YouTube will stream an opening week NFL game for free

YouTube is exclusively streaming an NFL week 1 game for free worldwide to kick off the 2025 season. The game will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, September 5th, and will feature the Los Angeles Chargers taking on a yet-to-be-named opponent.

As with other streaming NFL games, it will also be available to viewers in the teams’ home markets via over-the-air broadcast, on NFL Plus for mobile devices inside the US, and the NFL Game Pass package from DAZN outside the US.

YouTube’s chief business officer, Mary Ellen Coe, says this will be the company’s first time operating as a live NFL broadcaster, and it will feature creators and “an interactive viewing experience. Coe adds that people have watched “over 350 million hours” of NFL content on YouTube.

In addition to the week 1 game, YouTube also announced a multi-year deal with the NFL to continue streaming the Super Bowl Flag Football game.