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Cable television is dying, but football coverage has never been better.
That’s the paradox of 2026: the industry that once forced fans into $150/month cable bundles has accidentally created a streaming ecosystem where three subscriptions totaling $28/month cover more football than cable ever did.
The Premier League, Champions League, and La Liga represent the three pillars of European club football. The Premier League is the most-watched domestic league on the planet. The Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in the sport.
La Liga features two of the most iconic clubs in football history and some of the most technically gifted players in the world.
Until recently, watching all three required a cable subscription — plus add-ons, plus premium tiers, plus the frustration of scheduling conflicts and regional blackout rules. That era is over.
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This guide shows you exactly how to watch all three competitions without cable, from the cheapest possible setup to the most comprehensive, in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
The Simple Answer: Three Apps, $27.97/Month
For US-based fans, this is the formula:
Peacock Premium ($7.99/month) — All 380 Premier League matches. Every team, every matchweek, every match. Full replays available within hours. Dedicated Premier League hub with standings, fixtures, and analysis.
Paramount+ Essential ($7.99/month) — All Champions League matches, plus Europa League and Europa Conference League. Also includes all Serie A (Italian top flight) matches. Multiview feature for simultaneous Champions League group stage matches.
ESPN+ ($11.99/month) — All La Liga matches, plus Bundesliga, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and selected Liga MX. The broadest range of European football leagues on any single US platform.
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Total: $27.97/month. That’s $335.64/year for complete coverage of the three biggest European football properties — plus Serie A, Bundesliga, FA Cup, and multiple other leagues as bonuses.
For context: a basic cable package with sports channels costs $75-150/month ($900-1,800/year) and still doesn’t guarantee access to every match from any of these competitions. The streaming alternative is cheaper, more complete, and available on every device you own.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
Peacock: Your Premier League Home
What you get: Peacock is the exclusive US streaming home for the Premier League. NBC holds the US broadcast rights, and the vast majority of matches stream exclusively on Peacock — they don’t air on linear TV. During a typical matchweek, Peacock carries every Saturday early kickoff, most Saturday afternoon matches, and all midweek fixtures that aren’t selected for NBC’s main broadcast window.
The dedicated Premier League hub within Peacock organizes everything you need: live matches, upcoming fixtures, full-match replays, highlights, standings, and original analysis programming including Premier League Mornings — a pre-match studio show that has become appointment viewing for US-based fans.
What you don’t get: Some marquee matches (typically the Sunday afternoon window) air on NBC’s linear network or USA Network. These matches are not always available on Peacock’s lower-tier plan. The Premium Plus plan ($13.99/month) includes a live feed of your local NBC affiliate, ensuring you never miss a televised match.
Replay policy: Full-match replays are typically available within 2-3 hours of the final whistle and remain accessible for 30 days. This is critical for US fans watching a league where kickoff times are morning (East Coast) or early morning (West Coast). If you can’t watch live at 7:30 AM on a Saturday, the replay is waiting by 10 AM.
Stream quality: HD standard on all plans. Select matches available in 4K. Up to 3 simultaneous streams.
How to sign up: Download the Peacock app on any supported device (iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Samsung/LG Smart TVs) or visit peacocktv.com. No cable login required. No contract. Cancel anytime.
Paramount+: Your Champions League Home
What you get: Paramount+ holds exclusive US rights to all UEFA club competitions. Every Champions League match — from the group stage through the final — streams live. This includes the Tuesday and Wednesday evening matches that define the European football week, the high-stakes knockout rounds, and the final itself.
Beyond the Champions League, Paramount+ also carries the Europa League and Europa Conference League (for fans following clubs in the lower tiers of European competition) and all Serie A matches — a significant bonus that adds Italy’s top flight to your viewing options at no additional cost.
The Champions League multiview feature is genuinely useful during the group stage, when multiple matches with implications for qualification kick off simultaneously. Instead of choosing one match and missing the drama elsewhere, multiview lets you monitor up to four matches on a single screen.
What you don’t get: No domestic leagues other than Serie A. No Premier League, no La Liga, no Bundesliga. Paramount+ is the Champions League platform — if that competition isn’t a priority, the subscription is harder to justify outside of Serie A interest.
Replay policy: Full-match replays available on-demand. Champions League matches replay relatively quickly, with most available within hours.
Stream quality: HD and 4K for select matches. Up to 3 simultaneous streams on the Essential plan.
How to sign up: Download the Paramount+ app or visit paramountplus.com. The Essential plan ($7.99/month with ads during on-demand content) includes all live sports. The Premium plan ($13.99/month) adds ad-free on-demand viewing, downloads, and your local CBS station.
ESPN+: Your La Liga Home (and Much More)
What you get: ESPN+ is the US rights holder for La Liga — every match from Spain’s top flight streams live. But La Liga is just the starting point. ESPN+ also carries all Bundesliga matches (Germany’s top flight), every FA Cup match from the first round proper through the final, the Carabao Cup (League Cup), FA Women’s Super League, Eredivisie (Dutch top flight), selected Liga MX matches, and the Australian A-League.
