10 Best Soccer Streaming Sites Worldwide: Gain Access and Watch Safely

Common challenges of live football streaming

First, let’s figure out why it may be challenging to access and watch your favorite team’s games online. Basically, there are three main reasons for that.

1. Geoblocking. This technique is imposed when the rights to air a certain game (or the entire competition) belong to another service provider in your country. For instance, in the UK, Sky Sports and BT Sport broadcast live English Premier League (EPL) matches online. But these streaming services are region-locked, so you can’t access them elsewhere. Therefore, when going abroad, you will have to look for other options to watch the desired game (or use a VPN – more on that a bit later). 

2. Broadcasting blackouts. Similar to geo-blocks, blackouts occur due to the rights to broadcast particular games live via local channels or streaming services. They mostly affect popular American competitions like the NFL, MLB, and NBA. As for soccer, the most famous example is the Saturday 3 pm football blackout in the UK. According to this rule, no Premier League, Football League, or FA Cup games can be aired on live TV from 2:45 pm to 5:25 pm, even when the games actually take place at this time (though things will likely change starting from the next season).  

3. Network congestion. One of the most significant challenges of streaming live football games is network congestion. Simply put, it’s a slowdown in connection speed that occurs when there’s too much traffic on a particular network node or link. In other words, if many fans go online to watch the Champions League final on June 10, you may suffer from annoying lags while streaming the game.

Of course, excluding these pitfalls, watching the desired games on online soccer streaming sites has numerous advantages, such as access to live games from anywhere and with any device. Moreover, we will later explain how to overcome the challenges listed above. 

But before that, let‘s take a look at the best sites to watch soccer matches in 2023.

10 best football streaming sites in 2023

From dozens of available options, we picked the ten best live-stream football websites to watch the most anticipated games this season. Let’s overview them based on their availability, price, and other goodies.

1. Sky Sports

Sky Sports has been home to the English Premier League (EPL) in the UK since 1992. On top of that, you can support your favorite Bundesliga, Scottish Premiership, Championship, or MLS team every weekend. Apart from football, the complete Sky Sports subscription includes F1, cricket, tennis, rugby, golf, boxing, and more.

Availability: The UK and Ireland

Price: £22 (Premier League and Football) – £24 (complete Sky Sports)

Free trial: Seven-day access to Sky Sports Football on the Now TV

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

2. BT Sport

BT Sport is one of the most notable online soccer streaming sites providing access to a wide variety of football competitions. In particular, these are EPL, UEFA Champions League (UCL), Europa League, and Europa Conference League. So if you’re looking forward to the UCL finals this season, BT Sport might be your go to. But similar to Sky, the service’s availability is limited to the UK and Ireland.

Availability: The UK and Ireland

Price: £1 (current bundle) – £76 (VIP package)

Free trial: 3 months with the EE application

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

3. ESPN Plus

ESPN Plus is one of the best online soccer streaming sites in the US (not to mention other sports available, from basketball and tennis to NFL and baseball). Although the service has lost Serie A and doesn’t broadcast EPL or UCL, it’s still a good option for US-based fans of German, Spanish, and American football clubs.

Availability: The US

Price: $9.99 (ESPN+) – $12.99 (ESPN+, Hulu, Disney Plus)

Free trial: No

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

4. FuboTV

FuboTV is a popular streaming platform that offers an impressive amount of content for sports fans, including events aired on ESPN Plus, ABC, and beIN Sports. You can find almost every significant soccer competition there, including UCL, EPL, Serie A, La Liga, and League 1. All in all, FuboTV provides access to over 80 popular broadcast and cable channels. However, the service is also geo-locked and the price is pretty high. 

Availability: The US, Canada, Spain

Price: $74.99 (Pro), $84.99 (Elite), $94.99 (Premier)

Free trial: 30-day free trial period

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

5. beIN Sports

Another excellent option is beIN Sports, which covers more countries than the alternatives mentioned (including the US, Canada, Australia, and France). Although it doesn’t broadcast all possible football leagues, beIN is quite an affordable service allowing you to watch La Liga, Copa Libertadores, Ligue 1, and more. Besides, the website contains soccer news, standings, and results of the latest games. 

