I contend that Thanksgiving is the top fall holiday for several reasons: You get good company, better eating, and a reason to sit down and watch football all weekend.
This year’s Thanksgiving football lineup is filled with excellent matchups that’ll take you from dinner preparation to Black Friday shopping. Whether you’re an NFL or college football fan, I have what you need to know about the Thanksgiving college football and NFL game slate. Keep reading.
DIRECTV is the easiest way to watch all your football in one place
Did you know that DIRECTV is the preferred streaming service of true-blue sports fans? In fact, a staggering 97% of DIRECTV streaming subscribers reported high satisfaction with their live sports viewing experience. And if you're a rabid football fan, DIRECTV delivers more football channels than competitors, an industry-leading multiview experience, and even free ESPN Unlimited. Those are just some of the many reasons why the CableTV.com editorial staff recommends DIRECTV as the best streaming service for sports. What are you waiting for? Try DIRECTV free for five days and don't miss a single snap of your favorite football teams.
NFL Thanksgiving games
Watching pro football on Thanksgiving is a tradition that dates back to 1934. Nowadays, Thanksgiving NFL games feature a full slate of great matchups across the league.
And if the Turkey Day schedule wasn’t enough, Amazon has also gotten into the Thanksgiving NFL business. As part of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football deal, Prime Video will stream a Black Friday matchup.
Check out the full slate of games below. Of note is the Eagles-Cowboys game that will also stream for free on Tubi.
Thanksgiving NFL games schedule
| Day | Game | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions | 1:00 p.m. | CBS |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys | 4:30 p.m. | FOX, Tubi |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers | 3:00 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video |
Data effective as of post date.
Pro tip: Want more football content? Check out our weekly NFL schedule and college football schedule guides for our top picks and football takes.
College football Thanksgiving games
Thanksgiving Day is not just for the NFL anymore. Two college football teams regularly play on the holiday, and there’s a bunch more that face off on Black Friday.
Below is the full 2026 college football schedule over the Thanksgiving holiday.
College football Thanksgiving schedule
| Day | Game | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Tech Red Raiders | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Florida Atlantic at East Carolina | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Temple at Memphis | TBD | ESPN |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Tulane at South Florida | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Mississippi State at Ole Miss Rebels | 10:00 a.m. | ABC |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Nebraska Cornhuskers at Iowa Hawkeyes | 10:00 a.m. | CBS |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Buffalo at Akron | 10:00 a.m. | TBD |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Toledo at Ohio | 10:00 a.m. | TBD |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Appalachian State at South Alabama | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles | 1:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | North Dakota State at San Jose State | 1:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies | 5:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Minnesota at Wisconsin Badgers | 5:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | West Virginia Mountaineers at Utah Utes | 7:00 p.m. | FOX |
Data effective as of post date.
How to watch football on Thanksgiving for free
The NFL Thanksgiving Day games are all shared between FOX, NBC, and CBS, so you have multiple ways to tune in on Thanksgiving Day. All three channels are included on cable and streaming TV plans, so you’re set if you already have a TV setup.
If you want to watch NFL Thanksgiving football for free, we recommend installing an over-the-air (OTA) antenna like the Mohu Leaf on your TV. OTA antennas pull from local broadcast feeds and let you watch major channels like FOX and NBC for free. Streaming TV services like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo have free trial periods if you need to figure out a streaming setup on Thanksgiving Day. Check out our streaming TV trials guide to learn about these free offers.
As for the NFL’s Black Friday game, it’ll be a Prime Video exclusive, but you won’t need an active Amazon Prime membership to watch the game. Amazon will broadcast the game for free, and you’ll just need an Amazon account to watch it. Visit our Amazon Prime Video review to find out more.
FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC will get multiple college football Thanksgiving games, and you can watch them for free with an OTA antenna or standard TV plan. You can also watch Thanksgiving college football games with a streaming TV service, and many streaming providers like Fubo offer free trials.
How to watch football on Thanksgiving FAQ
What NFL teams play on Thanksgiving?
This year, the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Buffalo Bills will play on Thanksgiving.
What college football games are on Thanksgiving?
TCU at Texas Tech is the only college football game airing on Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday will feature 13 college football games throughout the day.
What time is the NFL Thanksgiving game?
The NFL’s Thanksgiving games start at 1:00 p.m. ET with Bears at Lions. Eagles at Cowboys is at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the schedule wraps up with Chiefs at Bills at 8:20 p.m. ET. Amazon Prime Video will also have Broncos at Steelers on Black Friday, and kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Can I watch football on Black Friday?
Yes, there will be more than a dozen football games on Black Friday in 2026. There is one NFL game that day, and 13 college football games.
Why you should trust us
Our CableTV.com Internet Editor, Eric Chiu, analyzed this year’s Thanksgiving college football and NFL schedule to figure out this year’s top matchups. He also drew from our cord-cutter and streaming deal coverage to find the best college football and NFL watch solutions for your home.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
