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How to Watch NFL Game Pass While Abroad in 2024

Don't miss out on any of the NFL Game Pass action while you're away! In this article, I discuss the best VPN to use to watch NFL Game Pass.

The National Football League’s NFL Game Pass offers online access to professional American football action.

However, if you’re a U.S. resident who has subscribed to NFL Game Pass and is now living or visiting abroad, you’ll find that you can’t access the streaming service from outside the U.S.

The same is true for NFL fans around the globe who subscribe to international versions of NFL Game Pass. Once international fans are outside of their own country, they also find that their service is blocked.

Much like many other streaming services – such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and others – access to NFL Game Pass is restricted to the borders of the countries that it’s available in. No access to your favorite team’s games? UGH!

Much like other streaming services, this is all due to the contracts the NFL has in place with broadcast and cable networks in various countries, which limit online streaming of games.

In this article, I’ll tell you how to watch NFL Game Pass while you’re traveling outside of your home country.

What Is the Best VPN for Streaming NFL Game Pass?

NordVPN

NordVPN Mar 2024

NordVPN is the best VPN for opening access to NFL American football action on NFL Game Pass. The provider delivers reliable access to the service while you’re traveling or living abroad.

NordVPN’s thousands of servers located around the globe provide reliable access to NFL Game Pass. This includes the U.S., the U.K., Mexico, and other countries where NFL Game Pass is available.

The provider’s high-speed connections have no problem delivering the HD streams that NFL Game Pass provides and will also be able to handle 4K streams when the service begins broadcasting in the ultra high definition 4K format.

All of the provider’s connections are well-protected, thanks to military-grade encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak and IPv6 leak protections, and more.

The provider also does an excellent job of protecting your privacy thanks to a strict no-server-logs-ever policy and a Bitcoin payment option, which helps keep your payment info protected.

NFL Game Pass is available on most popular device platforms, and NordVPN has it covered. Apps are available for the Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Linux, and Android TV device platforms.

Firefox and Chrome browser extensions are available to protect and enhance your browser-based gridiron action.

Registering and setting up the NordVPN service takes just a few minutes, as you can quickly select a subscription length (1 month, 1 year, or 2 years), enter your credit card or Bitcoin payment info, then download the app.

The VPN provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which provides more than enough time to decide if the provider is the right VPN for your needs.

BEST VPN FOR VIEWING NFL GAME PASS:NordVPN is the best way to view American football games via NFL Game Pass. Fast connection speeds, comprehensive security and privacy protections, and excellent global server coverage all add up to the best way to watch NFL Game Pass.

Read my full review of NordVPN.

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How to Stream NFL Game Pass Using a VPN

Using a VPN to view NFL Game Pass requires but a few easy steps:

  1. Subscribe to a VPN provider. (I use and recommend NordVPN.) However, Surfshark is an excellent budget-priced option for users who are watching their pennies, and ExpressVPN is a great option for users who don’t mind paying more for reliable VPN service.)
  2. Download and install the provider’s VPN app(s) on your device(s).
  3. Log into the VPN service.
  4. Select a server located in the U.S. or whichever is your home country. 
  5. Put on your team jersey and enjoy the action! (Face painting optional.)

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A full-featured 30-day trial of NordVPN is available if you sign up at this page. You’ll have access to the #1 VPN for accessing your NFL Game Pass while abroad with no limits for 30 days making the provider a great option if you’re traveling for just a short while and don’t want to miss a game.

There are no catches when it comes to this offer. You merely just to contact NordVPN support before your 30-day trial period expires if you decide the provider isn't right for your needs and you'll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

How to Watch Live Games From Anywhere

The NFL is based in, and arguably best known in, the United States.

However, the league is also popular in other countries. (The NFL plays regular-season games in other parts of the world each season, including in the U.K. and Mexico.)

This means NFL Game Pass is available in numerous countries, including the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and other locations around the globe.

However, only NFL Game Pass subscribers outside of the U.S. and Mexico enjoy access to live games, so I’ll be explaining how you can enjoy games as they happen, even if you’re in a replay-only country.

While the difference in the levels of service seems odd, it’s all due to the contracts the NFL has in place with broadcast and cable networks in the U.S., which limit online streaming of live games. ​

The official word from NFL Game Pass customer support is:

Personally streaming live NFL games online in the United States using a computer, a mobile device or a video game console requires a subscription to a cable, satellite, or mobile phone service from a provider that offers streaming in addition to a subscription.

Examples include DirecTV, Verizon, and our list of companies that also allow watching the NFL Network and the Redzone on the internet.

Luckily, you can get around the “replay-only” sticking point that applies to U.S.- and Mexico-based viewing.

To do this, simply load your VPN app, select a country where the full version of NFL Game Pass is available (for our purposes, let’s say the United Kingdom), go to the NFL Game Pass website and sign up for the service. (U.S./Mexico and international subscriptions are not interchangeable, so you would need to buy an international subscription.)

