Where to watch live football online this season
With a new season almost upon us, there are plenty of ways to watch live football online, with and without a subscription
For millions of people, the start of August is synonymous with the scent of cut grass, the click of turnstiles and the thrill of an alphabetically ordered league table.
Football season is almost upon us – that giddy period of optimism where all animals are equal, and relegation is a problem for next year.
Sadly, many people don’t have the privilege of popping along to their local ground every other Saturday.
For reasons of health, family commitments, geography or simply affordability (one Chelsea matchday ticket last season was advertised at £5,000), many of us can’t attend matches as often as we’d like to.
Happily, the internet provides myriad ways to watch live football online – providing you don’t expect 4K picture quality.
These are the main options as the 2024/25 EFL and SPFL seasons resume…
Sky.
Sky has evolved way beyond its original remit as a satellite broadcaster, and today, dish-free subscriptions are commonplace.
Sky recently announced a five-year deal to vastly increase its coverage of EFL and cup games, while retaining their ubiquitous Premier League and Scottish Premier coverage.
This will result in 328 Championship games and 248 matches in both League One and League Two being broadcast each and every season – a cornucopia of live football.
Even if you don’t have a Sky Glass streaming TV, it’s possible to watch live football online with a NOW Day or Month pass, by using the Sky Go app or through the Sky website.
Official club platforms.
Many football clubs offer their own live coverage of matches, sometimes dovetailing with local radio broadcasters whose coverage is georestricted elsewhere in the UK and overseas.
A matchday audio pass for Middlesbrough matches costs £3 outwith BBC Tees Sport’s geographic area, or you can spend £10 on a video stream.
The club website will usually have a dedicated section covering broadcasts. As an example, a £50 annual subscription is required to access Carlisle United’s newly launched (and gated) CUTV portal.
Indeed, Carlisle are now live streaming every league game internationally, thanks to an innovative new partnership with a global streaming service.
Internet channels.
If you’re not wedded to a particular team, there are numerous internet platforms broadcasting live football from around the world.
Eurosport shows internationals, European leagues and knockout tournaments. Apple TV broadcasts matches from across the Atlantic, and Viaplay has the rights to Scottish League Cup games.
Some coverage might involve signing up to obscure (in this country) brands like Triller TV – a Bulgarian-based streaming service previously known as FITE.
Don’t overlook domestic broadcasters, either. NIFL Premiership games can be found on the BBC iPlayer, while ITVX will be showing Women’s World Cup and Carabao Cup matches.
One place not to watch live football online.
Not only are overseas live streams likely to be in breach of UK copyright law, they are also hosted by shady companies who place your devices at far greater risk of malware.
We recently wrote about the threat of drive-by download malware, which can be injected into a live stream in the guise of a fake advert, regardless of whether the host site appears legitimate.
Even if someone you trust posts a link to an online stream, it’s not worth clicking the link.
You might be able to endure endless pop-ups, sidebar comments and buffering, but a malware injection could prove to be even more of a disappointment than the final score…
