Editor’s note: This article by Blake Stilwell originally appeared on Military.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
It’s hard to be a football fan in the military, especially when you’re deployed overseas. If your team is in a slump or has no chance of making the Super Bowl, it gets even harder to see a game on TV – just ask anyone who was a Bengals fan before Joe Burrow came along. Unless your team is a perennial contender or has a large fan base, you might never catch a game live when you’re stationed abroad. Fans of teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns or New York Jets were stuck with highlights – until now.
That’s where American Forces Network (AFN) comes in.
The U.S. military’s overseas entertainment network for troops and their families stationed abroad is generally known for rebroadcasting movies and television shows you’ve seen a thousand times. AFN also mixes in military-made public service announcements instead of commercials (Drink water! Don’t forget your CAC!).
But now, AFN is adding something more exciting for viewers: all 272 regular season NFL games and complete postseason coverage.
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NFL fans stationed overseas just have to download the American Forces Network’s free video-on-demand app, AFN Now, and register. Then, they can watch live or at their leisure. AFN will still air its tape-delayed broadcasts of football games, but will also livestream games as they happen back home and store them for on-demand viewing until the next NFL week.
The National Football League began its partnership with AFN before the 2023 season, when it allowed the military broadcaster to air full coverage of NFL games to OCONUS locations worldwide. While having access to American football so far from home is a great thing, service members often knew the outcome of the game long before they were able to watch it. Through livestreams on the AFN Now app, they will be able to watch the action as it happens.
For die-hard military football fans, the NFL has also provided access to the NFL Network’s own content, which includes archived games and highlights available anytime.
The 2024 NFL season begins Sept. 5, when the Baltimore Ravens visit Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. AFN will air the game live and stream it through the AFN Now app.
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The AFN Now app is full of live sports for deployed and OCONUS service members, and has included NCAA football games, WWE and U.S. Open Tennis coverage. After an NFL game is streamed, it will be available to viewers on-demand for up to seven days until the next game is played.
So if you or any of the football fans in your OCONUS posting are trying to watch the Seahawks from Sigonella or the Browns in Bucholz, you can stream those games on up to four devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers or streaming devices like Roku or Amazon’s Fire Stick.
AFN Now is available to service members, families, and retirees living overseas. For the app to work, registrants will have to pass Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) verification.