Sports is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, and football has proven season after season that its craze is unparalleled (for the American readers – yes, we are talking about soccer).
According to FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) the Qatar World Cup had an engagement of around 5 billion people. And how could we forget that moment when Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup?
Anyway, what I am trying to get is, that the football craze never ends, it only grows from season to season. It is not even a question that the galleries are the best place to watch football, but it is not feasible for all, especially international football lovers.
The next best thing is cable and streaming sites. Streaming sites will give you the ability to watch the game from anywhere you want. But there are more than hundreds of streaming sites in the world that offer football.
However, they don’t work the same and may not have the same quality you are looking for, leaving people to ask, what is the best football streaming site?
Well, if you belong to this category of people who want to get the best experience watching your favorite football match from anywhere around the world, let’s get the ball rolling.
In this article, we will examine the top 10 football streaming sites you should know about. But before that, let’s see what some of the common challenges with live football streams are and how to mitigate them.
Why Streaming Football is Not Easy?
Streaming services were first introduced to the world as a one-stop destination instead of various cable TVs. However, as the digital transformation progressed, each broadcaster developed its own streaming services, creating several challenges, including:
1. Geoblocking
Streaming services typically own the broadcasting rights of a particular competition for a particular geographic location. This means that the broadcaster of the Euro Cup in the UK, might not provide the broadcasting in Germany. You can potentially mitigate this risk by using a VPN and connecting your network to a country’s IP address that is not restricted by the website.
2. Blackout Rules
There are specific restrictions imposed by government authorities that restrict the broadcast and streaming of a particular sport during a specific period. The most famous example is the football blackout rule in England. According to the rule, no football is allowed to be streamed live on television on any Saturday between 2:45 PM and 5:15 PM, even if the game happens at this time. Here also, you can rely on a VPN connection to watch the game.
3. Network Latency
Since football is one of the most popular sports games in the world, streaming services often suffer latency due to network congestion. You may experience this when watching some of the most awaited tournaments such as the World Cup.
While these problems are not related to the streaming sites per se, you should know how you can mitigate these challenges. It seems like, most of the issues can be fixed with a robust VPN service.
However, there are some issues that a VPN cannot fix, such as the quality of the streaming service, the affordability of the subscription plan, and customization features. So, what are the top 10 streaming sites? Let’s see.
10 Best Football Streaming Sites 2024
From hundreds of free and paid football streaming sites worldwide, we have picked our top 10 selections of 2024. In addition to football, these streaming sites also broadcast other sports and games such as cricket, wrestling, boxing, f1, tennis, and more.
1. Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a television channel and streaming site for sports and related news. The website is one of the most popular sports television networks in the UK and Ireland. Sky Sports is the official broadcaster of the Premier League, Championship, La Liga, and more.
Availability: UK and Ireland
Subscription: +£22/M
Free trial: 7-day trial for new customers
2. TNT Sports
TNT Sports was first launched in August 2013. Previously it was known as BT Sports and now Warner Bros Discovery owns the service. The service streams popular European football tournaments such as the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and more.
Availability: UK and Ireland
Subscription: £29.99/M
Free trial: 7-day trial for new customers
3. ESPN Plus
ESPN+ is a standalone streaming service from the ESPN network. It offers streaming of several sports including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, College Sports, UFC, PGA Tour, and more. In terms of football, the platform streams the German Bundesliga, EFL, FA Cup, Copa del Ray, UEFA Nations League, Copa America, MLS (select matches), USL Champions, League One, and more.
Availability: US
Subscription: $9.99/M
Free Trial: NA
4. Fubo TV
Fubo TV is an American streaming television that is available in multiple countries across the world. It streams a variety of sports and games and supports mult-device streaming. Fubo TV offers exclusive football content, news, and live broadcasts of all major football leagues and tournaments.
Availability: US, Canada, and Spain
Subscription: $79.99/M
Free Trial: NA
5. beIN Sports
BeIN Sports is a global sports network owned by the beIN Media Group. It operates sports channels in various countries with a focus on football coverage. The streaming includes La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Bundesliga, Copa Libertadores, and Cpo Sudamericana.
Availability: US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Middle East.
Subscription: $10 – $30/M
Free trial: 1 week
6. DAZN
DAZN is a global streaming service available in 200 countries. The platform is accessible on a variety of devices including smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets. It is also available on platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. the broadcast includes a variety of sports such as NFL, Boxing, Basketball, and football leagues.
Availability: About 200 countries
Subscription: Varies by country
Free trial: 7-day free trial for new users in Japan
7. YouTube TV
While YouTube TV is not particularly associated with sports streaming, the paid subscription includes several sports channels in the United States. You can watch popular tournaments such as the UCL, Europa League, Bundesliga, CONCACAF Champions League, and FA Cup on YouTube TV.