For fans who consider themselves students of the game — who want to watch Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, then Bayern Munich on Sunday, then a lower-league FA Cup giant-killing on Tuesday — ESPN+ is the platform that enables that range.
ESPN+ lives within the broader ESPN app, which means your football streaming coexists with SportsCenter, NFL coverage, NBA highlights, and ESPN’s full editorial and documentary library (including the 30 for 30 series). The integration creates a sports ecosystem rather than an isolated football app.
What you don’t get: No Premier League. No Champions League. The two individual properties that most fans would rank as numbers one and two in world football are absent. ESPN+ is the best complement to Peacock and Paramount+ — not a replacement for either.
Replay policy: Full-match replays and extended highlights available on-demand. The ESPN app’s interface makes finding replays intuitive.
Stream quality: HD standard. 4K for select marquee events. Up to 3 simultaneous streams.
Bundle option: The Disney Bundle ($16.99/month) includes ESPN+ plus Disney+ and Hulu — effectively adding two major entertainment platforms for $5 more than ESPN+ alone. For households that watch entertainment content alongside football, this bundle represents exceptional value.
How to sign up: Download the ESPN app on any supported device or visit espn.com/espnplus. ESPN+ content is accessible within the main ESPN app — look for the ESPN+ badge on available content.
Country-by-Country Guide
The $27.97/month formula works for US-based fans. But football broadcasting rights are territorial, and the optimal setup changes based on where you live.
United Kingdom
The UK has the most expensive and most fragmented football viewing landscape in the world.
Current UK cable/satellite costs: Sky Sports (215+ Premier League matches plus other sports): approximately £22/month as an add-on to a Sky TV package. TNT Sports (52 Premier League matches plus Champions League): approximately £30.99/month. Combined: approximately £52.99/month — and you still can’t watch all 380 Premier League matches due to the Saturday 3 PM blackout rule, which prohibits live broadcast of any football match (at any level) during that timeslot.
The cord-cutting alternative (with VPN): A VPN (approximately £2-3/month for NordVPN or Surfshark on a 2-year plan) allows UK fans to access international streaming platforms with better coverage at lower prices.
Peacock Premium via US server: $7.99/month (~£6.25) for all 380 Premier League matches — including Saturday 3 PM kickoffs that are blacked out in the UK. Paramount+ via US server: $7.99/month (~£6.25) for all Champions League matches. ESPN+ via US server: $11.99/month (~£9.40) for all La Liga matches.
Total with VPN: approximately £24-25/month for complete coverage of all three competitions — versus £53/month for partial coverage via UK broadcasters. The savings exceed £330 per year.
Free UK options: BBC iPlayer carries Match of the Day highlights (Premier League) and selected Champions League highlights. No live matches, but comprehensive highlight packages are available the evening after matches at no cost.
Canada
Canadian streaming options: FuboTV Canada holds exclusive rights to all 380 Premier League matches — making it the single best Premier League platform for Canadian fans. DAZN Canada carries Champions League, Serie A, and Ligue 1. La Liga coverage requires checking current rights holders (historically available through various platforms).
Recommended Canadian setup: FuboTV Canada (CA$24.99/month) for Premier League. DAZN Canada (CA$24.99/month) for Champions League. Total: approximately CA$50/month for comprehensive coverage.
Australia
Australian streaming options: Stan Sport (subscription required on top of Stan base) carries Premier League (all 380 matches following the rights transition from Optus Sport), Champions League, Europa League, and selected other competitions.
Recommended Australian setup: Stan Sport (AUD$15/month add-on to Stan at AUD$12/month = AUD$27/month total) provides Premier League and Champions League in a single subscription. La Liga availability varies — check beIN Sports Australia or Kayo Sports for current coverage.
Device Setup Guide
Cord-cutting means nothing if you can’t watch on your TV. Here’s how to get these apps on the devices you already own.
Smart TV (Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio): Download Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN apps directly from your TV’s app store. Most Smart TVs manufactured after 2018 support all three apps natively. Search for each app by name, install, sign in, and stream.
Apple TV: All three apps are available on the Apple TV App Store. The Apple TV also supports picture-in-picture, allowing you to watch a match while browsing another app — useful for checking scores or stats during a live game.
Amazon Fire TV Stick: The most affordable way to turn any TV with an HDMI port into a smart streaming device. Fire TV Stick 4K ($49.99) supports all three apps in HD and 4K. Download from the Amazon Appstore, sign in, and stream. The Fire TV interface also aggregates content from multiple apps, so you can search for “Champions League” and see results from Paramount+ without opening the app first.
Roku: All three apps available on the Roku Channel Store. Roku devices range from $29.99 (Roku Express) to $89.99 (Roku Ultra) and support HD and 4K streaming depending on the model.
Gaming consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X): Peacock, Paramount+, and ESPN apps are available on both PlayStation and Xbox stores. If you already own a gaming console, you already own a streaming device.
Phone or tablet: All three apps are available on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play). Useful for watching on the go, but for the full match-day experience, casting from your phone to a TV via Chromecast or AirPlay provides the best combination of mobility and screen size.
