How to watch 2024-2025 NFL games without cable

The wait is almost over. At long last, football is back with the 2024 NFL season which kicks off on Thursday, January 5, 2024 as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. As if that wasn’t enough good news, you can stream every 2024-2025 NFL game while in the US or while traveling abroad this year using a few key sources and a VPN.

Note that this guide only recommends official sources for the 2024-2025 NFL season. American football’s rough-and-tumble format makes it popular both inside and outside the US, but access while traveling is not always easy. Many fans turn to illegitimate streaming sources each year, resulting in a sub-par and often risky streaming experience. However, most legitimate options can be unblocked with a VPN, allowing fans to easily catch most games without turning to websites that may pose a security risk.

You may need a VPN to livestream the 2024-2025 NFL season on your usual home services while traveling abroad.

Best VPN for watching NFL games without cable

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Streaming online comes with a number of risks, but for NFL fans, the biggest single concern is geographic content blocking. Strict broadcast rights mean that even in the US, you won’t have access to every game due to regional blackouts. And if you’re outside the US, access is always an ongoing problem, as you may just lack services that carry NFL games abroad.

If you’re hoping to access free or exclusive NFL content abroad, you can use a virtual private network, or VPN, to bypass geographic content restrictions. VPNs mask your real identity and allow you to connect to a server in the US or elsewhere where NFL streams are available.

The best option we’ve tested for NFL games and most sports is NordVPN. We’ve found it maintains the fastest servers around and gets around geographic content blocks commonly employed by the NFL’s broadcast partners. You’ll be able to enjoy the HD NFL streams you’re paying for without interruption.

We highly recommend connecting to a NordVPN server to open up all games and bypass blackouts for NFL Game Pass on DAZN.

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How to watch NFL games without cable using a VPN

If you’re in the US, you won’t need to worry; you can easily stream NFL games live, with many free options available. But if you’re connecting from abroad, you’ll need to consider a few additional options, some of which may require the use of a VPN to bypass geographic content restrictions.

Here’s how to stream NFL games without cable from anywhere:

  1. Sign up for a quality VPN service. We recommend NordVPN, but Surfshark  and IPVanish are strong alternatives.
  2. Download and install the VPN app to your chosen device or as a web browser extension for Chrome or Firefox.
  3. Open your VPN app and connect to the correct server. If you’re attempting to access a US-based service, for example, connect to a US-based server.
  4. Make sure to clear your browser or device cookies and cache data. You may also want to load up a private browsing window (Incognito mode on Chrome). This helps remove additional traces of your current location.
  5. Load your desired streaming app or website. As long as the service is not actively blocking VPN connections, you should now have access to your desired NFL streams.
  6. Having problems? Try contacting your VPN chat support; in some cases, only certain VPN servers work to bypass some streaming services, and the support team can point you towards them.

We recommend testing out your VPN ahead of time to ensure it’s working correctly before the start of the game. This gives you time to contact support if you need to without missing a minute of the action.

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Best options to watch NFL 2024-2025 without cable

Once you’re ready to stream NFL games live this year, consider one (or more) of the following services:

We’ll dive into more detail for each of these options, including costs and specific coverage details.

How to watch NFL live anywhere in the world

NFL broadcast rights vary, but your best option to watch live games anywhere in the world is to use NFL Game Pass on DAZN. This carries all available NFL 2024-2025 games live without restrictions.

Note that NFL Game Pass on DAZN is not available in the US. Instead, there’s the NFL+ streaming service. This is more limited in comparison with regular season and postseason live games only available on mobile (and this is limited to local and primetime games only). However, NFL+ Premium does include the very popular NFL RedZone, which features the key action from every Sunday afternoon game.

Here’s how to livestream NFL games on NFL Game Pass with a VPN:

  1. Sign up for a VPN service, such as NordVPN, or other recommended options.
  2. Connect to a VPN server in a country where Game Pass offers complete live streaming, such as Germany.
  3. Go to DAZN’s NFL Game Pass page and sign up.
  4. Live stream your NFL games all season long.
  5. Blocked? Be sure to clear your cookies and refresh your browser. You may need to try multiple servers to find one that works.

