If you like watching the games you want – rather than what cable TV lets you watch – streaming football is the way to go. With the regular seasons for college football and the NFL both in the 4th quarter, there are a few games left plus plenty of bowl games and playoffs to watch. Here are the best ways to watch football without cable.
In a hurry? Here are 3 streamers to watch football without cable
Hulu + Live TV
With Hulu + Live TV you can watch the NFL’s Sunday morning and afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and NCAA college football.
fuboTV
With fuboTV you can watch the NFL’s Sunday morning and afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and NCAA college football.
YouTube TV
With YouTube TV you can watch the NFL’s Sunday morning and afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and NCAA college football.
Watching from outside the US? Here are the best VPNs for watching geo-blocked content.
Our top pick for watching football without cable: Hulu + Live TV
While it may not be the first to spring to mind when thinking of sports streamers, Hulu + Live TV is our top choice for streaming football. Unless you need Pac-12 or the Longhorn Network, Hulu + Live TV offers the best value and has all you need to watch NFL and NCAA college football.
Why Hulu + Live TV?
Hulu + Live TV costs the same as entry-level plans for fuboTV and DirecTV Stream — but those require up to $20 worth of upgrades for the same channels. And while it’s $5/month more than YouTube TV, it’s got better on-demand content and is the only live-TV streamer with ESPN+. That means it’s the only place you can watch all 5 games of the International Series.
Hulu + Live TV’s top 3 features
Sports channels: Hulu + Live TV has nearly every channel you need to watch football plus ESPN+ at no extra cost.
TV channels: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC
NFL: NFL Network, NFL RedZone
College networks: ACCN, BTN, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+
Everything above is in the base plan except NFL RedZone, which requires the Sports Add-on for $9.99/month. College football fans should check out how to watch college football on Hulu + Live TV.
Unlimited cloud DVR: Hulu + Live TV lets you record every game of the season.
Device Support: Hulu + Live TV has native apps for a robust list of devices. In addition to smart TVs, cable boxes and Amazon’s Echo Show, apps include:
Mobile: Android, iOS, Fire Tablets
Streaming: Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku
Gaming: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Check out our complete list of Hulu + Live TV supported devices to make sure your device is supported, then read our in-depth review of Hulu + Live TV.
When is football season?
When is the college football season?
The NCAA college football regular season runs from late August to early December. The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) post-season in December and January consists of 41 bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Key upcoming dates:
Fiesta Bowl: December 31
Peach Bowl: December 31
Championship game: January 9
When is the NFL season?
The NFL regular season kicks off in early September, with each team playing 17 games over 18 weeks. The post-season runs from mid-January and concludes with the Super Bowl on the second Sunday in February.
Key upcoming dates:
Wild-card Weekend: January 14-16
Divisional games: January 21-22
Conference championships: January 29
Super Bowl LVII: February 12
How to watch the postseason without cable
The vast majority of NCAA college football bowl games are broadcast exclusively on ESPN (and ESPN Deportes, in Spanish), which every streamer above carries. This includes the 3 games of the College Football Playoff – the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl and National Championship.
How to watch football during the off-season
A streaming service with unlimited cloud DVR lets you watch all of your recordings during the off-season. NFL Network also airs classic games and previous Super Bowls.
If you want total access to this year’s NFL season, NFL+ has year-round access to the on-demand library as well as the NFL Draft.
Other options for watching football without cable
Watch football on Sling TV
Sling TV only has 2 of the Big 4 broadcast TV networks, so you’ll miss all of the Sunday NFL games on CBS. But it’s the cheapest way to watch college football even with the Sports Extra add-on, which also includes NFL RedZone.
TV: NBC, FOX
NFL: NFL Network, NFL RedZone
College networks: ACCN, BTN, Longhorn Network, Pac-12, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
Read our in-depth review of Sling TV.
Watch football on fuboTV
Sport-centric fuboTV would be our top pick if it didn’t require upgrading to the Elite plan to get NFL Network. On top of that, NFL RedZone requires the Sports Plus add-on for another $10.99/month.
TV: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC
NFL: NFL Network, NFL RedZone
College networks: ACCN, BTN, Longhorn Network, Pac-12, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
Read our in-depth review of fuboTV.
Watch football on DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream is the only streamer with regional sports networks (RSNs) like Bally Sports, YES Network and Spectrum SportsNet. But you’ll need the Choice plan to get them and the college football networks.
TV: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX
NFL: none
College networks: ACCN, BTN, Longhorn Network, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
Read our in-depth review of DirecTV Stream.
