You can watch 2026 in the USA and overseas by using WatchAFL, which is available internationally. For a more affordable alternative with full AFL coverage, use a VPN like NordVPN to unblock Kayo Sports or Fox Footy in Australia.
The Australian Football League 2026 officially starts Thursday, March 5 and runs until September 26, though you can watch the AFL Origin return match February 14 and AAMI Community Series February 25 through March 1, 2026.
To watch the AFL’s 130th season, Australians can tune in on Seven Network for selected matches live each week, Fox Footy to stream all AFL matches, or Kayo Sports to access Fox’s full coverage. However, outside of Australia, AFL fans face more difficulty in streaming the AFL for free or at all.
In this guide, I’ll show you how to watch AFL 2026 in the USA and overseas by explaining how to change your IP address with a VPN, as well as the options you have for streaming AFL on non-Australian platforms in your own country.
How to watch AFL pre season games in USA with a VPN
The AFL pre-season kicks off in mid-February, with the headline exhibition fixture on February 14 taking place in Western Australia. Other pre-season matches are being hosted across Victoria. These games aren’t broadcast consistently in the US, but you can still watch them live by using a VPN to access Australian streaming services like Kayo Sports.
- Choose a reliable streaming VPN. I recommend NordVPN, now 75% off, which has 200+ Australian VPN servers.
- Download and install the VPN software on your device.
- Connect to a server in Australia to change your IP address.
- Go to a streaming service like Kayo Sports or Fox Footy to find AFL matches and watch AFL without being blocked.
Best AFL streaming services
There are several AFL streaming services, though many are geo-blocked outside Australia, and some have full coverage of the event, while others only carry specific games. These are the best AFL streaming services to choose from if you want to watch the 130th season:
| AFL streaming service | Availability | Price | Free version? | Free trial? |
| 1. WatchAFL | Worldwide | $20/week, $39/month, $180/year | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| 2. 7Plus | Australia, or with a VPN | Free | ✅ Yes | – |
| 3. Kayo Sports | Australia, or with a VPN | $25-40/month | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (7 days) |
| 4. Foxtel (Fox Footy) | Australia, or with a VPN | AU$103/month | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| 5. Fox Soccer Plus | United States | $5.99-14.99/month | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| 6. Fox Sports 1 | United States | Bundled with paid cable subscription | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| 7. TNT Sports | UK and Ireland | $42/month | ❌ No | ❌ No |
WatchAFL is available worldwide, allowing you to watch full coverage of AFL overseas and in the US. However, subscriptions are quite expensive. Instead, you can use a VPN to unblock 7Plus, which broadcasts at least three AFL matches per week including the Finals.
Note
Some games aren’t available live on 7Plus, so this free AFL streaming service doesn’t offer full coverage.
Another option is to use a VPN to unblock Kayo Sports, which has full AFL coverage with all nine matches every week, plus the Finals. With subscriptions starting at just AU$25/month, around $17 USD, it’s a much cheaper option than WatchAFL, even when you factor in the cost of an affordable VPN.
Other options like Foxtel, the Fox Sports Networks, and TNT Sports offer alternative ways to watch the AFL overseas, but they can be expensive and may not air all the matches. Based on my tests, the cheapest and simplest way to watch AFL overseas with full coverage is by using a VPN like NordVPN to unblock Kayo Sports.
How to watch the AFL overseas with a VPN
The easiest way to watch the AFL from the USA or other countries is by using a VPN to access full coverage on Kayo Sports. Since Kayo Sports is geo-locked to Australia, you need to use a VPN to change your IP address and trick the website into thinking you’re located within the country. Here’s how to watch the AFL overseas with a VPN.
Step 1. Choose a reliable sports streaming VPN
First, choose a VPN that can unblock international streaming sites while offering high-speed connections. During my tests, I tested 20+ VPN providers for their speed, unblocking capabilities, and security features to ensure you remain undetected.
Based on my tests, NordVPN is the best VPN to watch the AFL overseas, with 200+ Australian VPN servers and the fastest HD and 4K streaming speeds.
Step 2. Download and install the VPN software
Next, download and install the VPN software from the provider’s official website (www.nordvpn.com), or get the iOS or Android app from your app store. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the software, then you can log into your account or create a new one via the VPN client.
Step 3. Connect to an Australian VPN server
Connect to a VPN server in Australia to change your IP address and instantly unblock sites like Kayo Sports, Fox Footy, and 7Plus. Getting an Australian IP address tricks these platforms into thinking that you’re physically located in Australia. This means you can watch the same streaming services as any other Australian, including accessing free AFL streams on Channel 7.
Step 4. Watch AFL live in the USA and overseas
Now, you can watch AFL from the US and overseas on Australian streaming services without being blocked. Your Australian IP address will allow you to access sites like Kayo Sports, 7Plus, and Fox Footy without being blocked. If you encounter any issues, I recommend switching to a different VPN server and trying an incognito browser.