Router-level VPN (for UK/international fans): Installing a VPN on your router allows every device connected to your home Wi-Fi — including Smart TVs and gaming consoles that don’t support VPN apps natively — to access geo-restricted content. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark all provide router configuration guides. The ExpressVPN Aircove router comes pre-configured, eliminating setup complexity.
The Annual Cost Comparison
| Setup | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | PL Matches | UCL Matches | La Liga Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Cable (basic sports) | $75-150 | $900-1,800 | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| UK Sky + TNT | ~£53 ($67) | ~£636 ($808) | 267 of 380 | All | ❌ |
| US Streaming (3-app combo) | $27.97 | $335.64 | All 380 | All | All |
| US Disney Bundle + Peacock + Paramount+ | $32.97 | $395.64 | All 380 | All | All + Disney+/Hulu |
| UK Streaming via VPN | ~£25 ($32) | ~£300 ($381) | All 380 | All | All |
| Canada (FuboTV + DAZN) | ~CA$50 | ~CA$600 | All 380 | All | Varies |
The US 3-app streaming combination provides complete coverage of all three major competitions for less than one-third the cost of a basic cable sports package — while delivering more matches, on more devices, with full replay capability.
Handling the Schedule: When Do Matches Kick Off?
Cutting cable doesn’t change when matches are played. For US-based fans, the time zone challenge is real — particularly for the Premier League, where Saturday kickoffs start at 7:30 AM Eastern / 4:30 AM Pacific.
Premier League (August – May): Saturday 7:30 AM ET (early kickoff), Saturday 10:00 AM ET (main window), Saturday 12:30 PM ET (late kickoff), Sunday 9:00 AM / 11:30 AM ET, midweek 2:45 PM / 3:00 PM ET. The replay feature on Peacock is essential for West Coast fans. Watch live if you can, catch the replay by midmorning if you can’t.
Champions League (September – May): Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, typically 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT for the main kickoffs. More accessible for US viewers than the Premier League — afternoon/early evening slots on workdays.
La Liga (August – May): Matches spread across Saturday and Sunday, typically 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Sunday evening matches kick off at 4:00 PM ET, which is the most convenient single timeslot for US viewers across all three competitions.
Pro tip: Use the LiveSoccerTV app (free) or the FotMob app (free with premium option) to track fixtures across all three competitions with automatic time zone conversion. Set up push notifications for your followed teams and you’ll never accidentally miss a kickoff.
What You Lose by Cutting Cable (And Why It Doesn’t Matter)
You lose: Channel surfing. Cable lets you flip between channels and stumble into a match you didn’t plan to watch. Streaming requires knowing what you want to watch and opening the right app. For most fans, this isn’t a loss — it’s a feature. You watch what you choose to watch instead of whatever happens to be on.
You lose: One remote, one bill. Cable consolidates everything into a single monthly payment and a single interface. Streaming requires managing multiple subscriptions and switching between apps. This is the genuine inconvenience of cord-cutting — the fragmentation tax. But at $28/month versus $100+/month, the savings more than compensate for the 10 seconds it takes to switch apps.
You lose: Some pre-match and post-match studio coverage. Cable sports channels run continuous studio programming around matches — pre-match analysis, halftime shows, post-match discussion. Streaming platforms offer less of this. Peacock has Premier League Mornings, but the depth of studio programming is thinner than Sky Sports or TNT Sports. If you value the studio experience as much as the match itself, this is a real trade-off.
You gain: Every match. Cable packages in most countries don’t show every match from every competition. Streaming does. In the UK, cable subscribers miss 113 Premier League matches per season due to the Saturday 3 PM blackout. Peacock viewers miss zero.
You gain: Full replays on demand. Missed the match? The replay is waiting. No DVR setup required, no storage limits, no recording conflicts.
You gain: Device flexibility. Start watching on your TV, continue on your phone during a commute, finish on your laptop at work. Cable ties you to the living room. Streaming follows you.
You gain: $600-1,400/year in savings. Depending on your current cable package, the annual savings from switching to streaming fund themselves many times over.
Getting Started Today
The transition from cable to streaming takes less than 30 minutes:
Step one: Cancel your cable sports package (or call to negotiate — mentioning cancellation often triggers retention offers that reduce your bill). Many cable contracts allow you to remove the sports tier without canceling the full package.
Step two: Download Peacock, Paramount+, and the ESPN app on your preferred streaming device.
Step three: Subscribe to Peacock Premium ($7.99/month), Paramount+ Essential ($7.99/month), and ESPN+ ($11.99/month). Total: $27.97/month. All three offer month-to-month subscriptions with no contract — cancel any of them at any time.
Step four: Watch the Premier League on Peacock, Champions League on Paramount+, and La Liga on ESPN+.
Step five: Enjoy the fact that you’re watching more football, on more devices, for a fraction of what you were paying.
The cable era created the infrastructure that made football a global product. The streaming era made that product accessible to everyone — without the cable bill.
Pricing, broadcasting rights, and platform availability reflect publicly available information as of early 2026. Rights agreements and pricing change periodically — verify current details on official platform websites before subscribing. International availability of US-based streaming services may require a VPN. This article is for informational and educational purposes only.
