Channel 4 will broadcast 21 live NFL matches during the 2014-15 season, the largest number of games ever shown on free-to-air television in the UK over the course of one campaign.

The broadcaster, entering its second year of a two-season contract with the NFL, will show all three matches played at Wembley, 17 other regular-season games and February’s Super Bowl.

Channel 4, who first brought American football to UK TV in 1982, will begin its coverage on Sunday when the Denver Broncos host the Indianapolis Colts. Super Bowl XLIX will be broadcast live from Glendale, near Phoenix in Arizona, with last year’s season showpiece watched by more than one million viewers.

The Channel 4 commissioning editor for sport, Jamie Aitchison, said: “NFL fans in the UK are spoilt for choice this season on Channel 4; the Wembley games feature the likes of the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins, two of the biggest names in the sport and icons from our coverage back in the 80s. We look forward to bringing the sport into more homes than ever.”

The live coverage will again be fronted by Nat Coombs and Mike Carlson, while Vernon Kay will hosts the highlights programme, The American Football Show, on Monday nights.