Technology
How to watch Champions League live: online, on TV and abroad
The 2023/24 Champions League is fast approaching its end, but there will be no new English winner this season.
Both holders Man City and Premier League title rivals Arsenal were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Their conquerors, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, play against each other, giving us an exciting battle between two of England’s most important players: Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
In the other game, PSG will hope to finally get the most out of what looks to be Kylian Mbappé’s final season at the club, but 1997 winners Borussia Dortmund represent strong competition.
Who will come out on top this week? Here’s how to watch them both live, wherever you are in the world.
Champions League matches
Here are the semi-final matches you can look forward to:
Tue April 30
- Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid – KO 8pm BST/3pm EDT/12pm PDT – TNT Sports (UK), Paramount+ (US)
Wed May 1
- Borussia Dortmund vs PSG – KO 8pm BST/3pm EDT/12pm PDT – TNT Sports (UK), Paramount+ (US)
Tue May 7
- PSG vs Borussia Dortmund – KO 8pm BST/3pm EDT/12pm PDT – TNT Sports (UK), Paramount+ (US)
Wed May 8
- Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich – KO 8pm BST/3pm EDT/12pm PDT – TNT Sports (UK), Paramount+ (US)
The winners of each tie will face each other in the final at Wembley Stadium on June 1.
How to watch the Champions League in Britain
BT Sport has been rebranded as TNT Sports, but still has exclusive rights to the Champions League in Britain. Not much has changed in terms of available plans either.
At full price, the cheapest package cost £20 per month with a monthly rolling contract, although you are limited to the Discovery+ app. However, it also includes Eurosport 1 & 2 and the Discovery+ Premium streaming service.
But if you’d rather stream all the action and don’t want a recordable TV box, it makes more sense to just add TNT Sports to Discovery+. That costs £20 a month for BT Broadband customers, but you’ll need it monthly subscription otherwise for €30.99 per month.
And if you want combine TNT Sports with Sky Sports (known as ‘Big Sport’), it will cost you £45 per month for full price.
However, it’s worth noting that the final will likely be available for everyone to watch live via YouTube.
How to watch the Champions League in the US
In the US, CBS has exclusive English-language rights to the Champions League, with every match broadcast live. If you already have cable TV, check the CBS website to see if it is supported and then contact your provider.
But if you don’t want to purchase cable, there is a simple alternative. Simply sign up for the Paramount+ streaming service (starting at $5.99 per month) and you’ll have full access on all your devices.
The most hassle-free way is to sign up for a live TV streaming service. YouTube TV ($72.99 per month), Hulu+ Live TV ($76.99 per month), Fubo Pro ($79.99 per month), and DirecTV Stream ($69.99 per month) all include CBS Sports. None of these are cheap, but they offer plenty of other benefits.
How to watch the Champions League outside Britain and the US
Before you try to watch British or American TV from abroad, it’s worth checking which broadcaster has the rights to the Champions League where you are. View the full list of international broadcasters on the UEFA website.
But if you’re just visiting another country, it’s wise to access your US or UK plan, which requires a VPN. We use NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial, but there are plenty of great alternatives in our best VPN chart.
Download the relevant VPN app
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Go to the download page of the VPN you want to install and click ‘Download app’. NordVPN is available on a range of devices.
Connect to a US or UK server
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Open the app and log in to your account if necessary. Then select a US or UK server and connect to it.
Depending on the service you use, it may look very different from the above. But this should be relatively easy to find.
Start watching as usual
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Go to the website or app you normally use to start watching. You should now be able to stream content as normal and without any restrictions.
If you only want to use the VPN for football, you can also consider a free VPN. Almost all will have a UK server, but there may be strict data limits.
Do you want more football? Here’s how to watch the Premier League and Europa League.