Our recommended VPNs that work with AFL streaming sites
I tested more than 20 premium streaming VPNs to find the best VPNs that work with sites like Kayo Sports and Fox Footy. With robust security and the fastest streaming speeds, these are my recommended VPNs that work with AFL streaming sites:
- NordVPN – overall best VPN for AFL streaming sites that let me stream AFL free on 7Plus and unblocked full coverage on Kayo Sports. Offers 200+ Australian VPN servers and the fastest streaming speeds in HD and 4K.
- Surfshark – affordable VPN to watch AFL overseas that has 40+ VPN servers in Australia with fast speeds for streaming. Use Surfshark on unlimited simultaneous devices in your household.
- Proton VPN – privacy-first VPN for watching the AFL, with around 150 servers in Australia, high-speed connections for streaming, and a completely free version for testing.
AFL fixtures 2026
The 2026 AFL season brings us the 130th season of the games and is expected to follow the usual structure, with pre-season games in February, a March opening round, and Finals in September. Since the full match-by-match fixtures are yet to be released, here are key AFL dates for the 2026 season:
| Fixture | Date |
| Pre-season / Exhibition match (WA) | Saturday, February 14, 2026 |
| AAMI Community Series (pre-season) | Late February – Early March |
| Opening Round | Thursday, March 5 |
| Gather Round (South Australia) | April 9-12 |
| Home & Away Season | March – Early September |
| Finals Series | September |
| AFL Grand Final | Saturday, September 26 |
Final tips
You can watch the AFL live in the USA and overseas on WatchAFL, though it has expensive subscriptions. Other options, such as FS1 and FS2 don’t always stream full coverage, leaving fans short on options outside of Australia. Fortunately, there’s a way to stream AFL matches free and get cheaper access to full coverage.
Simply get a reliable streaming VPN to change your IP address and unblock Kayo Sports and Fox Footy in Australia, giving you access to all AFL fixtures. You can even watch the AFL free on 7Plus, though only a handful of select matches each week. Based on my tests, I recommend NordVPN, now 75% off, to unblock Australian streaming services.
Other sport events:
- How to watch Winter Olympics 2026 online
- How to watch F1 in 2026 without Apple TV
- How to watch ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- How to watch out of market NFL games
- How to watch blackout NHL games
- How to watch Six Nations Rugby in the USA
FAQ
To watch AFL live in the USA, WatchAFL is the simplest option as it is available worldwide and has full coverage of the event. However, it is very expensive. Instead, you can change your IP address with a reliable streaming VPN like NordVPN and unblock Kayo Sports or Fox Footy in Australia to stream all matches live.
To watch AFL 2026 outside Australia, either access WatchAFL for full coverage of the event, or unblock Kayo Sports or another Australian streaming service by using a VPN. Simply download a reliable streaming VPN, like NordVPN, connect to an Australian VPN server, and you’ll be able to access sites like Fox Footy and Kayo Sports without restrictions.
You can watch the 2026 AFL Origin (WA vs Vic) match on Feb 14 overseas from 3:30 am EST/6:30 pm AEDT using streaming service WatchAFL. If you’d rather watch the AFL Origin match free online, use a VPN like NordVPN to unblock 7Plus in Australia, which is a completely free streaming platform. It’s geo-blocked outside Australia, but your VPN will let you unblock the platform. Alternatively, use your VPN to unblock Kayo Sports.
Yes, 7Plus airs select AFL matches for free in Australia, and while it’s geo-blocked outside of the country, you can use a VPN like NordVPN to unblock the platform. Since 7Plus doesn’t have full coverage of the AFL, you can also get a 7-day free trial to Kayo Sports in Australia, which has full coverage of the event.
Yes, you can watch the AAMI Community Series live overseas through WatchAFL, the official international streaming service for the AFL. Alternatively, you can save money by getting a reliable VPN to unblock Kayo Sports, a geo-blocked Australian streaming service.
Yes, you can watch some AFL matches in the USA on YouTube TV by accessing FS1 (Fox Sports 1) and FS2 (Fox Sports 2) channels. Bear in mind that if you want full coverage of the AFL in the USA, you can use WatchAFL. Since this is a very expensive service, you can instead use a VPN like NordVPN to get an Australian IP address and unblock Kayo Sports for access to all matches and the Finals.
Yes, Sling TV streams a handful of AFL matches in the US through its FS2 (Fox Sports 2) add-on, and some matches are available on FS1 as part of the Blue and Orange + Blue packages. However, you won’t be able to get full coverage of the AFL. Instead, you can use a VPN to change your IP address and unblock Kayo Sports in Australia for full coverage of the 130th season.