Availability: US
Subscription: $72.99/M
Free trial: 7-day free trial
8. SonyLIV
SonyLIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand streaming website. It provides streaming and live broadcasts of sports, and licensed content such as movies and TV shows from Sony’s TV networks. In terms of football, Indian users can tune in to Sony LIV for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Italian Serie A, English FA Cup, and International football matches.
Availability: India
Subscription: Starting at 299/M
Free trial: Available
9. Optus Sport
Optus Sport is a group of sports channels from Australia. The service offers live streaming and on-demand streamings of various football competitions including the premier league, La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Euro Cup, and Copa America.
Availability: Australia
Subscription: $24.99 AUD/M
Free Trial: 14-day free trial for new users
10. Peacock
Peacock is an NBCUniversal streaming service that offers live sports, news, movies, and TV shows. It was launched in 2020 and has gotten more and more popular since clocking over 40 million active subscribers. In the United States, Peacock streams premier league matches.
Availability: US
Subscription: $5.99/m
Free Trial: 7-day free trial
How to Stream Football for Free?
We have seen the top 10 football streaming sites. But almost all of them come with a subscription plan. While you can access some of them for free for a limited period, you should essentially pay to watch the content without interruption. Some free websites stream football matches.
They may or may not be legal and some may crash at times. However, if you do not want to pay a monthly fee, just for the football match of your favorite club, then you may use them. Some of the popular choices include:
1. Sportlemon TV
Sportlemon TV streams live matches from a wide range of sports including football, basketball, American football, ice hockey, tennis, and boxing. The website does not require any subscription, but it operates in a legal grey area as it streams content hosted on other streaming services.
2. Crackstreams
Another streaming website that comes in the legal grey area is Sportlemon TV. it facilitates free and unauthorized distribution of live sports and other copyrighted content. Using these kinds of sites may pose privacy and security risks, so only use the site with caution.
3. BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is one of the popular video-on-demand services operated by the BBC. it streams live television channels and archived TV content. Access to BBC iPlayer is free for UK residents who have a valid TV license.
4. Stream2Watch
Stream2Watch also provides free access to copyrighted content. It may expose users to various risks including malware viruses and other security and privacy threats. The streams are unreliable and of poor quality with frequent interruptions.
5. FootyBite
FootyBite is a free sports and content streaming website. It also comes under legal scrutiny and governing agencies may take the website down at any time. However, it could potentially offer streaming of major football tournaments without paying for a subscription.
While we have provided a list of free websites that stream copyrighted content for free, we are not endorsing any of the above websites other than BBC iPlayer. It is best to stick with legitimate streaming platforms that have a free trial.
Problems with Free Football Streaming Websites
While providing free service, the free football streaming sites that provide content hosted on other sites come in a legal grey area and their server may get taken down at any time. Additionally, the website can have many other problems such as:
- Significant Delay
- Since these services take their content by streaming videos from other platforms, live broadcasts of sports and games will face a delay of several minutes.
- Low Quality
- The servers of these websites typically wouldn’t support streaming at a high bit rate, causing a big dip in the quality of your viewing experience.
- Constant Buffering
- Constant interruptions in streams and high buffering are staples of free and illegal football streaming sites. At times it can be very frustrating and highly distracting.
- Everything Comes with a Price
- While these streaming sites may not directly charge a subscription-free from you, you are paying a fee indirectly, either by compromising your privacy, exposing your device to malware, or watching ads.
Also, Read: Top 15 Best Movie Websites
Conclusion
Football is one of the most celebrated sports across nations. With its international craze, many people are searching for the best football streaming sites to watch and support their favorite team.
While some restrictions such as geoblocking, blackouts, and network restrictions are still a reality, most of these issues can be resolved with a robust VPN connection, you need to select the best streaming sites to get an interruption-free viewing experience.
Our top 10 picks of football streaming sites include Sky Sports, BT Sports, ESPN Plus, Fubo TV, beIn Sports, Dazn, Youtube TV, SonyLIV, Optus Sports, and Peacock. These streaming sites are available on various devices including smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets. However, most of these platforms are restricted to certain countries and regions.
They offer a wide variety of sports content including live streaming, news, and other related content. You can watch popular football tournaments including the Euro Cup, Copa America, UEFA Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, MLS, Serie A, and more for a monthly or yearly subscription plan.
While some websites offer free subscriptions to watch this copyrighted content, you may have to compromise your privacy and your device’s security for it. So, choose a football streaming with caution and try to stay away from illegitimate websites.