From then on, you can load up your VPN app, log into a server in the U.K., and see all of the gridiron action using the foreign version of Game Pass.

Can I Use a Free VPN to View NFL Game Pass?

Attempting to use a free VPN to view NFL Game Pass is like being a fan of the 2019 Cincinnati Bengals – a frustrating experience at best.

There are numerous reasons to avoid a free VPN like a running back avoids a defensive tackle. They involve reliability, convenience, and last but not least, privacy and security.

First off, let’s take a look at reliability. You’ve put on your team jersey, grabbed your foam finger, and logged into your free VPN provider. You visit the NFL Game Pass website, and you’re turned away at the gate because NFL Game Pass has detected you’re using a VPN.

While once upon a time any VPN could access NFL Game Pass and other streaming services, like Netflix, those streaming services have become quite adept at intercepting your attempt by detecting and blocking your VPN connection.

NFL Game Pass does this by tracking and blocking users who use IP addresses that belong to VPNs. This means a VPN provider must have the resources to quickly set up new servers sporting fresh IP addresses that can do an end-run around the NFL’s defenses.

Free VPNs are usually run on a shoestring, meaning they simply do not have the resources to participate in this virtual game of sack the quarterback.

Now for convenience. When you connect to a free VPN, you may find that you’re forced to wait in a queue for a while before being allowed to connect to a VPN server.

Then, once you’re allowed to connect, you will either find that your server selection is severely limited or that you don’t get to select a server, but are instead automatically connected to a server of the VPN provider’s choice.

As far as privacy and online security go, freebie VPNs don’t exactly do a great job of protecting either of those.

“Free” VPNs keep their servers humming by tracking their users’ online activities, saving them in a big ol’ file, and then selling that info to advertisers and other interested parties.

Some sans-fee VPN providers also insert unwanted tracking cookies and advertisements into their users’ browsing sessions. (Those tracking cookies stick around long after you’ve disconnected from the provider’s servers.)

So, if you’re used to defeat (I’m looking at you, Bengals fans), go ahead and give a free VPN a shot.

But if you enjoy having reliable access to your favorite NFL teams’ games, then spring for a paid VPN. It’ll cost you less per month than that big foam finger did the last time you attended a game, and it’s much more useful.

What Else Is a VPN Good For?

In addition to providing access to NFL Game Pass, a VPN is also a great way to unblock other streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, and more.

Plus, it unblocks other services and sites, including financial websites, gaming servers, and more.

A VPN’s encrypted connection protection prevents your ISP from monitoring your online activities and throttling your connection speeds simply because you’re engaging in “unapproved” activities, such as streaming from certain video services or sharing files via BitTorrent.

That same encryption also keeps your online activities safe from observation from the guy in the Patriots jersey one table over at Starbucks.

Unencrypted public Wi-Fi connections are a big attraction for hackers who are looking to steal your banking, credit card, or shopping information. Encryption ensures they cannot steal your info, because they cannot see your info.

NFL Game Pass VPN FAQs

Is It Legal to Stream NFL Games Outside the US Using a VPN?

It's perfectly legal to use a VPN to stream NFL games while outside US borders. However, it is against the streaming service's terms of use, so theoretically, the NFL could cancel your streaming account. Luckily, I haven't seen any reported cases of the NFL doing this. Since the NFL basically changes its rules on the fly (just look at this year's playoff overtime rules), they could decide to do so someday.

How Fast Does My Internet Speed Need to Be to Watch NFL Streams?

The NFL Game Pass website says you'll need at least 6 Mbps to view the game streams in 1080 HD. That means that all but the slowest broadband connections should be able to handle the streams. As long as your ISP-provided connection speeds are better than 6Mbps, your download speeds should still be up to handling the games, even when using a VPN.

When Does the 2023 NFL Season Start?

The NFL regular season is scheduled to kickoff (sorry, had to do it) on September 7, 2023. The playoffs are scheduled to begin on January 13, 2024, ending with the Super Bowl on February 11, 2024. If you want to see your favorite team make its draft picks from the college football ranks, the NFL Draft will be held from April 27-29, 2023. So mark your calendars so you don't miss any of the action!

Conclusion

A VPN can ensure that you never miss a big game because you’re turned away at the NFL’s virtual gate. It offers reliable access to NFL Game Pass from home, no matter where you’re traveling abroad.

NordVPN Logo

A VPN – like my top choice, NordVPN – allows you to watch your favorite teams, while also enhancing and protecting all of your other online activities.

For more information or to subscribe, visit NordVPN’s website.

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NFL logo” by Mohamed Hassan licensed under Pixabay License

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PRIVACY ALERT: Websites you visit can see these details about you:

The following information is available to any site you visit:

Your IP Address:

Your Location:

Your Internet Provider:

This information can be used to target ads and monitor your internet usage.

By using a VPN you can hide these details and protect your privacy.

I recommend NordVPN - the top provider in my testing. It offers outstanding privacy features and there is currently a discounted rate available through this link.

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