | ✅ Yes Base Plan | YouTube TV base | Included at $82.99/mo | Local affiliate availability varies by ZIP |
| Sunday Night Football (NBC) | ✅ Yes Base Plan | YouTube TV base | Included at $82.99/mo | 18 games + Kickoff game |
| Monday Night Football (ESPN/ABC) | ✅ Yes Base Plan | YouTube TV base | Included at $82.99/mo | ESPN Unlimited added mid-2026 free |
| NFL Network Games (Int’l Series + Week 16) | ✅ Yes Base Plan | YouTube TV base | Included at $82.99/mo | 7 games — London, Paris, Madrid, Dec 26 |
| Out-of-Market Sunday Games | ✅ Yes + Add-On | NFL Sunday Ticket | $240 new / $378 returning | Local market games blacked out |
| NFL RedZone (All Sunday Touchdowns) | ✅ Yes + Add-On | Sports Plus add-on | $10.99/month | 7 hrs live Sunday coverage, up to 8 games |
| Thursday Night Football (most weeks) | ❌ No | Amazon Prime Video | ~$14.99/month | 17 games exclusive to Amazon; Thanksgiving on CBS/NBC |
| Amazon Black Friday Game | ❌ No | Amazon Prime Video | ~$14.99/month | Broncos vs. Steelers (Nov. 27) |
| Amazon Wild Card Playoff Game | ❌ No | Amazon Prime Video | ~$14.99/month | Amazon holds one exclusive playoff game |
| Netflix Week 1 Melbourne Game | ❌ No | Netflix | ~$17.99/month | Rams vs. 49ers from Australia (Sept. 10) |
| Netflix Thanksgiving Eve Game | ❌ No | Netflix | ~$17.99/month | First-ever Wednesday night NFL game |
| Netflix Christmas Day (2 games) | ❌ No | Netflix | ~$17.99/month | Packers-Bears and Bills-Broncos on Dec. 25 |
| Peacock Exclusive Week 17 Game | ❌ No | Peacock Premium | ~$10.99/month | Saturday Jan. 2 — Peacock only, no NBC broadcast |
| All Playoff Games | ✅ Most Yes | YouTube TV base + Amazon | Amazon for Wild Card game | CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ABC carry most playoff games |
| Super Bowl LXI (Feb. 14, 2027) | ✅ Yes Base Plan | YouTube TV base | Included at $82.99/mo | Airs on ABC and ESPN — both in base plan |
Not everyone needs everything. Most people need to solve one specific problem. Here’s what to actually do based on your real situation.
YouTube TV’s base plan at $82.99/month is all you need for most games. Your local CBS or FOX already carries your team’s home and away games on Sundays. Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football are included. The only time you’d need something extra is when your team plays on Thursday Night Football — add Amazon Prime for those months only. You don’t need Sunday Ticket if you’re already in your team’s market.
This is exactly the situation NFL Sunday Ticket was built for. YouTube TV base plan ($82.99/month) gives you the broadcast channels; Sunday Ticket (from $240/season new) unlocks every out-of-market Sunday game your local market isn’t showing. Add Amazon Prime for Thursday games featuring your team. That combination covers the vast majority of your team’s schedule. For the rare Netflix or Peacock exclusive that features your team, subscribe to those services for that specific month and cancel after.
NFL RedZone is your most important add-on — $10.99/month through YouTube TV’s Sports Plus package. RedZone switches to live scoring plays across all Sunday afternoon games in real time. Pair it with YouTube TV’s base plan for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and the broadcast channels. Add Amazon Prime for Thursday night games. You likely don’t need Sunday Ticket unless you specifically want to watch full games — RedZone gives you all the scoring action without committing to one game.
YouTube TV is the most cable-like cord-cutting replacement for NFL fans. You get every major broadcast channel, unlimited DVR, and the option to add Sunday Ticket. The one honest gap versus a full cable package: Thursday Night Football (Amazon), certain Netflix games, and the Peacock Week 17 exclusive. If you can accept those gaps, YouTube TV covers more NFL games than most cable packages ever did — without a contract or equipment rental fees. The interface is also considerably easier to navigate than most cable DVR systems.
Start smaller. YouTube TV’s base plan alone covers most of the season — local Sunday games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thanksgiving Thursday, and the Super Bowl. Skip Sunday Ticket unless you’re out of market. Don’t subscribe to Amazon year-round — add it only for the months your team plays Thursday Night Football. Netflix’s NFL games are clustered in September, November, and December; subscribe only those months. A $7/month NFL+ subscription covers all local and primetime games on your phone or tablet if you prefer mobile viewing. A free digital antenna provides local CBS and FOX with zero monthly cost. There are cheaper ways to watch most of the season than the all-in approach.
YouTube TV allows three simultaneous streams on the base plan, which covers most households watching different games in different rooms. The service supports up to six household profiles. For more than three simultaneous streams, a 4K add-on ($9.99/month) also increases to unlimited home streams. The apps work on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung and LG smart TVs, Xbox, and PlayStation — so whatever TV you own is almost certainly supported.
Yes, with some nuances. YouTube TV works anywhere in the United States with an internet connection. Your local channel lineup is determined by your registered home ZIP code, not your physical location. If you’re traveling and a game is blacked out locally in the city you’re visiting, you’d still see your home market’s programming. NFL Sunday Ticket games are accessible while traveling as long as they’re not blacked out in your home market. Games that are physically in the city you’re visiting and airing on local channels may be geographically restricted from Sunday Ticket.
Some, but not all. NFL preseason games air on a patchwork of local channels, NFL Network, and streaming platforms depending on the specific matchup and your team’s local broadcast arrangements. NFL Network preseason games are included with YouTube TV’s base plan. Local preseason games that air on CBS or FOX affiliates in your market are typically available. Some preseason games are only available through NFL+ or team-specific streaming. Sunday Ticket does not cover preseason games.
A digital antenna is the most practical solution. Over-the-air antennas pick up local CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC stations for free with no monthly cost — these signals broadcast in most of the United States and a modern indoor antenna works well in most homes within 30–50 miles of a broadcast tower. An antenna paired with YouTube TV for cable channels gives you most of the NFL schedule. Check YouTube TV’s channel availability for your specific ZIP code before subscribing — if a critical local channel is missing, the antenna fills that gap.
In the home markets of the two teams playing each week, Thursday Night Football airs on local over-the-air channels for free — so a digital antenna works if your team is in the game. NFL+ ($7/month) streams Thursday Night Football on mobile devices and tablets (not TVs). Beyond those options, there’s no legal way to watch Thursday Night Football without an Amazon Prime subscription when the game doesn’t involve your local team. Amazon’s exclusive deal runs through at least the 2026 season with no indication of change.
This page is for informational purposes only. NFL broadcast rights, YouTube TV pricing, channel availability, and streaming exclusivity arrangements change and are subject to renegotiation at any time. All prices shown are approximate and were verified as of mid-2026 — confirm current pricing and channel availability directly with YouTube TV, Amazon, Netflix, and Peacock before subscribing. Local channel availability on YouTube TV varies by ZIP code; check your specific address at tv.youtube.com. NFL Sunday Ticket is non-refundable once purchased. Streaming platform prices and NFL rights deals are separate from this guide’s publication date and should be verified before any purchasing decision.