The NFL has never played a regular season game on Australian soil, but that changes on Friday 11 September, when the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams kick off at 10:35am AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Watching the rest of the season from Australia is simpler than it has been in years since Seven and 7plus show multiple games a week for nothing.

ESPN, available through Disney+, Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Fetch TV, carries at least six live games each week plus every playoff game and Super Bowl LXI.

Of course there is also the NFL Game Pass on DAZN - and that’s what carries the lot if you want every snap. Netflix has four dates of its own, starting with Melbourne.

Below is every platform, every key date, and the part most guides get wrong: what time these games actually start where you live.

Where to Watch the NFL in Australia in 2026

Three routes cover almost everything, and one of them costs nothing.

Seven and 7plus: the free option

Seven holds the exclusive free-to-air NFL rights in Australia for the 2026 season, and that covers Thursday Night Football, which lands on Friday mornings here, multiple Sunday games that land on Monday mornings, the full playoffs, and Super Bowl LXI.

Coverage runs across Channel 7, 7mate and 7plus Sport for streaming. 7plus is free and ad-supported, so a registration is the only barrier between you and the games.

Seven has also doubled its NFL Tailgate magazine show to twice a week, a Friday preview and a Monday review, which is a reasonable way to keep up if you cannot watch live.

ESPN on Disney+, Kayo, Foxtel and Fetch TV

ESPN is the deepest option short of paying for every game. Its Australian package covers at least six live games each week through the regular season, six of the nine international games, every playoff match and Super Bowl LXI.

If you are interested in watching the NFL on ESPN, keep in mind that it reaches Australians in four ways: as a channel on Foxtel, inside Kayo Sports, on Fetch TV, and streaming on Disney+, where ESPN is included in the standard subscription rather than sold as a separate add-on.

Sky carries it in New Zealand.

Which one suits you depends on what else you watch. Kayo makes sense if you already want AFL, NRL, cricket or motorsport. Disney+ makes sense if the NFL is the only American sport on your list, and it is the only way to get RedZone, which is covered below.

NFL Game Pass on DAZN

Game Pass is the most complete option; operated by DAZN internationally, this is the plan that carries every preseason, regular season and postseason game live and on demand, along with NFL RedZone, NFL Network programming, a full game archive, multi-view and a no-spoilers mode for watching replays without seeing the result.

If you follow one specific team rather than the league in general, this is the only service that guarantees you see all 17 of their games. Seven and ESPN both pick and choose. Game Pass does not.

You’ll find it available in two tiers, split by picture quality, audio and how many streams run at once. Pricing changes often enough that it is worth checking DAZN directly before you sign up.

Netflix has four NFL dates

On top of all the services above, it’s worth remembering that this year Netflix holds a handful of games outright, and they are streamed in more than 200 countries, so Australian subscribers get them at no extra cost beyond a standard plan.

• The Melbourne game, 49ers at Rams, Friday 11 September
• Thanksgiving Eve, Packers at Rams at SoFi Stadium, Wednesday 25 November US time
• Two Christmas Day games, Packers at Bears and Bills at Broncos
• A Week 18 game on Saturday 9 January 2027, matchup to be confirmed
• NFL Honors during Super Bowl week

NFL RedZone Is on Disney+ and Nowhere Else

This one deserves its own special mention because many guides on how to watch NFL games in Australia get it wrong.

RedZone whips between every game in progress and shows you every scoring play as it happens, with no ad breaks.

On a Monday morning here, with eight or nine games running at once, it is comfortably the best way to follow the league if you cannot commit to one match. Coverage runs more than seven hours.

In Australia and New Zealand, RedZone is exclusive to Disney+. It is not on Kayo. It is not on Foxtel. It is not on Fetch. The only other way to get it is Game Pass.

If you are choosing between Kayo and Disney+ purely for the NFL, that exclusivity is the deciding factor.

NFL Start Times in Australia

The gap between United States Eastern time and Australian Eastern time is not fixed, so it’s easy to be confused.

Australian daylight saving starts on Sunday 4 October 2026, while the United States daylight saving ends four weeks later, on Sunday 1 November 2026. That creates three separate windows.

