Bethesda previously stated that physical editions of Starfield would not include a disc and would instead include a download code for the game's digital version; however, this was incorrect.

The details:

On June 25, Bethesda's official support account responded to a fan's question about whether the console version would be available on disc, stating that there are "no physical discs," with "all" physical editions instead including a code to download the game from the console's online storefront. The tweet has since been deleted, so this appears to be false.
Bethesda's Spanish account, on the other hand, appears to have correctly described the edition's contents, with all physical versions containing a disc, with the Constellation Edition being the exception, with a code engraved on a replica of a Credit Stick instead.
If Bethesda does go disc-less, it will not be the first company to do so, with Paradox Interactive's Alan Wake II and Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise being released as digital-only titles for the PlayStation 4 and 5. The decision to move to digital-only distribution was made to reduce costs by eliminating manufacturing costs, with Paradox also stating that a physical copy of Alan Wake II would most likely still require a digital download due to size limitations.

More Starfield news:

Todd Howard has confirmed that only 10% of Starfield's 1,000 planets will contain any form of life, with the majority of them containing only resources or nothing at all. Howard has stated that the reason for this is to encourage player exploration by making each planet feel different.
Starfield will have the "fewest" bugs of any Bethesda game to date, according to Xbox, with an "awful lot of people" internally playing the game to iron out any bugs before the final release. Fans appear to be concerned about the game's potential issues, and a community patch project has been planned.

Starfield will be released on a physical disc despite previous claims