How to Watch Every Major Sport Without Cable in 2026
NFL, NBA, MLB, and Premier League are split across different platforms in each country. How to watch each sport from outside the US without cable.
An antenna covers NFL on broadcast networks free. Amazon Prime adds Thursday Night Football. NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and NHL on ESPN+/Hulu cover the major leagues. Premier League is on Peacock in the US.
You can watch all major US sports without a cable subscription in 2026. A TV antenna covers NFL on CBS/NBC/Fox for free. Amazon Prime handles Thursday Night Football. Individual league passes cover NBA, MLB, and NHL. Premier League and Champions League are on Peacock and Paramount+ respectively. Here is the full breakdown.
NFL without cable
A TV antenna ($25–$40 one-time) is the starting point. It gives you:
- Sunday afternoon games on CBS and Fox (most games)
- Sunday Night Football on NBC
- Monday Night Football on ABC
Add-ons for complete NFL coverage:
- Amazon Prime Video ($14.99/month or $139/year) — Thursday Night Football exclusive
- Peacock ($7.99/month) — Peacock-exclusive Sunday games
- NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV ($349/season) — out-of-market Sunday afternoon games
NBA without cable
NBA League Pass costs approximately $100/season for the standard plan. It covers live and on-demand out-of-market games. Local games and nationally televised games (on ESPN/ABC and TNT/TBS) are blacked out on League Pass — these require a cable package or streaming service that includes ESPN and TNT.
For casual NBA fans, Peacock carries selected NBA games and the NBA on NBC package (if applicable in a given season). ABC carries the NBA Finals and selected playoff games free to air.
MLB without cable
MLB.TV (~$130/season) is the official out-of-market streaming service. It covers all out-of-market regular season games live and on-demand. Local games are blacked out. In-market fans may need a local RSN (Regional Sports Network), which is one of the harder pieces of cord-cutting.
Peacock carries Friday Night Baseball games. Apple TV+ carries Friday Night Baseball games (Apple holds a package of exclusive games per season).
The MLB blackout rules are widely considered the most restrictive in professional sports. Fans in cities without a local team can generally use MLB.TV without blackout issues.
NHL without cable
NHL rights are split between ESPN/ABC and Turner (TBS/TNT/Max). The ESPN+/Hulu bundle ($14.99/month) is the most affordable way to get both national NHL packages in one place. ESPN+ also carries ESPN's out-of-market game package.
ESPN+ alone ($10.99/month) covers ESPN's NHL rights. NHL.tv has been integrated into ESPN+ in US markets.
Soccer/Football without cable
Premier League (US): Peacock ($7.99/month) carries most Premier League matches. NBC and USA Network also air selected games free. Peacock Premium is the main subscription requirement.
Champions League (US): Paramount+ ($7.99/month) holds UEFA Champions League rights. CBS Sports also broadcasts selected games.
Europa League: Paramount+ and CBS Sports.
World Cup and Copa América: Fox and Telemundo carry these on broadcast TV, accessible free via antenna. Fox Sports and Peacock stream the Fox-carried games.
Formula 1 and motorsport without cable
F1: ESPN holds US rights. ESPN+ ($10.99/month) streams the ESPN F1 coverage. F1 TV Pro (~$79.99/year) provides additional coverage including onboard cameras.
IndyCar: Fox Sports carries IndyCar. A Sling or fuboTV subscription or ESPN+ provides access depending on the specific race.
NASCAR: Fox broadcasts some NASCAR races free. ESPN/ABC carries others. TNT and Amazon carry select races.
Annual cord-cutter sports budget
A realistic annual cost for a broad sports cord-cutter setup:
- Antenna: ~$35 (one-time)
- Amazon Prime: $139/year (Thursday Night Football + other benefits)
- Peacock: $7.99/month (NFL exclusives, Premier League) — ~$80 during sports season
- NBA League Pass: $100/season
- MLB.TV: $130/season
- ESPN+: $10.99/month — $132/year
Total (excluding Sunday Ticket): approximately $616/year. Add $349 for NFL Sunday Ticket for full NFL coverage. Compare this to a cable bundle including sports channels, which typically costs $120–$180/month or $1,440–$2,160/year.