Availability: Egypt, the US, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and more.

Price: $19.99 (the US), $14.95 (Canada), €15 (France), $54 (Australia)

Free trial: 10-day free trial

Supported devices: web, mobile, TVs, streaming devices

6. DAZN

DAZN is a unique option on the list due to its international coverage and the quality of the content it provides. With this service, you can watch UCL, Europa League, EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and many more. Besides, DAZN offers many other international sports competitions, including women’s soccer, tennis, MMA, boxing, basketball, and so on. But note that the availability of particular soccer matches on the platform varies depending on the country.

Availability: The US, Italy, Spain, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, Japan.

Price: 19.99 (monthly), $12.50 (annual subscription)

Free trial: No

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

7. YouTube TV

YouTube TV may not be instantly associated with streaming football online. But the service’s paid version for the US does include numerous sports channels, including FOX Soccer Plus. Therefore, you can watch UCL, Europa League, Bundesliga, CONCACAF Champions League, and FA Cup on this website. But don’t confuse YouTube TV and YouTube Premium – those are two different services, and YouTube TV alone isn’t ad-free. 

Availability: The US

Price: $72.99

Free trial: 60-day free trial

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

8. SonyLIV

The best website to stream football live in India is SonyLIV. It’s a customizable platform that lets you follow your favorite team you can pick when creating your account. With SonyLIV, you can watch a great variety of soccer events, including all major European competitions – UCL, EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and Bundesliga. The site also provides the latest football news and live score updates. 

Availability: India

Price: Rs 299

Free trial: 30-day free trial

Supported devices: web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices

9. Optus Sport

Optus Sport is probably the best online football streaming service in Australia. This group of sports channels covers pretty much everything a football fan needs, from EPL and UCL to the Nations League and Club World Cup. And it’s the most affordable streaming service in the country, with several interesting add-ons like the Fantasy Premier League feature. 

Availability: Australia

Price: $24.99

Free trial: No (but a free account is available)

Supported devices: Web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices

10. Peacock

You may be familiar with Peacock thanks to numerous popular shows available on this streaming platform (Friday Night Lights, Poker Face, and Mrs. Davis, to name a few). But did you know that it also broadcasts live sporting events? Peacock is one of the few services in the US airing the English Premier League (nearly 175 games every season). Besides, you can access Sunday Night Football, PGA and LPGA Tours, NASCAR, and other sports programs on this website. 

Availability: The US

Price: $4.99

Free trial: 7-days free trial

Supported devices: Web, mobile, tablets, TVs, streaming devices, game consoles

At this point, you might be wondering if there’s any way to watch the desired soccer games live without paying for subscription plans. Now, it’s time to find out whether it’s possible.

Where to watch football matches for free?

The short answer is yes, you can watch football matches live for free. There are three ways to do that. Let’s have a look at each.

1. Use a free trial. As you may have noticed, many online soccer streaming services offer a free trial period with access to live games and other sports programs. It’s a good opportunity to test if the chosen platform is worth your money. Besides, you can use this opportunity to watch the most anticipated games unavailable elsewhere for free. However, this approach isn’t suitable for the long run. Eventually, you will need to pay for the service or unsubscribe.
   
2. Opt for a legitimate free service. Several platforms offer a free plan, which may even include some decent live-streaming opportunities for soccer fans. In particular, these are Fox Sports Live, BBC iPlayer, Pluto TV, ESPN, DAZN, and Facebook Watch. However, the downside of this option is pretty obvious – the content available for free is incredibly limited. So you have little chance to access the most popular football competitions, such as EPL or UCL.
   
3. Go for unofficial streaming sites. It’s not a secret that there are numerous shady streaming sites across the web. They mainly provide access to external links enabling users to watch live soccer matches for free. However, we don’t encourage you to opt for this option. While tempting, it has several significant pitfalls one shouldn’t neglect. First, such websites are often illegal since they lack a license to distribute football games. Second, these streams tend to display tons of annoying ads. And finally, they are pretty dangerous – illegitimate streaming platforms may contain viruses, phishing links, and infected pop-ups striving to compromise users’ security.