September to 3 October: add 14 hours

Australia is on AEST and the United States is still on daylight time.

Thursday Night Football, 8:15pm ET: Friday 10:15am AEST

Sunday early games, 1:00pm ET: Monday 3:00am AEST

Sunday late games, 4:25pm ET: Monday 6:25am AEST

Sunday Night Football, 8:20pm ET: Monday 10:20am AEST

Monday Night Football, 8:15pm ET: Tuesday 10:15am AEST

4 October to 31 October: add 15 hours

Australia has sprung forward, the United States has not yet fallen back, so everything shifts an hour later for four weeks.

Thursday Night Football: Friday 11:15am AEDT

Sunday early games: Monday 4:00am AEDT

Sunday late games: Monday 7:25am AEDT

Sunday Night Football: Monday 11:20am AEDT

Monday Night Football: Tuesday 11:15am AEDT

1 November onwards: add 16 hours

Both countries have settled. This is the pattern that holds through the playoffs and the Super Bowl. If you plan to follow the postseason closely, our guide to betting on the NFL playoffs is worth a look.

Thursday Night Football: Friday 12:15pm AEDT

Sunday early games: Monday 5:00am AEDT

Sunday late games: Monday 8:25am AEDT

Sunday Night Football: Monday 12:20pm AEDT

Monday Night Football: Tuesday 12:15pm AEDT

If you are not in Sydney or Melbourne

Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not observe daylight saving, which widens the spread from November onwards.

Taking the standard Sunday 1:00pm ET slate in that final window:

Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart: Monday 5:00am AEDT

Adelaide: Monday 4:30am ACDT

Brisbane: Monday 4:00am AEST

Darwin: Monday 3:30am ACST

Perth: Monday 2:00am AWST

Perth draws the short straw on the standard slate and the long straw on everything European, which is the next section.

Getting Across the League Before Week 1

If you are coming to the NFL fresh off the back of the MCG game, a few structural points make the season easier to follow. Once you are up to speed, our weekly NFL tips are a handy way to follow along through the season.

Each team plays 17 games across 18 weeks, so everyone sits out one week. Those byes run from Week 5 to Week 14, with Week 12 excluded because all 32 teams play in Thanksgiving week.

The league splits into two conferences, the AFC and the NFC, each with four divisions of four teams.

You only meet the other conference occasionally, which is why a 49ers against Rams fixture, two NFC West rivals, carries more weight than the record alone suggests.

Division games are the ones that decide seeding, and the entire final week is given over to them.

For the latest NFL odds and markets across the season, check out our dedicated odds page here at Sportsbet.

NFL 2026 FAQ

Can I watch the NFL for free in Australia?

Yes. Seven holds the exclusive free-to-air rights for the 2026 season, covering Thursday Night Football, multiple Sunday games each week, the playoffs and Super Bowl LXI. It airs on Channel 7 and 7mate and streams free on 7plus Sport.

How do I watch every NFL game in Australia?

NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the only service carrying all of them, preseason through to the Super Bowl, live and on demand. Seven and ESPN both show a selection rather than the full slate.

Where can I watch NFL RedZone in Australia?

Disney+ only. RedZone is exclusive to Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand, and it is not available on Kayo, Foxtel or Fetch TV. Game Pass subscribers also get it.

Is the NFL on Kayo?

Yes, through ESPN, which sits inside a Kayo subscription. That gives you at least six live games a week, all the playoffs and Super Bowl LXI. RedZone is the one thing Kayo does not have.

Does Amazon Prime Video show Thursday Night Football in Australia?

No. Amazon's Thursday night package applies to the United States only. In Australia, Thursday night games are on Seven and ESPN.

What time is the NFL game at the MCG?

Friday 11 September 2026 at 10:35am AEST. San Francisco 49ers against Los Angeles Rams, live on Netflix worldwide and on Seven and ESPN locally.

When is Super Bowl LXI in Australian time?

Monday 15 February 2027, from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The exact kickoff time has not been announced yet, though recent Super Bowls have fallen in the middle of Monday morning AEDT.

Is there a Pro Bowl in 2026?

No. The NFL has stopped staging the AFC against NFC Pro Bowl game. Players are still selected and honoured, but there is no match to watch.Metadata