NFL Sunday Ticket 2026 Explained

NFL Sunday Ticket is for regular-season, out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL games. That is the key rule to understand before you pay for it. It can be a great fit if you follow a team that does not play in your local TV market, but it does not replace every NFL broadcast you need during the season.

You can get NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV or as a standalone subscription through YouTube Primetime Channels. The better option depends on whether you also need local channels and national NFL broadcasts.

Video Tutorial

What NFL Sunday Ticket includes

NFL Sunday Ticket includes out-of-market regular-season games played on Sunday afternoons. That generally means games in the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. time slots.

Out-of-market is the important part. Your local team’s game is usually carried by a local CBS or FOX affiliate, so it will not be available through Sunday Ticket. For example, if you live in Atlanta and the Falcons are playing on Sunday afternoon, you would normally watch that game on your local station. If you live in Nevada, that same Falcons game may be out of market and available through NFL Sunday Ticket.

This setup makes Sunday Ticket most useful when you want to follow an out-of-market team every week. It also gives you a way to choose from the Sunday afternoon games that are not airing locally.

Games and broadcasts that are not included

NFL Sunday Ticket does not include every NFL game. It does not include local games, even when those games take place on Sunday afternoon. It also does not include preseason or postseason games.

These broadcasts are outside the standard Sunday Ticket package:

  • Local CBS and FOX games
  • Thursday Night Football
  • Sunday Night Football
  • Monday Night Football
  • International morning games, including London games
  • Thanksgiving and Christmas Day games
  • Preseason games
  • Playoff games and the Super Bowl

If you want one service that covers local games along with channels used for national broadcasts, adding NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV can make more sense. YouTube TV can provide local programming and channels such as ESPN, while Sunday Ticket adds the out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.

If you only need your local team, Sunday Ticket may not be the right purchase. An antenna or another service that carries your local channels may be enough for those games.

Choose YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels

You do not have to subscribe to YouTube TV to get NFL Sunday Ticket. You can subscribe through YouTube as a YouTube Primetime Channel. On a smart TV, Roku, or another device with YouTube, open the NFL channel on YouTube to see upcoming games and available signup options. Some accounts may also see a trial offer labeled Try now.

  1. Decide if you need local and national NFL broadcasts in addition to out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
  2. Choose YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket if you want a broader live TV setup.
  3. Choose the standalone YouTube option if your main goal is out-of-market Sunday afternoon games.
  4. Check the signup page carefully before confirming your plan and add-ons.

The standalone option is useful if you already have another way to watch local and prime-time games. YouTube TV is more convenient if you do not want to piece together several services or an antenna setup.

RedZone costs extra

NFL RedZone is not included with the base NFL Sunday Ticket option. At signup, you may see one price for NFL Sunday Ticket and another price for NFL Sunday Ticket with RedZone. Check which version is selected before you complete the purchase.

If RedZone is all you want, you do not necessarily need NFL Sunday Ticket. NFL+ Premium offers RedZone for $14.99 per month, based on the option covered in the video. That can be less expensive than buying a full season of out-of-market games when you mainly want live scoring drives and highlights from around the league.

Check deals before you sign up

Pricing and promotions can vary by account, eligibility, and when you buy during the season. The offers shown for the 2026 season include discounts for new users, students, eligible ID.me Heroes users, YouTube Premium members, and some customers with American Express, My Best Buy, Verizon, or other partner offers.

The student offer shown in the video is $119 for the season. The ID.me Heroes offer for eligible groups such as teachers and military members is shown at $198 for the season. Confirm the current price and eligibility requirements on the offer page before purchasing.

Buying later in the season can also reduce the price because fewer games remain. That can be a sensible choice if your team is still in contention or you only need Sunday Ticket for the final stretch of the regular season.

Turn off renewal if you only want one season

NFL Sunday Ticket has no refunds, and it automatically renews. If you only want it for the 2026 NFL season, review your subscription after signing up and turn off auto-renewal. Do this early so you do not forget before the next season begins.

You can also share NFL Sunday Ticket through your YouTube family group. If you already use a YouTube family setup, members of that family can receive access to the subscription.

Before you buy, list the games you actually watch. If most are local or prime-time games, Sunday Ticket alone will leave gaps. If you regularly watch a team outside your market on Sunday afternoons, it is built for exactly that situation.

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