The broadcast rights for Major League Soccer, the Premier League, the English Football League, La Liga, Ligue 1, FIFA, and the dozens of other national and international soccer leagues and tournaments are spread across a huge variety of different broadcasters. If you want to watch soccer live streams, and you want the best coverage available, here’s who has the rights to broadcast what games, which broadcasters you need to have access to, and the best ways to get that access.
Where Is the Best Place to Stream Soccer?
Soccer, or association football, is one of the most popular sports in the world. There are major and minor leagues in the United States, but there are also leagues in a number of other countries and fiercely competitive international leagues, competitions, and tournaments. Due to the massive worldwide popularity of soccer, the live streaming picture for this sport is tremendously complex. Dozens of broadcasters own at least some soccer rights around the world. The broadcasters that own the most English-language soccer rights in the United States are:
ESPN: This broadcaster has the rights to the most soccer games in the United States. Some games are broadcast on the internet-only ESPN+ streaming service. Contracts include Major League Soccer, the U.S. Open Cup, USL Championship, National Women’s Soccer League, FIFA qualification rounds, Bundesliga, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Liga MX (some games), and more. beIN Sports: This network also has the rights to some important soccer broadcasting contracts, including Ligue 1, Coupe de France, FIFA World Cup qualifications, Copa Libertadores, Africa Cup of Nations, CAF Championship League, and more. FOX Sports: FOX has the rights to some very important games, including the FIFA World Cup finals and the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. Other rights include Major League Soccer, Liga MX (some games), and Serie B. NBC Sports: NBCUniversal owns the broadcast rights for the English Premier League. English Premier League games are also shown on NBC’s Peacock network and USA network. CBS Sports/Paramount+: CBS Sports is the rights-holder for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League as well as the AFC Asian Cup. You’ll see Europa League games on the Paramount+ network, while select league games are available on the CBS Sports Network. AFC Asian Cup events are exclusively on Paramount+.
ESPN is the clear winner in terms of the number of leagues and tournaments they own the rights to, while CBS Sports and its Paramount+ service are gaining ground. FOX Sports also owns the rights to extremely popular and important games, particularly the entirety of the FIFA World Cup finals.
Live Streaming Soccer on ESPN and ESPN+
If you just want to watch some soccer live streams, and you don’t need access to everything, ESPN gives you access to more games than many other broadcasters. ESPN carries Major League Soccer games in the United States as well as a lot of international competitions. Cable subscribers can watch soccer live streams on the WatchESPN website without paying anything above and beyond their regular bill. Cord cutters can gain access to ESPN through a number of streaming services. ESPN+ is a separate service. It’s accessed through WatchESPN, but you don’t automatically get access with your cable subscription. Here’s how to live stream soccer through WatchESPN:
Live Streaming Soccer on beIN Sports
beIN Sports has some important matches, but it lost a few major contracts, including Bundesliga and La Liga. There’s a beIN website where cable subscribers can watch for free. If you’re a cord-cutter, you can get access to beIN Sports through Sling TV or fuboTV and then watch through the beIN Sports website. Here’s how to watch soccer live streams from beIN Sports:
Television Streaming Services That Include Soccer
If you don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, you can live stream soccer through a television streaming service. These services act a lot like cable or satellite television, but you stream live channels over a high-speed internet connection. You can watch on your computer or laptop, phone, tablet, or even on your television with a streaming device like a Roku. Since these services provide access to the same channels as cable providers, you need to look for one that carries a lot of networks that have the rights to broadcast soccer. Here are the two best options for soccer live streams:
Sling TV: This streaming service includes beIN Sports if you choose the Sling Blue plan with the Sports Extra package. You’ll also get ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU. Fox and NBC are only available in limited markets, but this is still one of the best options for soccer.
fuboTV: This streaming service includes beIN Sports and ESPN channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. It also includes NBC and Fox. It’s a good choice for soccer, especially international association football.
The other streaming services don’t include beIN Sports (with the exception of Yip TV), but most of them do have ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBC Sports, so you can still get decent coverage from them if you’re primarily interested in Major League Soccer, the Premier League, and the FIFA World Cup Finals.
Who Owns National Soccer Broadcast Rights in the United States?
Major League Soccer is the national league in the United States, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Countries all around the world have their own national leagues, and a lot of them have signed deals with broadcasters in the United States. If you want access to stream the most soccer from around the world, here’s a guide to the most common national leagues and cups and where to watch them: Here are some of the most popular and important international associations and tournaments, and where to watch them:
