The Rugby League Challenge Cup final took place at Wembley Stadium, London on July 17 at 15:00 GMT. One of rugby league’s most prestigious matches, this Challenge Cup final saw St Helens face off against Castleford Tigers. Read on to find out how to live stream the Rugby League Challenge Cup final online, for free, from anywhere.
We’ll only be recommending official sources for watching the Rugby League Challenge Cup final online. While there’ll likely be many unauthorized streams of this famous sporting event, these typically provide poor image quality and choppy video. What’s more, unofficial streams are often taken down in the middle of the match. Fortunately, you don’t need to waste time looking for unlicensed streams as you can watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup final online for free anyway.
The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final is only on region-locked platforms. Going on vacation? You’ll need to use a VPN to continue watching via your usual streaming service from home.
How to live stream the Rugby League Challenge Cup final free online
Want to watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup final live online from abroad? All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
Here’s how to watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup abroad:
- Sign up for a VPN that unblocks BBC iPlayer. We recommend NordVPN. However, Surfshark and ExpressVPN are both great value alternatives.
- Download and install one of the VPN apps. All of the VPNs recommended above offer apps for desktop and mobile as well as browser extensions.
- Open the VPN app and connect to a server in the UK. This allows you to watch the match on BBC iPlayer even if you’re outside the UK.
- Go to BBC iPlayer and sign up for an account. It’s free but you’ll need to provide some details and a UK postcode (any UK postal code will do).
- Clear your browser’s cookies to ensure BBC iPlayer forgets your actual IP address and accepts your new UK IP address. Still doesn’t work? We suggest you try another server in case your current IP address is blacklisted.
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How to watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup for free on UK TV
Update: Despite being available on-demand for weeks afterward, this match is no longer available on British TV.
Rugby fans in the UK can watch Challenge Cup coverage on UK TV for free. Matches are broadcast on BBC One as well as online via BBC iPlayer. There’s no need to worry about missing the big game either, as it’ll almost certainly be available on-demand for a few weeks afterward. You’ll need to create a free BBC iPlayer account, providing an email address, date of birth, country, and UK postcode.
While you’re legally required to have a TV license (this can be bought or renewed via the TV licensing website) to watch any live or on-demand content on BBC iPlayer, this isn’t really enforced. As such, you should be able to watch the match without restriction (providing you’re using a VPN if you’re outside the UK).
Although BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK, sports fans outside the UK can live stream the Challenge Cup final for free online with a VPN. NordVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can try it risk-free and get a full refund after the match if you’re not satisfied.
Where else can I watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup final?
Aside from on BBC iPlayer, the Rugby League Challenge Cup final is to be broadcast internationally. Here’s a list of some of the countries in which you can watch the event:
United States
You can catch the Challenge Cup on Fox Soccer Plus in the US. This means that if you have a cable TV subscription, you can watch the event at no added cost. To do so online, simply sign in via your TV provider — you’ll need to use the same login details you use with your cable TV (a username or email address and password).
However, you can also watch Fox Soccer Plus live without cable via select streaming services such as YouTube TV. This costs $64.99 USD/month although Fox Soccer Plus is a separate add-on which costs a further $15/month. Of course, Fox Soccer Plus is only available in the US and is subject to geographic restrictions. To watch abroad, you’ll need to connect to a server in the US and get a US IP address.
Australia
The only broadcaster in Australia showing the Challenge Cup final is Fox League. In order to watch, you’ll need a Fox Sports subscription which costs $4.99 AUD per month. Some Fox Sports video content (particularly live TV) is geo-blocked and only available in Australia. For this reason, you’ll need a VPN and Australian IP address in order to watch it abroad.
Canada
Rugby fans in Canada have two options when it comes to watching the Challenge Cup final. Match will be available on both Game TV and CBC Sports. While Game TV is only available if you have a cable TV subscription, CBC Sports is available for free. However, if you’re outside Canada, you’ll still need to connect to a VPN for Canada to watch online.
France
beIN Sports will be broadcasting the Challenge Cup final in France. In order to watch, you’ll need a beIN Sports subscription for a monthly price of €14.99. beIN Sports France online content is region-locked and only available in France. You’ll, therefore, need to connect to a server in France via a quality VPN in order to live stream abroad.
Can I use a free VPN to watch the Rugby League Challenge Cup final?
While a free VPN may be tempting, experience tells us that free VPNs are the last thing you should use when live streaming a match as important as the Challenge Cup final. The reason for this is that free VPNs tend to have only a small network of servers. With so many users trying to use the service, free VPN providers often resort to throttling your bandwidth. This makes streaming difficult and may cause you to miss out on key moments of the match.
There’s another major issue aside from slow streaming speeds and performance issues. Free VPNs often struggle to unblock BBC iPlayer. Further, many free VPNs don’t actually protect your privacy in any meaningful way. There have even been cases where free VPNs have logged the browsing activity of users and sold it to third parties. The best VPNs are fast, reliable, and secure your data with encryption and a strict no-logs policy.
What should I know about the Rugby League Challenge Cup final?
The Challenge Cup has been held annually since 1896 and involves clubs of all levels from amateur to professional. The Challenge Cup final features St Helens and Castleford Tigers. The previous holders were Leeds Rhinos.
Wigan Warriors are the most successful team in the competition’s history, having won the Challenge Cup 19 times. St Helens have 12 wins from a total of 22 Challenge Cup finals with the last victory coming in 2008. Castleford Tigers have won the Challenge Cup four times (and finished runners-up on two occasions) although the most recent victory was in 1986.
Is it illegal to use a VPN for the Rugby League Challenge Cup final?
No, it isn’t illegal to use a VPN for the RLC Cup Final, though it may be against the terms of use set by the broadcaster. To ensure you don’t get into any trouble, it’s recommended to read the broadcaster’s terms before proceeding.
