Watching Super Bowl 2022 without cable: all you need to know

How-to
By Mo Harber-Lamond
published

Cut the cord? Here's our guide on watching Super Bowl LVI without cable

Super Bowl LVI logo at the SoFi stadium
(Image credit: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Game of Games, Super Sunday, The Big One – almost 100 million people in the US are expected to be watching NBC's Super Bowl coverage on February 13, and with more and more homes cutting the cord, finding a reliable Super Bowl live stream is absolutely crucial.

Thankfully it's not too tricky, but there are a number of different options to pick from, some of which are absolutely free, and all of which offer much better value and flexibility than traditional cable.

Plus, choosing any of our recommendations below will also let you watch NBC on just about any device, and you can start watching NBC live online in moments. So, below we'll run down your best options for watching Super Bowl 2022 without cable this year.

Or read more on our dedicated guides on:

Watching Super Bowl 2022 without cable in the US

If you've cut the cord and haven't yet settled on a TV provider that carries NBC and the Super Bowl – or if you just don't watch much TV but want to catch the big game – there are a bunch of excellent options.

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Fancy watching the whole Super Bowl weekend on any device for FREE? Sling TV may well be a better choice. Sling TV Blue offers live NBC in selected regions, along with plenty of other networks and channels. 

While Sling Blue usually costs $35 a month, it's currently offering a 3-day free trial, which means you can catch the Super Bowl and a huge amount of pre- and post-game coverage for nothing. And if you do stay on? It's one of our best-reviewed cord-cutting services, and is a great option for most people.

Just one word of caution...Sling won't be arrying the coverage nationwide, so make sure that you're included in its selected markets before you sign up.

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Another top recommendation for watching the Super Bowl without cable is FuboTV, mostly thanks to all the options it gives sports and, in particular, football fans. 

With over 100 channels on the basic plan – including, of course, NBC – it's a complete cable replacement that'll get you access to the Super Bowl and tons of other sporting content.

You'll get ESPN, NFL, beIN Sports and more, plus all the staples like ABC, Fox and CBS. The best bit, though? FuboTV currently offers a 7-day free trial, meaning that you can effectively get Super Bowl 2022 for absolutely FREE with this streaming service as well.

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Starting at $4.99 a month

NBC's own Peacock streaming service is, of course, also broadcasting Super Bowl LVI. Starting at $4.99 a month on the ad-supported Plus plan, it's incredible value – but unfortunately it doesn't currently offer any kind of free trial.

For that $4.99, though, you'll get tons of NBC's sports coverage including Premier League and WWE, next-day streaming of currently airing NBC shows, and thousands of hours of on-demand content. 

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At $64.99 a month, YouTube TV costs the same as FuboTV, although the selection is a little thinner at around 85 channels – but most importantly it does carry NBC, so you'll be covered for the Super Bowl.

However, YouTube TV doesn't offer a free trial, so you'll have to pay up, even if you only want to watch the big game and nothing else.

$69.99 a month

If you'd prefer to stick with one of cable's old guard, AT&T's cord-cutting service is probably your best choice. While DirecTV doesn't offer the same flexibility as other providers, you'll get a fine selection of channels for your $69.99 a month, including NBC for that all important Super Bowl access.

Again, though, there's no free trial, so you can't catch the Super Bowl for free on DirecTV.

Can I watch the Super Bowl without cable for free?

Last year, cord cutting football fans lucked out as CBS showed the game absolutely free on its website, and rumors were swirling that NBC would do likewise in 2022 - either via the official NFL app or on web browsers at NBCSports.com.

But at the time of writing, we haven't seen any confirmation of this fact. Now we're not sure whether that's because it's not going to happen, NBC is just bagging as many Peacock TV sign ups it can before confirming, or what.

At least you can still take advantage of either one of those Sling TV free trial or the one on FuboTV. Or, if you don't mind watching on mobile, it looks like the Yahoo Sports app will also show the action for free.

Watching the Super Bowl without cable outside the US

If you're outside the US, you won't be able to watch NBC's coverage of the Super Bowl on any service – whether it's NBC Sports, Sling TV, or even FuboTV. There is, however, a nifty little workaround that will get you watching.

By using a VPN, you can virtually change your location and trick the streaming provider into showing you US-only content – even if you're in London, Vancouver, or Singapore. Once you've connected to the US server, all you need to do is kick back with a cold one and watch that pigskin fly.

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As far as our testing goes, ExpressVPN is the MVP of the VPN world.

Not only is ExpressVPN fast, secure and have the keys to unlock pretty much all the streaming sites going, it's also one of the easiest streaming VPN services to set up and use on a whole array of platforms and devices.

And remember that there's lots more benefits to VPNs, too. Many people are now installing them as their default first line of defence against cybercrime - their encrypted tunnels mean that using the web becomes much more anonymous. And as well as football, there are loads of other content options (other sports, foreign Netflix, etc) that they unlock.

Sign up for an annual plan now and get an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. And if you change your mind within the first 30 days, let them know and they'll give you your money back without a quibble.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

Mo Harber-Lamond
Mo Harber-Lamond

Mo Harber-Lamond is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide, and contributor for TechRadar. He focuses on cybersecurity content for Tom's Guide, and creates insightful content across the board to help readers make informed buying choices.