ESPN will launch its 2026-27 NFL season coverage with seven live games in the opening week, including the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia, before a season-long schedule culminating in Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles.
Australian and New Zealand viewers will have access to at least six live NFL games each week on ESPN, along with seven hours of NFL RedZone exclusively on Disney+ each Monday.
The broadcaster’s coverage will also include every NFL Playoff game and Super Bowl LXI, as ESPN expands its local programming around the competition.
Opening-week coverage begins on Thursday, September 10, when Australian punter Michael Dickson and the Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field.
The match, a rematch of Super Bowl 60, will be shown live on ESPN from 10.20am AEST.
Attention then shifts to Melbourne on Friday, September 11, when the Los Angeles Rams face the San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first regular-season NFL game staged in Australia.
ESPN and Disney+ will carry a dedicated localised broadcast, with coverage beginning at 9am AEST ahead of the 10.35am AEST kick-off.
Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick will provide commentary, with Phil Murphy, Lindsey Thiry, Maurice-Jones Drewand Kelsey Browne also contributing to the coverage.
The broadcast will include the halftime performance from the Jonas Brothers.
Ahead of the Melbourne match, ESPN Australia will also offer a three-part short-form docuseries, It All Starts in Melbourne, following the Los Angeles Rams as they prepare for their season opener at the MCG.
The series will feature Rams head coach Sean McVay, along with Myles Garrett, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Trent McDuffie, Kobie Turner and Jalen Watson, among others.
It All Starts in Melbourne will be available across ESPN channels and Disney+.
Beyond its live-game schedule, ESPN will provide NFL Minis, full-game replays and highlights throughout the season.
NFL Blitz will provide previews and reviews of each round, while ESPN NFL journalist Laurie Horesh and Jimmy Smith will host weekly live editions of NFL Afters across ESPN’s digital and social accounts.
Philadelphia Eagles player and Australian Super Bowl champion Jordan Mailata will also front a new content series, Off the Line with Jordan Mailata.
According to ESPN, the series will take viewers inside life in the National Football League, drawing on Mailata’spersonality, humour and football knowledge for Australian audiences.
The expanded coverage will run through to February 2027, when The Walt Disney Company and ESPN will produce Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles for the global NFL audience for the first time.
NFL Week One on ESPN
Thursday, September 10
9am AEST — It All Starts in Melbourne, ESPN
9.30am AEST — NFL Blitz from Melbourne, ESPN
10.20am AEST — Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots, ESPN
4.30pm AEST — NFL Blitz: Melbourne Game, ESPN2
6pm AEST — It All Starts in Melbourne, ESPN
Friday, September 11
9am AEST — NFL Blitz: Melbourne Game Countdown, ESPN
10.35am AEST — Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco 49ers, ESPN
1.30pm AEST — NFL Blitz: Postgame from Melbourne, ESPN
3pm AEST — Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco 49ers replay, ESPN
Monday, September 14
3am AEST — Buffalo Bills v Houston Texans, ESPN
6.25am AEST — Miami Dolphins v Las Vegas Raiders, ESPN2
6.25am AEST — Washington Commanders v Philadelphia Eagles, ESPN
9.30am AEST — NFL Blitz, ESPN
10.15am AEST — New York Giants v Dallas Cowboys, ESPN
Tuesday, September 15
10.15am AEST — Kansas City Chiefs v Denver Broncos, ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2 are available through Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV and Sky NZ.
