Brits have embraced the NFL like few others outside North America, but aside from the London games they haven't received a great deal of love in return. But that changes in 2025/26.
While Monday Night Football has long been free-to-air, the extreme late-night slot has always dampened its appeal. It's been thrown away by Channel 5, but the free-to-air broadcaster has signficantly expanded its offering with a pair of primetime Sunday evening games instead.
Read on as we explain how to watch NFL in the U.K. — including FREE options.
How to watch NFL in the U.K. for free
Two NFL games will be on free-to-air in the U.K. each Sunday, courtesy of Channel 5, 5Action and the My5 streaming service.
One will air in the 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET slot on Channel 5, another in the 9 p.m. BST / 4 p.m. ET on 5Action.
Both games will be available to live stream for free on My5.
Select London games and the Super Bowl will also be shown on the platform making it the perfect place for U.K. viewers to stream NFL for free.
NFL Channel 5 schedule 2025
WEEK 1
Sunday, September 7
6 p.m. — New York Giants vs Washington Commanders | Channel 5
9:25 p.m. — Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers | 5Action
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view your British NFL coverage, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to My5 and watch the NFL free-of-charge.
My5, Sky Go and Now only work in the U.K., while NFL Game Pass is available in most places but not quite everywhere, which means that even if you're a paying customer, the moment you leave the country geo-restrictions will come into effect and prevent you from using your subscription to watch the NFL.
A good VPN, however, will allow you to access all of the services you subscribe to from anywhere in the world. Our testing has revealed NordVPN to be the best VPN.
How to watch NFL live streams from anywhere
More ways to watch NFL in the U.K.
Sky Sports airs at least five live games per week including every TNF, SNF and MNF, every game of the postseason, NFL RedZone, and NFL Network programming, including "Good Morning Football" and "Total Access".
This season, they will also show an extra game at 6 p.m. Sunday and an extra 1-2 games in the 9 p.m. Sunday slot.
Sky Sports subscribers can also tune in on mobile devices via the Sky Go app that's available for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
If you want to sign up, you can check out Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices. Or, if you don't fancy being locked into a contract, you could opt for a NOW Sports membership with plans starting at £14.99 a month.
Sky Sports and Now also have the rights to the Premier League, EFL, F1, cricket, tennis, darts and golf.
Another option is NFL Game Pass on DAZN, which live streams every single game in the U.K., apart from London games, plus RedZone, "Hard Knocks", "Mic’d Up", "Coaches Films" and "Good Morning Football". NFL Game Pass starts at £169.99 per year — though the price drops as the season progresses — or £17.99 per month.
More from Tom's Guide
- How to watch NFL 2025 on NFL Network without cable
- How to get NFL Sunday Ticket for 2025-2026 season
- Every streaming service you need to watch the NFL — and how much it'll cost
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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