Replacing live sports has long been one of the toughest things to do as a cord-cutter, but it's getting easier each year. Thanks to solutions such as streaming skinny bundles and over-the-air antennas, it’s not that hard to cut cable and still stay on top of the latest developments in the world of sports. We’ll show you how to watch soccer online, and we’ll fill you in on non-streaming solutions as well.
This article will cover international play, MLS, National Women’s Soccer League, and major international soccer leagues. We’ll talk about everything except the Premier League, but you can head to How to Watch the Premier League Without Cable for the scoop on that.
What Channels Have Soccer?
There are a lot of ways to enjoy soccer coverage without cable, but many options fall into one category: live TV streaming services, or “skinny bundles.” These streaming services provide access to livestreams of multiple channels. Think of them like cable, but for cord-cutters. They’re not free, but they’re often cheaper than their legacy pay TV forebears, and they sometimes offer free trials.
If these services get you live TV networks, the next question is: Which channels do we need? Let’s run down some of the big ones.
beIN Sports: For top soccer matches from foreign leagues, beIN Sports and its sister networks are essential.
FOX: FOX puts some big games on its flagship network, so it’s a must-have for soccer fans — especially during the World Cup. (Did you know you can watch the World Cup without cable?)
FS1: FOX’s all-sports network and its sister channel, FS2, offer soccer coverage.
ESPN: ESPN and its sister channels offer some live soccer games, including MLS games.
NBC: NBC offers Premier League coverage. You can find additional options for that league in our separate article on the Premier League.
NBCSN: You’ll find some more Premier League games on NBCSN.
Univision: Univision, UniMás, and Univision Deportes are great choices for Spanish-language soccer broadcasts.
Regional sports networks: Regional sports networks, or RSNs, offer coverage of local teams. Channels such as MSG and FOX Sports Midwest are where you’ll find your city’s MLB, NBA, or NHL teams. In many cases, these are also the channels to turn to for coverage of your local MLS team.
This isn't an exhaustive list, of course, but it will help us get started as we investigate our options.
How to Watch Soccer Online and Over the Air Without Cable
Below, you’ll find the best options for watching soccer without cable. We’ll start with live TV streaming services, or “skinny bundles,” which are great for getting the channels on our list above. Then we’ll talk about free over-the-air TV and streaming services other than skinny bundles. Ready? Let’s kick it off!
The live TV streaming service from Hulu is one of your best options for watching soccer without cable. Hulu offers livestreams of channels including FOX, NBC, FS1, NBCSN, ESPN, and more. There’s always something to watch on Hulu + Live TV.
fuboTV has repositioned itself as a skinny bundle for everyone, but it still holds a special appeal for soccer fans. It offers tons of great sports channels, and it’s a particularly good choice if you want to watch foreign leagues such as Liga MX and Serie A. To learn more, read our review of fuboTV.
Sling TV offers FOX and NBC, but only in a few select markets. The streaming service has a lot of other stuff you’re looking for, though, including FS1, ESPN, and NBCSN. Sling TV allows you to customize your bundle, which means you can round up even the obscure soccer channels without having to pay for some sprawling channel bundle.
Disney’s sports-specific streaming service is a great option for soccer fans. ESPN Plus has all kinds of obscure sports coverage, including beach soccer — which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s not just obscure stuff you'll find here though: ESPN Plus has devoured Major League Soccer’s league streaming service, MLS Live. Now an ESPN Plus subscription includes all the MLS matches customers could once stream on the now-defunct MLS Live.
You’ll find soccer action on CBS’ livestreaming service, Paramount Plus. It has matches from the Champions League, National Women’s Soccer League, and Europa League, among others. Paramount Plus launched in early 2021, so if you’re unfamiliar with it, then our Paramount Plus review can give you the scoop.
YouTube TV
Tech giant Google has its own live TV streaming service called YouTube TV. It’s a great skinny bundle with lots of features, but what matters most is the channel selection. YouTube TV offers viewers lots of channels with soccer coverage.
Peacock
NBC’s streaming service combines on-demand and livestreaming content. The live content includes soccer, in the form of occasional Premier League matchups. For more details, check out our Peacock review or our “How to Watch” post on the Premier League.
Free Over-the-Air TV
FOX, NBC, and Univision have big-time deals in place with soccer teams and leagues. Some of the big games may end up on network TV channels such as FS1 and NBCSN, but others land on the flagship over-the-air channels. With an antenna and a TV, you can watch soccer for free, with no cable required.
Can I Watch Soccer on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
A big-screen HDTV is the best way to see soccer, but it’s far from your only option. When you watch soccer without cable, you can do it in a lot of ways. Reference the chart below to find out which devices you can use with your favorite streaming platform.
| Roku | Fire TV | Apple TV | Android TV | Chromecast | iOS | Android | Web browser | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu + Live TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| fuboTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sling TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube TV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ESPN Plus, Paramount Plus, and Peacock are not in the chart, but you can use Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, Android, and web browsers with both services.
More to Watch for Soccer Fans
There’s plenty of soccer out there, but what if you want to watch another sport? Before you do, you may want to look at our sports blackout rules explainer. The rules can be frustrating, especially if you live, say, five miles from Wrigley Field and can’t get Cubs games, even though your friend in Seattle can watch the Cubs to their heart’s content.
When you’re done, why not check out our guide to watching the Olympics without cable? Soccer is an event at the Summer Games, and there are no local or regional blackouts for the Olympics.
What about FOX Soccer 2 Go?
All good stuff. I am happy with SLING (Orange + Blue + Spanish pkg.). But with all that, this NY Red Bulls fan cannot find MSG, when MLS Live is blacked out locally (New Jersey, specifically)… Any suggestions?
This article is useless.