Overview
- The 2026 preseason opened with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game — Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers — airing tonight on NBC and available on streaming services according to league schedules and network listings.
- The rest of the preseason runs across three weeks from Aug. 13–29 and loads many matchups onto Fridays and Saturdays to give teams repeated game reps before the Sept. 9 regular-season opener.
- National rights were split so NBC, Fox, CBS, ESPN and Prime Video each hold an exclusive preseason window while many other games are shown by local stations and simulcast or replayed on NFL Network.
- Fans can also stream a wide slate of preseason games on platforms that include fubo, DIRECTV, the ESPN app (via ESPN Unlimited), Prime Video, Paramount+ and Peacock, with some local broadcasts available only in team markets.
- Media coverage frames the preseason as a focused evaluation period for injured returnees, high-profile rookies and position battles — a dynamic that affects fantasy scouting, early roster decisions and how networks use live inventory to chase subscribers.