Monday Night Football airs on ESPN every week of the 2026 NFL season, with a handful of marquee games also simulcast on ABC.
You can stream it without cable through the ESPN app, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, Sling Orange, or DirecTV, and kickoff is set for roughly 8:15pm ET.
That one line covers most Monday nights. The detail that trips people up is the split between ESPN and ABC, and the gap between the ESPN channel and the separately sold ESPN+ service. Here is exactly where to find the game, what it costs, and how to watch if you have already cut the cord.
What Channel Is Monday Night Football On?
Monday Night Football lives on ESPN. The network has carried the franchise since 2006 and holds the Monday night package under the current NFL media deals, so ESPN is the safe default answer on any given week. A small number of high-profile Monday games get a simulcast on ABC, which means the same broadcast runs on your ESPN channel and your local ABC affiliate at the same time.
ESPN’s national coverage is the authoritative place to confirm a given week’s broadcast, and you can verify the network on ESPN’s NFL hub. The one thing to ignore is ESPN+. Despite the shared name, ESPN+ is a separate subscription with its own library and a few exclusive games, and on its own it does not stream the main Monday Night Football broadcast.
| Provider | ESPN Channel | Local ABC | Streams MNF? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV | Ch. 206 | Local affiliate | Yes |
| Dish | Ch. 140 | Local affiliate | Yes |
| Xfinity | Varies by market | Local affiliate | Yes |
| Spectrum | Varies by market | Local affiliate | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Included | Included (most markets) | Yes |
| Hulu + Live TV | Included | Included (most markets) | Yes |
| Fubo | Included | Included (most markets) | Yes |
| Sling Orange | Included | Not carried | ESPN games yes; ABC games no |
Channel numbers above are national assignments for the satellite carriers. On Xfinity and Spectrum the ESPN slot changes from one metro to the next, so the fastest check is your on-screen guide or a channel finder for your ZIP code.
How to Watch Monday Night Football Without Cable
You no longer need a cable box to watch MNF. The cleanest cord-free path is the standalone ESPN app, which now sells a direct subscription that carries the live ESPN channel, so the Monday broadcast streams straight to a phone, Roku, Fire TV, or smart TV with no traditional package attached.
Live-TV streaming services are the other route, and each one carries ESPN. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo all include ESPN plus your local ABC station in most markets, while Sling Orange carries ESPN at the lowest monthly price but leaves out ABC. DirecTV’s streaming plans round out the list. If you are weighing a full switch away from cable, our guide to watching live TV online breaks down what each service carries and what it costs.
For the ABC-simulcast games, any service that includes your local ABC affiliate will work, and so will a free over-the-air antenna.
Is Monday Night Football Free to Watch?
Sometimes, but not every week. When a Monday game is simulcast on ABC, you can watch it free with a basic indoor antenna, because ABC is a broadcast network and your local affiliate is free over the air. That covers only the games ABC actually carries, which is a minority of the schedule.
The ESPN-exclusive games, which are most of them, sit behind a pay TV or streaming subscription. Several live-TV services run free trials from time to time, so a well-timed trial can cover a specific Monday night at no cost, but there is no permanent free route to the full ESPN slate. Anyone promising free ESPN streams for every week is pointing you toward pirated feeds, which are unreliable and unsafe.
Monday Night Football Schedule and Start Time
Most Monday Night Football games kick off at 8:15pm ET, with the Week 1 doubleheader and a few flexed dates as the exceptions. Matchups, dates, and any flex-scheduling changes are set by the league and shift week to week, so rather than print a slate that goes stale, check the official NFL schedule for the current week’s Monday game and confirm whether it is an ESPN-only or ABC-simulcast broadcast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What channel is Monday Night Football on tonight?
If a game is scheduled tonight, it is on ESPN, and on ABC as well when it is one of the season’s simulcast games. ESPN carries every Monday Night Football broadcast, so tuning to your ESPN channel is the reliable answer on any Monday during the NFL season.
What channel is MNF on?
MNF is shorthand for Monday Night Football, and it airs on ESPN. Select marquee games are also shown on ABC at the same time. There is no separate MNF channel: the game is wherever ESPN sits in your provider’s lineup.
Is Monday Night Football on ESPN or ABC?
Both, but ESPN is the constant. Every Monday Night Football game is on ESPN, and a limited number of high-profile games are simulcast on ABC. If you are unsure on a given week, ESPN is the channel that always has it.
What time does Monday Night Football start?
Monday Night Football usually kicks off at 8:15pm ET, which is 5:15pm PT. Week 1 features an earlier doubleheader window, and a small number of games carry adjusted start times, so confirm the exact kickoff on the league schedule during the opening weeks.
How can I watch Monday Night Football without cable?
Stream it through the standalone ESPN app’s direct subscription, or through a live-TV service that carries ESPN: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, Sling Orange, or DirecTV. Each delivers the live ESPN channel with no cable box required.
Is Monday Night Football free?
Only the games simulcast on ABC are free, watchable with an over-the-air antenna through your local ABC affiliate. ESPN-exclusive games, which are the majority, require a pay TV or streaming subscription, though an occasional free trial can cover a single week.
Can I watch Monday Night Football on ESPN+?
Not the main broadcast. ESPN+ is a separate streaming service from the ESPN channel and does not carry the standard Monday Night Football game. To stream MNF, use the live ESPN channel through the ESPN app or a live-TV service, not ESPN+ on its own.
Last updated: May 2026. We refresh this guide each NFL season as the league’s broadcast and streaming deals change.