Honestly, the hardest part of being a football fan isn't the heartbreak of a missed field goal; it's the constant, frantic googling to figure out is there any football games on tomorrow without getting buried in a mountain of spammy betting ads. You just want to know if you need to clear your schedule or if it's a "catch up on chores" kind of day. Tomorrow is Friday, January 16, 2026, and if you’re looking for high-stakes action, you’ve actually hit a bit of a sweet spot in the sports calendar.
We are officially in the thick of the winter grind. The NFL is hurtling toward the Divisional Round of the playoffs, European soccer leagues are dealing with the fallout of a hectic transfer window, and college basketball is starting to steal some of the "football" spotlight. But for the purists, the grass is still green somewhere.
The NFL Postseason Picture: What’s Happening Tomorrow?
If you were hoping for a Friday night NFL blowout, I’ve got some middling news. The NFL typically keeps its playoff games strictly to the Saturday-Sunday-Monday window to maximize those massive TV ratings. Tomorrow, January 16, is a "prep day" for the league. There aren’t any live NFL games scheduled for Friday.
But wait.
Don't close the tab just yet. While there isn't a live kickoff, the "game" tomorrow is the information war. This is the day when final injury reports are released. If you're tracking the health of a star quarterback or a lockdown corner, tomorrow afternoon is when the "Doubtful" or "Questionable" tags turn into "Active" or "Out." Teams like the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs—if they’ve survived the Wild Card—will be holding their final full practices.
Keep an eye on the wire around 4:00 PM ET. That’s when the official designations hit. It’s not a game on the field, but for anyone in a playoff fantasy league or anyone looking at the spreads in Vegas, Friday is arguably the most important day of the week.
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European Soccer: The Friday Night Lights of the Bundesliga and La Liga
If you’re asking is there any football games on tomorrow because you need a fix of the "other" football, you are in luck. Europe loves a Friday night curtain-raiser. It sets the tone for the weekend and gives smaller clubs a chance to own the global spotlight for a few hours.
Bundesliga (Germany)
In Germany, the Friday night tradition is sacred. Usually, you’ll see a mid-table clash that ends up being a 4-3 thriller because nobody in the Bundesliga knows how to defend. Check your local listings for ESPN+ in the States. Kickoff is typically around 2:30 PM ET (8:30 PM local time in Germany). Watching a packed Westfalenstadion or a rainy night in Gelsenkirchen is a top-tier way to transition from the work week to the weekend.
La Liga (Spain)
Spain also jumps on the Friday bandwagon. These games are often more tactical, a bit slower, and filled with the kind of gamesmanship that makes purists swoon and casuals yell at the TV. It’s a great chance to see the "best of the rest"—the teams fighting for a Europa League spot that don't get the hype of Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Championship (England)
The English Championship—the most chaotic league in the world—frequently plays on Friday nights. If you want 90 minutes of pure, unadulterated physical play and fans who look like they haven’t slept since 1994, this is your home. Sky Sports in the UK and often Hulu/ESPN+ in the US carry these.
College Football: The Offseason Silence
Is there any college football tomorrow? No.
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We’ve just moved past the National Championship. The portal is humming, coaches are jumping ship for bigger paydays, and high school seniors are signing away their lives, but the pads are off. The next time you’ll see meaningful college football is the spring games in April, which, let’s be real, are just glorified practices. If you see a "college football" game listed for tomorrow, it’s likely a replay of a classic bowl game on ESPNU. Don’t get fooled by the "Live" bug in the corner of some sketchy streaming sites.
Where to Find the Best Streams and Broadcasts
Navigating the broadcast landscape in 2026 is a nightmare. It’s a fragmented mess. Gone are the days when you just turned on "the sports channel." Now, you need a spreadsheet.
- Peacock/Paramount+: These are becoming the hubs for European soccer and certain NFL exclusives.
- YouTube TV: Still the gold standard for catching local affiliates, though the price hikes are getting painful.
- FuboTV: If you are a soccer junkie, this is usually the best bet because it carries the niche international networks.
A quick pro-tip: if you're looking for a specific international match, use a VPN. Set your location to the home country of the league. Often, the local broadcasters have much better pre-game coverage than the generic international feeds we get in North America.
Why the "Friday Void" Exists in Football
You might wonder why, with billions of dollars on the line, there isn't more football on Fridays. It’s actually a mix of tradition and legal protection. In the United States, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 essentially protects high school and college football. It prevents the NFL from broadcasting games on Fridays and Saturdays during their seasons to ensure that local high school gates aren't decimated by people staying home to watch the pros.
Even though the high school season is over by mid-January, the scheduling habits of the networks are hard to break. Friday remains a "soft" night for TV. Advertisers know you're out at dinner or at the movies. They save the big-budget NFL spectacles for when they have a literal captive audience on Sunday afternoons.
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Preparing for the Weekend Slate
Since tomorrow is a bit of a bridge day, the best thing a fan can do is prepare for the Saturday onslaught. The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs is widely considered the best weekend of football in the entire year. The "bad" teams have been filtered out. The "great" teams are coming off a bye week.
- Check the Weather: If you're looking at games in Buffalo, Green Bay, or Kansas City, the Friday forecast is your best friend. A 20-mph wind is more impactful than a star receiver's hamstring injury.
- Set Your Alerts: Use apps like FotMob for soccer or the standard NFL app. Turn off the "spoilers" setting if you’re recording the games.
- Meal Prep: If you’re hosting on Saturday, tomorrow is the day to brine the wings or slow-cook the chili. Don't be the person at the grocery store ten minutes before kickoff.
Summary of Tomorrow's Outlook
Tomorrow is a day for the tactical fan. You won't find the Super Bowl or the World Cup final, but you will find the soul of the sport in the smaller leagues and the intense preparation of the pro teams.
Is there any football games on tomorrow? Yes, but you have to know where to look. Look toward Europe for the live action. Look toward the practice reports for the NFL's future. And maybe take a deep breath. The madness of the weekend starts soon enough.
To stay ahead of the curve, sync your digital calendar with a reliable sports API or a dedicated schedule site like Bleacher Report. It’s the only way to ensure you never miss a kickoff in this fragmented media era. Spend your Friday afternoon checking the final injury reports from the NFL team facilities, as these will dictate the betting lines and roster moves that define the upcoming playoff games. Clear your DVR for the early morning soccer windows if you're on the East Coast, and verify your streaming logins now so you aren't fighting with a password reset screen while the national anthem is playing on Saturday.