How To Get Around NFL Blackouts In Your Area
The NFL season is in full swing, with most of the league's teams having played three games (as of this writing). Pro football fans eager to watch their home team play live each weekend can usually catch the game on broadcast TV, but the NFL has strict blackout rules that take local games off the air if they don't sell 85% of stadium seats at least 72 hours before kickoff time.
These guidelines were put in place in 1973, long before Sunday Ticket made it possible for fans to stream the league's entire slate of games from anywhere in the world. Still, the league has kept the blackout rules in place to keep fans filling stadiums and to protect its lucrative deals with broadcast and cable networks.
Those without cable or an antenna could potentially be unable to watch their local team's games live or on any nationally televised broadcasts. Even those who purchase Sunday Ticket via a YouTube TV subscription could still face local blackouts for games that don't sell enough tickets.
However, there is a simple way to access every NFL contest — including blacked-out games in your local market — using a VPN and the league's global streaming service.
You can use a VPN with Game Pass International
The first thing you'll need is a paid VPN (Virtual Private Network) service; a free VPN likely won't provide the speed, security, and privacy necessary to stream NFL games. Some reliable VPN services available for a reasonable monthly fee are NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and SurfShark.
Sign in to your VPN and select a server in a country other than the United States or Canada. Next, you'll need to set up a subscription to NFL Game Pass International via DAZN. Game Pass International is not available in all countries, and pricing varies depending on location; choosing a server based in Great Britain shows a current discount price of £124.99 ($152.62). Signing up using a server based in Spain will cost four monthly payments of €43 for a total of €172 ($182).
Experiment by moving your connection around the world a bit to find the best price. It might be best to find a server located outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, as these countries can also be subject to blackout restrictions when games don't sell out.