The San Francisco 49ers hit 2026 with a twinge of unique, specific longing. No other NFL franchise has been so consistently close to catharsis across the 21st century.Since 2010, San Francisco has endured three tough Super Bowl losses and four others in the NFC Championship Game. But the 2026 roster is certainly talented enough to break through, even in the formidable NFC West.Brock Purdy is under center as one of football’s steadier quarterbacks. Christian McCaffrey resumes his role as a three-down bellwether. While the tough-as-nails George Kittle recovers from an Achilles tear, Purdy’s other targets include perennial Pro Bowler Mike Evans, promising rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and the versatile Deebo Samuel Sr. in his return to the team.On the other side, the defense is paced by all-world linebacker Fred Warner. New 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris leads a high-upside group, so long as pass rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams can bounce back from injuries.Kyle Shanahan continues to prove himself as an innovative play caller. “Bang Bang Niner Gang” is always one of the loudest home crowds in American sports. The NFL’s schedule makers clearly consider San Francisco to be a must-see team, from its unprecedented Australian feature in Week 1 against the rival Los Angeles Rams, to a “Sunday Night Football” trip to Mexico City in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings.Follow the team on The Athletic, and keep up with our beat reporters. Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur are Joe Montana and Steve Young with the pen.All times listed below are ET.The full 2026 San Francisco 49ers schedule Wk.MatchupDateTimeNetwork1@ Rams Thursday, Sept. 10Melbourne, Australia 8:35 p.m. Netflix 2 Dolphins Sunday, Sept. 20 4:25 p.m. Fox 3 Cardinals Sunday, Sept. 27 4:05 p.m. Fox 4 Broncos Sunday, Oct. 4 4:25 p.m. CBS 5@ Seahawks Sunday, Oct. 11 4:25 p.m. Fox 6 Commanders Monday, Oct. 19 8:15 p.m. ESPN/ABC 7@ Falcons Sunday, Oct. 25 1:00 p.m. Fox 8 BYE 9 Raiders Sunday, Nov. 8 4:05 p.m. CBS 10@ Cowboys Sunday, Nov. 15 4:25 p.m. Fox 11 Vikings Sunday, Nov. 22Mexico City 8:20 p.m. NBC 12 Seahawks Sunday, Nov. 29 4:25 p.m. Fox 13@ Giants Sunday, Dec. 6 1:00 p.m. Fox 14 Rams Sunday, Dec. 13 4:25 p.m. Fox 15@ Chargers Thursday, Dec. 17 8:15 p.m. Prime 16@ Chiefs Sunday, Dec. 27 4:25 p.m. CBS 17 Eagles Sunday, Jan. 3 8:20 p.m. NBC 18@ Cardinals TBA Times in Eastern. Cable/satellite/streaming baseThe most expansive option for live game coverage is a multichannel plan. That includes streamers like Fubo, Sling TV and YouTube TV, or more traditional providers like DirecTV, Dish and Xfinity. We lay out cord-cutting alternatives for each NFL media partner down below, but there’s a certain peace of mind to the consolidation of pay television.Is the electrical substation near the 49ers' facility injuring players?CBSMain window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, AFC Championship GameEach week, CBS carries games across two Sunday kickoff slots: one at 1 p.m., and another at 4:05 p.m. or the national window at 4:25 p.m. There will be 10 nationwide Sunday doubleheaders this year on CBS. Broadcasts are set by region when there are multiple offerings in a spot.It’s not a clean split, but CBS is known as the primary home of the AFC. The network’s theme music is a certified slapper.Its main pregame show, “The NFL Today,” adds recent retirees Russell Wilson and Kyle Long to its studio crew. CBS announcers include Jim Nantz and Ian Eagle, while the color commentary rotation stars JJ Watt.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an indoor TV antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local CBS games also stream on Paramount+.FoxMain window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, NFC Championship GameLike CBS, Fox splits Sunday afternoons between early 1 p.m. action and later 4:05/4:25 p.m. matchups. Its centerpiece is branded as “America’s Game of the Week.” Unlike CBS, Fox has a dancing robot named Cleatus. It’s the nominal network for the NFC as well.Kevin Burkhardt, Joe Davis and Adam Amin are the lead play-by-play voices. Burkhardt pairs with Tom Brady, while Davis calls games alongside Greg Olsen. Amin is partnered with newcomer Drew Brees, who is fresh off his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Some Spanish-language broadcasts are available on Fox Deportes.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local Fox games also stream on Fox One.NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZoneMain window: Sunday afternoon (out-of-market fans)These two are the access points for all non-national matchups that aren’t on regional CBS or Fox.NFL Sunday Ticket has full games. It’s exclusive to YouTube and YouTube TV. Those without a YouTube TV plan can still get NFL Sunday Ticket as a primetime channel through the standard YouTube app.RedZone is the whip-around program that jumps around the slate to cover scoring drives. This is the place for Scott Hanson, “the witching hour” and chaotic octobox split screens. It can be added to NFL Sunday Ticket, and it’s included on some high-end pay TV sports plans.RedZone also lives on NFL+ Premium, which can be bundled with the ESPN Unlimited plan.What you’ll need to watch: An NFL Sunday Ticket subscription through YouTube TV or the YouTube app; NFL RedZone access through select pay TV packages, ESPN Unlimited or NFL+ Premium.NBC and PeacockMain window: Sunday nightPlayoffs: 2 wild-card games, 1 divisional gameThis is the faithful home of “Sunday Night Football” each weekend. And because everything has to be confusing, the NBC lineup opens with a Wednesday night season premiere. At least SNF has a consistent 8:20 p.m. start time.Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the booth, with Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines. Carrie Underwood sings about waiting all day for Sunday night. NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show brings on longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. Telemundo has the telecasts in Spanish.The network has two extra Saturday offerings for Week 17. One is exclusive to Peacock, and both matchups will be announced later in the season. The same goes for NBC’s Week 18 regular-season finale.“Sunday Night Football” is subject to flex scheduling — games can be swapped in and out of the window twice between Weeks 5-10 and any time from Weeks 11-17. This allows executives to pick games with greater playoff implications, though it leaves the actual ticket holders in a bind.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing, or a Peacock account with the live sports plan.ABC and ESPNMain window: Monday nightPlayoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, Super Bowl LXIThe Disney networks combine to cover 17 “Monday Night Football” games. Ten of those are on both ABC and ESPN, with another seven exclusive to the latter. The oft-maligned “Monday Night Football” doubleheader is now a thing of the past.MNF kickoffs have 8:15 p.m. starts, and their schedule flexes can happen any time in Weeks 12-17. The two Saturday ABC/ESPN matchups in Week 18 will be set as the postseason picture sharpens.ESPN is preparing for its first Super Bowl broadcast ever on Feb. 14, 2027. It will be simulcast on ABC.Joe Buck handles play-by-play for MNF. He’s joined by analyst Troy Aikman, plus the sideline duo of Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge. Spanish-language airings can be found on ESPN Deportes. For 12 regular-season games and the Super Bowl, ESPN2 offers an alternate “ManningCast,” in which Eli and Peyton Manning watch the games with famous fans. Guests have ranged from Bill Belichick to Lil Wayne.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for ABC, or an ESPN Unlimited account.Prime VideoMain window: Thursday nightPlayoffs: 1 wild-card gameMost weeks begin with “Thursday Night Football,” which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. Those games are behind the Prime paywall, but they’re free over the air in the participants’ home markets. Flex rules around TNF are a bit less hectic, with two allotments between Weeks 13-17.Thursdays are called by Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, with Kaylee Hartung on sideline duty. Herbstreit loves dogs; Michaels hates vegetables. Prime has Spanish-language coverage and advanced stat broadcast options within its app. Former Niner Richard Sherman is one of the personalities for the pregame, halftime and postgame shows.What you’ll need to watch: Amazon Prime. TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account.NFL NetworkThe league-owned media outlet is now under ESPN’s purview, thanks to a blockbuster deal that gave the NFL a 10 percent ownership stake in “The Worldwide Leader in Sports.” As of July 30, NFL Network is integrated into the ESPN Unlimited plan. It can also be accessed through NFL+ or NFL+ Premium.NFL Network has five of the international games, plus a pair of Saturday matchups in Week 16 to be revealed at least two weeks prior to Dec. 26. Those two have 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. kickoffs.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or access to NFL+, NFL+ Premium or ESPN Unlimited.NetflixRemember when Netflix was shipping DVDs in red envelopes? Now, the streaming behemoth continues to expand its relationship with the NFL. It has five regular-season games in the upcoming season, including two of the three Christmas Day marquees. Like TNF on Prime, these Netflix games are over the air in their respective local markets.As reported by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, new Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly has been tapped as Netflix’s top NFL analyst. He and Noah Eagle (son of CBS’ Ian Eagle) are on the call for the 49ers-Rams export at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.What you’ll need to watch: A Netflix subscription.Watching the regular season live will cost roughly $40-$125 per month for those in the Bay Area, and $115-$200 per month for those beyond the Niners’ TV territory. This estimate covers all potential schedule flexes; it incorporates the average pay TV plan, NFL Sunday Ticket options and the lowest subscription tiers for Netflix, Peacock and Prime. The final bill can be lowered by using Twitch to watch TNF.Official 49ers single-game franchise records(Through the 2025 season)