Netflix is expected to broadcast the Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, per The Athletic.
ESPN lost the broadcast rights to four total games as part of the acquisition of NFL Network. Those games are expected to be divided between Netflix and YouTube, per CNBC via ProFootballTalk. One of the four games ESPN lost was the Week 1 international NFC West matchup.
Netflix will now air three games during the 2026 NFL Season. In addition to the Week 1 international matchup, Netflix will also broadcast two games on Christmas Day, which falls on a Friday this year.
The platform is also reportedly going to air a Thanksgiving Eve game for the first time in 2026, per John Ourand.
This season will feature nine international games, a record for the NFL. There will be games in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany and England. The full 2026 schedule is expected to be released next week on Wednesday or Thursday.
One of the big complaints among NFL fans is the several platforms they must now subscribe to to watch their team’s games. According to The Athletic, “The league is expected to have a slight increase in nationally broadcast games, with the addition of the Netflix game in Australia and other potential games moving to YouTube.”
The NFL also continues to maintain that “87 percent of its game inventory is available through broadcast outlets.” The Australia game between the Rams and 49ers will air on local networks, but everyone out of market will have to fire up that Netflix subscription a few months earlier than expected.