Now that you’re familiar with the best paid and free options to stream soccer online, there’s another important thing to discuss. Remember we mentioned geoblocking that prevents users from accessing particular services from specific locations? This is a big problem for football fans – just imagine you being unable to support your favorite team because you’re temporarily visiting another region or country. Not cool, right? Luckily, there is a way out – a reliable virtual private network (VPN) service. 

Why use a VPN to watch football matches online

A VPN is a powerful tool that spoofs your virtual location by altering your real IP address. It also encrypts your Internet traffic, so nobody knows what you’re up to when surfing the web. But how will it help you watch football? Let’s look at the most compelling reasons to use a VPN when streaming soccer online.

1. To watch the desired games while traveling. A VPN is the most effective way to overcome geographical limitations. When you’re trying to access a region-locked service or platform from another country, it detects your actual location with the help of your IP address. But since a VPN hides your IP, the site you want to access will only see the address of the remote server you’re connected to. So, for example, if you‘re a British fan, you can watch your favorite team’s EPL matches on Sky or BT when visiting another country. 

2. To stop Internet throttling. Did you know that your Internet service provider (ISP) can actually slow down your connection speed and limit your data bandwidth when you’re watching football? Your ISP may throttle you during peak hours (which is exactly when big games take place) or just make you switch to a more expensive plan with “faster Internet speeds.” Luckily, you can address this issue with a VPN. It hides your Internet activities from all third parties, including your ISP. And, without knowing what you’re doing online, they won’t limit your connection speed.

3. To secure your connection. If you happen to watch football on unverified websites, make sure to safeguard yourself with a VPN. An efficient feature like VeePN’s NetGuard will help you avoid fishy links, infected pop-ups, and other threats that may compromise your online privacy and security.

For more details, read our blog post on why you need a VPN to watch sports.

Now, let’s see how to choose a reliable VPN service for your needs and securely stream the desired football matches with its help. 

How to watch live football matches with a VPN

When selecting a VPN to watch soccer, pay attention to the following aspects.

• Good connection speed. Most VPNs somewhat reduce your connection speed due to the data encryption process. However, with a premium VPN like VeePN, the slowdown will be insignificant.
• No data caps. A good VPN should ensure that your Internet provider doesn’t unfairly limit your connection speed and bandwidth. Not sure whether your ISP throttles you? Read our recent article to find out!  
• Extensive network of servers. If you want to get lots of streaming options, pick a VPN with a sufficient number of server locations. This will let you connect to servers in different countries and switch between them when necessary. VeePN offers servers in 60 countries, from the US and Canada to Poland and Greece.
• Simultaneous connections. Select a VPN that works on multiple devices simultaneously within a single subscription. With VeePN, you can cover up to 10 connections, so you can securely watch football on any preferred device, be it your laptop, smartphone, TV, or game console.

Once you’ve chosen a VPN service for your needs, it’s time to set it up and stream your desired games. Luckily, you can get started with VeePN in just a few simple steps:

1. Choose a VeePN pricing plan and sign up
2. Download and install the VeePN app on your device. VeePN offers solutions for macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, Smart TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, and more. 
3. Open the VeePN app and pick the desired location. For example, to watch Sky Sports or BT Sports while outside the UK, select a UK-based server.
4. Turn your VPN on. 
5. You’re all set! Enter the preferred website or streaming platform and watch the football matches of your choice.

Note that VeePN does not promote, condone, or encourage using a VPN in ways that would potentially violate Terms of Service of streaming service providers. For more details, please read the VeePN Terms of Service.

Access best live football streaming sites with VeePN

Looking for a trustworthy, powerful, and affordable solution to stream live football games? Check out VeePN! It’s a reputable VPN service with an extensive network of servers across 89 locations in 60 countries worldwide. VeePN doesn’t compromise your Internet connection and effectively overcomes Internet throttling, so your speeds may even increase during game time.

Download VeePN today with a 30-day money-back guarantee!

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

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