ESPN has crossed the goal line with its largest NFL portfolio yet. For the 2026 season, ESPN is delivering 29 games, including 28 regular-season and postseason games, plus Super Bowl LXI, across ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network. Each game will be available to simulstream on the ESPN app.
When the NFL returns to the ESPN app later this year, cord cutters can stream 17 Monday Night Football matchups, a Week 18 Saturday doubleheader, seven NFL Network games, and ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl presentation at the end of the line.
The network is making it easy for fans to tune in to the action live on the gridiron. This season, 10 of the 17 Monday Night Football games will simulcast on ABC, including seven in the first nine weeks, while the remaining seven MNF games will air exclusively on ESPN. A Spanish-language telecast will also be available for all ESPN and NFL Network games, with most on ESPN Deportes.
ESPN is keeping its Monday Night Football booth intact, with the returns of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge, who are returning for their second full season together as a quartet. Buck and Aikman are entering their 25th season together, Salters is beginning her 15th season on the sideline, and Rutledge is back for another year across NFL and college football coverage.
For the sixth consecutive season, the ManningCast is also back in the mix. Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns for 13 games, beginning in Week 1 and continuing through Super Bowl LXI, the final game of the season. The full schedule for the pair of two-time Super Bowl MVP brothers will be released at a later date.
What to Know About the NFL on ESPN in 2026
On the Road to Super Bowl LXI, ESPN’s NFL lineup is bigger than ever and packed with marquee matchups and juicy storylines. The MNF slate includes every 2025-26 division winner and playoff team, and the company is leaning hard into star quarterbacks and heavyweight showdowns. Among the biggest games include Broncos-Chiefs opening the season, Cowboys-Eagles lands in Week 7, Seahawks host the Bears and Cowboys in prime time, Patriots-Chiefs gives Drake Maye a first crack at Patrick Mahomes, and Texans-Packers closes the regular-season MNF run in Lambeau Field.
The network’s new NFL Network package is also making noise. NFL Network will air seven games, including five International Series matchups in Weeks 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9, with the first NFL game from Paris among them, plus two games on Saturday of Week 16. The international slate also includes London and Madrid, and this is the first year NFL Network has been part of ESPN’s portfolio after the 2025 acquisition.
Beyond the regular season highlights, ESPN will present a Wild Card playoff game and a Divisional Round game for the fourth straight season, both simulcast on ABC. The biggest game of the year, Super Bowl LXI, will air across ESPN and ABC on February 14, 2027. Plus, the Week 18 Saturday doubleheader will feature two games with playoff implications, though those matchups are still to be announced
How to Watch the NFL on ESPN in 2026
The ESPN app is home to all things ESPN, and football fans who like their Saturdays, Mondays, and postseason windows packed with punch can watch the loaded calendar of action live. With Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, Fire TV, and several other compatible devices, you can watch live NFL games as the “Year of the Super Bowl” unfolds on ESPN from September through February.
ESPN plans and bundles that carry NFL games
- ESPN Unlimited — $29.99/month or $299.99/year: ESPN’s main direct-to-consumer plan and includes access to all ESPN networks and ESPN+, including NFL coverage such as Monday Night Football.
- Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $35.99/month: This best-value bundle includes Disney+ (With Ads), Hulu (With Ads), and ESPN Unlimited, so it also includes ESPN’s NFL coverage, including Monday Night Football.
- Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $44.99/month: This premium bundle includes Disney+ (No Ads), Hulu (No Ads), and ESPN Unlimited, with the same NFL access through ESPN Unlimited.
- ESPN Unlimited + NFL+ Premium — $39.99/month: This bundle adds NFL Network, NFL RedZone, game replays, and more. It also includes live local and primetime NFL+ Premium games, but those live games are available on phones and tablets only.
- Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle + NFL+ Premium — $45.99/month: The full football-heavy bundle option combines Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited, and NFL+ Premium features like NFL RedZone, NFL Network, game replays, and more.
ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network are also available to stream on DIRECTV, Fubo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. Additionally, you can watch NFL games for free with an antenna on ABC.
2026 NFL Schedule on ESPN and NFL Network
- Preseason: Thursday, August 20: Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN.
- Week 1: Monday, September 14: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 2: Monday, September 21: New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 3: Monday, September 28: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 4: Sunday, October 4: Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders (London) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 4: Monday, October 5: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 5: Sunday, October 11: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 5: Monday, October 12: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 6: Sunday, October 18: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 7: Sunday, October 25: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints (Paris) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 8: Monday, November 2: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 9: Sunday, November 8: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons (Madrid) at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 9: Monday, November 9: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 10: Monday, November 16: Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 11: Monday, November 23: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 12: Monday, November 30: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 13: Monday, December 7: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 14: Monday, December 14: Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 15: Monday, December 21: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 16: Saturday, December 26: TBD vs. TBD at 4:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 16: Saturday, December 26: TBD vs. TBD at 8:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
- Week 16: Monday, December 28: New York Giants at Detroit Lions at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 17: Monday, January 4: Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- Week 18: Saturday, January 9: TBD vs. TBD at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
- Week 18: Saturday, January 9, 2027: TBD vs. TBD at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
*ESPN will add a Wild Card playoff game and a Divisional Round game, both simulcast on ABC, and Super Bowl LXI will cap the season on ESPN and ABC on February 14, 2027. Those postseason matchups are still to be announced. Schedule is subject to change.