Watch football on Vidgo
Vidgo is the only streamer to offer all of the college sports networks in its base plan, so it’s our top choice for streaming NCAA college football. However, without CBS or FOX, it’s rather useless for watching NFL football. All you get is 2 games – Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.
TV: ABC, NBC
NFL: NFL Network, NFL RedZone
College networks: ACCN, BTN, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
Read our in-depth review of Vidgo.
Watch football on YouTube TV
YouTube TV is $5/month cheaper than Hulu + Live TV. so it may be a better option if you don’t want Disney+, ESPN+ and a huge library of on-demand entertainment.
TV: ABC, NBC
NFL: NFL Network, NFL RedZone
College networks: ACCN, BTN, SEC Network
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
Read our in-depth review of YouTube TV.
Watch football on official NFL streaming services
The NFL has 2 streaming services with live games.
The #1 way to watch the NFL is with NFL Game Pass (international), but it’s only available outside the United States and Canada. It has every game live, from pre-season to the Super Bowl to the off-season, and comes with NFL Network and NFL RedZone. It’s also packed with NFL programs and originals, and every game becomes available on-demand in 4 viewing options: Highlights, Full Game Replay, Game in 40’, and Coaches Film.
There was a Game Pass domestic version without live games, but it relaunched as NFL+ for the 2022 season. This new service lets you watch live local and primetime games on your mobile device. NFL+ Premium adds the viewing features listed above with Game Pass.
Watch Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive streamer of Thursday Night Football and it won’t be broadcast on any national TV networks. However, there should be local broadcasts in the markets of the 2 teams playing.
That means all you need is a VPN to watch “from” one of those local markets. And a VPN is much cheaper than Prime.
What channels air live football games?
Channels airing live NFL games
Most Sunday games are on CBS and FOX, generally airing AFC and NFC teams respectively. Sunday Night Football is on NBC and Monday Night Football is on ESPN. Except for Week 1 and Week 12 (Thanksgiving), all Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Three of the 5 International Series games are broadcast on NFL Network, while ESPN+ and ESPN air 1 game each.
Looking for your team? Here are upcoming games and how to watch every NFL football team without cable.
Channels airing live NCAA college football games
All of the Big 4 networks carry some local college football games. The rest of the games are on national networks like ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1, and college RSNs like ACCN, BTN, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Networks and SEC Network.
Here’s how to watch every NCAA football team without cable and our deep dive into how to watch college football live without cable.
Best devices for watching football without cable
Use a Fire TV device
While all of the streaming services listed have apps for Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, and smart TVs, we recommend watching football with an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Cube or smart TV.
If you want to bypass local blackouts and watch Thursday Night Football without Prime Video, you’ll need a VPN.
You can’t install a VPN app on Apple TV or Roku. And VPNs don’t support all devices, but many have apps for Fire TV. The NordVPN app for Fire TV is simple to use and lets you watch your team with the click of a button.
Use an over-the-air antenna
If you’re looking to cut costs, an over-the-air (OTA) antenna is a great way to watch live sports. And if you’re worried about missing games – or pausing or rewinding – there are OTAs that come with a DVR.
With plenty to choose from, we recommend the Tablo Quad, which costs under $200. With 4/5 stars from nearly 2,000 ratings on Amazon, we’re not alone in our opinion.
How to bet on football
Since the Supreme Court allowed states to regulate sports betting in 2018, it’s grown in popularity by leaps and bounds. But before you drop a C-note on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl for an easy $500, make sure you know where sports betting is legal in the US.
How to watch football outside the United States
There are many uses for a VPN, and watching sports is one of them. In addition to bypassing those pesky local blackouts, a VPN lets you watch your streaming service from overseas.
Make sure you choose a VPN with a native app for the device you’ll be watching football on. The top-ranked VPNs all have apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. But if you’re taking your Fire TV Stick or have a Linux laptop or Chromebook, make sure there’s a native VPN app for your device.
ExpressVPN, NordVPN and IPVanish have apps for all of those platforms, but for more help choosing, here’s all you need to know about using a VPN as well as our picks for the best VPNs.
Our Takeaway: Streaming football is much better than TV
Watching football on broadcast TV is a thing of the past. Fans of both NFL and college should check out Hulu + Live TV, while those only interested in college football may want to consider Vidgo for about $10/month less.
Douglas Wright
Douglas Wright is a freelance writer based in Japan. A former web designer and technical writer, he left beautiful Vancouver for bustling Tokyo, where he spent a decade recruiting for software and high-tech firms. No longer commuting through the world’s busiest train station, he writes fiction and a wide range of formats for clients around the world. When he gets AFK, he’s either outdoors with his two boys, streaming a show with his wife, or reading a book over a French-pressed, hand-ground coffee.