How to watch NFL games in the US

How to watch NFL games in the US

In the US, several broadcasters share the rights to the NFL. Currently, NFL broadcast rights are shared by:

  • ESPN (Monday Night Football)
  • Amazon Prime Video (15 Thursday Night Football games)
  • NFL Network (Thursday and Saturday night games)
  • CBS (AFC Sunday games, through Paramount+)
  • FOX (NFC Sunday games)
  • NBC (Sunday Night Football, through Peacock)

To gain access to many of these options without cable, you’ll need to use a TV streaming service. FuboTV ($79.99/month) and YouTube TV ($72.99/month) carry many of the above channels and even offer free trials. However, the most affordable option is Sling TV, where an Orange and Blue subscription provides access to ESPN, FOX, NFL Network, and NBC Live for just $55 a month.

Watch NFL games in Canada

How to watch NFL games in Canada

Canadian NFL fans can also watch NFL games without cable using two sources:

If you want to see every NFL game, DAZN is your best option. Not only does DAZN have streaming rights for most NFL games in Canada, but it also offers NFL Game Pass. TSN is another option. The service has a standalone streaming app. TSN will carry most NFL games in Canada as well.

How to watch NFL games in the UK

How to watch NFL games in the UK

Outside of the US, the UK is the third most popular place for American Football. There are a few easy-to-access options for UK NFL fans as well. Your best options for NFL in the UK include:

  • NFL Game Pass: £150.99 or £39.99 in four instalments
  • Now TV: £34.99 a month for the Sky Sports membership

Now may be the best option for those who want access to Sky TV and Sky Sports without having to get any equipment.

How to watch NFL games in Australia

How to watch NFL games in Australia

There are two cable-free options for NFL in Australia:

  • NFL Game Pass: $289.99/year or four installments of $72.50
  • Foxtel Now: $25/month AUD + $29/month sports add-on
  • 7plus: Free but select games (on Channel 7)

NFL Game Pass is the best route for Australian NFL fans, as it carries most games live and every other game on-demand with full replays. For those who want a free route, 7plus will have a select few games throughout the season. Foxtel Now is also a viable option, although the price may not be the best at $54 per month for access.

Watch NFL in Europe

For those in Europe outside the UK, there’s really one main streaming option:

  • NFL Game Pass on DAZN: Prices vary by country

The advantage of this is that you can stream every regular and postseason game live or on-demand. It also provides access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and more.

NFL 2024-2025 season guide

There will be some 272 regular season games happening this NFL season. So, you may have a hard time catching every game if you stick to just one service or don’t plan out how to get full coverage.

We suggest you mix live streaming options with on-demand replays to get the full experience. There are several sources you can use to look up the entire schedule of upcoming games.

You may also be able to find schedules from individual broadcasters that detail what games are available on their networks and when. Check the “NFL” section for those sites to see if broadcast schedules are available.

Read more NFL articles here:

How to watch NFL games without cable: FAQs

Is it legal to stream NFL games with a VPN if I'm outside of the US?

Streaming an NFL game from outside the USA might go against the streaming service’s terms of use, but it’s not illegal. Although using a VPN might technically be grounds to suspend or terminate your streaming account, we’ve seen no precedent of any of the NFL streaming services penalizing VPN users.

What internet speeds do I need to stream NFL online?

The internet speeds required to stream NFL online can vary depending on the streaming platform you’re using. The video quality is also an important factor. NFL Game Pass states that as long as you have an internet connection speed of at least 2 Mbps, you’ll be able to stream its content in the highest quality. This shouldn’t be a problem for most people, even when a VPN is used. Indeed, the fastest VPNs all offer average speeds far exceeding the 2 Mbps quoted.

Where will the 2025 Superbowl be played?

Super Bowl 2025, also known as Super Bowl LIX, will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This will be the eighth Super Bowl played in this stadium. Fox will be the major broadcaster for the event.

Can I use a free VPN to watch 2024-2025 NFL games?

Unfortunately, free VPNs won’t work with the streaming platforms showing the 2024-2025 NFL games.

Free VPNs offer very few IP addresses. With so many users on the small number of free VPN servers, IP addresses are quickly blacklisted by streaming services as they look to protect licensing agreements.

Another issue is that free VPNs, for the most part, throttle your bandwidth and data. This makes streaming impossible in many cases, particularly if you’re trying to live stream the NFL in high definition.