The National Football League's 2026 preseason begins with the annual Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, August 6, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This year's contest features the Carolina Panthers against the Arizona Cardinals.
The game precedes the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony scheduled for Saturday, where former players including quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri, and running back Roger Craig will be inducted.
Kenny Pickett is expected to start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, while rookie Carson Beck will take the field for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Hall of Fame Game is set to start at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC, Peacock, and NFL+. Viewers with a cable login can also stream the game live on NBC.com or through the NBC app.
For cord-cutters, the game can be watched live via several streaming services that offer NBC. These include DIRECTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV. DIRECTV offers a five-day free trial, while Fubo, Hulu, and YouTube TV provide free trials for new subscribers.
Peacock will also stream the game. The service offers two subscription tiers: Premium with ads for $10.99 per month and Premium Plus ad-free for $16.99 per month. Annual plans are available, offering 12 months for the price of 10. Alternatively, Peacock Premium Plus can be accessed through Prime Video with a seven-day free trial.
Free streaming options for the game include a free trial of Peacock through Amazon's Prime Video or a 14-day free trial of Peacock Premium offered by Instacart+.
The NFL's preseason schedule also includes other notable matchups: the Las Vegas Raiders at the Houston Texans on ESPN on August 20, the Seattle Seahawks at the Tennessee Titans on FOX on August 23, and the Cincinnati Bengals at the Philadelphia Eagles on CBS on August 28. These games all start at 8:00 p.m. ET.